“I’ve been blessed to be part of some very successful teams,” says Venner. “I played catcher for Ranger Junior College in 1978 when we won the NJCAA World Series. There was not a single player, myself included, good enough on his own to carry the team to win the title. But, working together towards a common goal, we achieved something remarkable.”
After graduating from Ranger, Venner attended the University of Texas on a baseball scholarship. From 1980 – 84, he played and coached on Texas Rangers minor league clubs in North Carolina, Colorado and Iowa.
“I’ve been able to use many of the disciplines I learned in baseball throughout my career,” continues Venner. “More than 23 years ago I started selling cars in Fort Worth. I joined Park Place Lexus in 2003, and was named general manager of the Plano dealership the following year.”
In 2005, Venner was part of the team that helped Park Place Lexus become the first automobile dealership in the nation to ever win the coveted Malcolm Baldrige Award, the highest level of national recognition for excellence.
“After studying the application, I called all our managers together,” explained Venner. “I wanted to make sure we were really doing everything at the highest level of the Baldrige criteria. It was important that each department owned their responsibilities. We had to hold each other accountable to these highest standards. Winning the award was secondary in my mind. I knew if all our departments would function at this level, then our clients would benefit, our business would prosper and each member of our team would grow individually.”
Malcolm Baldrige recipients were evaluated rigorously by an independent board of examiners in seven areas including, leadership; strategic planning; customer and market focus; measurement, analysis, and knowledge management; human resource focus; process management; and results.
“Winning the Malcolm Baldrige Award was definitely a high point in my career,” said Venner. “In business, it’s the equivalent to winning the World Series. But, it only happens when you achieve the highest level of teamwork. From our valets on the service drive to sales, accounting and management, every level of our organization was committed to the journey. And we all grew tremendously as individuals as well as within our team.”
“When I was in high school, Yates Corner was the center of town,” said Venner. “And about the only restaurant was Dairy Queen. Now we have some of the best restaurants and shops in Dallas-Fort Worth, but Southlake still feels like a small town to me. Home is home. And I love it!”
Park Place Lexus Grapevine is located at 901 State Highway 114 East near DFW International Airport. Celebrating its 20th Anniversary, Park Place Dealerships represents luxury brands in Dallas/Fort Worth including Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Lexus, Volvo, Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Maserati.
More at www.parkplacetexas.com.
