Hires, haircuts and hydration

Louis Vera worked in restaurants before becoming a car dealer and knows about living paycheck to paycheck.

So when the coronavirus pandemic hit, Vera, CEO of Vera Cadillac-Buick-GMC in Pembroke Pines, Fla., north of Miami, gave temporary jobs at his dealership to 10 people from the restaurant and hospitality industries that weren't working.

"One of them, she owns a business that she had just opened two weeks before they had to shut down and it does little doughnuts, little dessert things or pastry things," Vera said. "One owned a Lebanese restaurant. She had to close down. The other five or six of them were bartenders, either at AmericanAirlines Arena, Hard Rock Stadium or Hard Rock Casino."

Vera, who used Paycheck Protection Program funding to keep staff employed, said he hired one of the restaurant/bar workers to assist with vehicle pickup and delivery, one worked in the parts department, another helped in accounting, some worked as greeters, while another helped run a rental car business. He paid each an hourly rate, 40 hours a week, over eight weeks.

When Vera Cadillac showed off the redesigned 2021 Cadillac Escalade on June 13, four of his temporary hires bartended the socially distanced event.

"We just had great protocols in place, and we sold 27 2021 Escalades that day," Vera said.

The restaurant industry hires are just one example of the numerous aid Vera provided his own employees and community during the crisis.

At his General Motors dealership, there have been no layoffs or furloughs for his approximately 170 employees, and during the height of the crisis, he paid employees their average pay for eight weeks.

Vera also has tried to boost morale and spirits during the hard time — as well as keep staff healthy.

The dealership brought in a barber to cut hair, a manicurist to do nails and procured leather face masks, made locally, for his staff — even donating some to a few nurses.

Vera paid for employee COVID-19 tests at $150 each. About 75 employees opted to get one. And he's had very few staff test positive since the crisis began.

He also brought in a company that offers IV hydration treatment and vitamin B12 shots. Vera said he split the cost for treatments — aimed to boost immune systems — with employees.
"We had like 28 people the first week, and the second week I think we had another 22," he said. "And they just set up a conference room; it was like a little triage unit and they had their IV hanging there. It goes through you in about 45 minutes. You feel great like an hour later and they got hydrated."

Vera also frequently ordered takeout from nearby restaurants for his employees. And when he picked up the orders, he gave each restaurant worker a $100 tip.

"Everywhere I went, I was just trying to take care of [them]," he said. "I think those people are getting hit the worst."