Dealership team hunts for vaccine

Earl Stewart Toyota staff members have been on an aggressive hunt for inventory, but they weren't seeking RAV4s or Camrys.

The dealership in North Palm Beach, Fla., formed a team of six employees in January to find available doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for employees age 65 and up. Now 10 people monitor the local vaccine scheduling website three days a week.

The store's COVID Rescue Team reached a milestone this month when all 24 of the store's at-risk or older employees got their shots.

Dealer principal Earl Stewart, 80, has received both doses of the vaccine. Employees aggressively monitored the online appointment system for local grocery chain Publix to corner slots, logging in simultaneously 15 minutes before the system went live.

Each team member had a list of eligible employees with the details necessary to book their appointment. Sometimes the only available slot would be in a county several hours away, so Stewart started covering transportation costs for his employees.

The group's greatest breakthrough came when office manager Billie Jean Pellet booked appointments for seven employees in one morning. Pellet, who has been with the store for 30 years, received a $5,000 bonus and a week's paid vacation for her efforts.

"She typed so fast smoke came off the keyboard," Stewart said.

Once all the eligible family members of employees have been taken care of, the team will open the task force's efforts to customers in the community. Many of Earl Stewart Toyota's customers are elderly, he said, and may not have the wherewithal to tackle the complexities of the appointment system.

"They're just not savvy online. Some of them don't have computers," Stewart said. "If they're not lucky enough to have grandkids, we're going to help them."