In the spirit of One Toyota, we wanted to create a program and award trip bringing together both Hino and Toyota dealers and our OEM partners at Hino and TMH.

Last year, we hosted both dealer groups for the first time as a one-time trip to celebrate Ambassador Award milestones from 2020 – 2023. Attendees from last year’s trip told us that the best part of the trip was getting to know others from Hino or Toyota and making connections with one another. We have also heard from many of you about your desire to learn more and network with other Toyota dealer networks and businesses, and we are excited to launch this brand-new program as a direct result of your feedback.

This year’s Partners of Excellence program will run from January 1, 2024, to May 31, 2024. The trip for winners (and a guest) will take place from October 18 – 21, 2024, at Pelican Hill Resort.

The top 12 dealers (for Toyota and Hino each), based on the program parameters above, will earn the distinctive Partners of Excellence Award and trip. Winners will be announced in early June. Should you have any questions regarding the program, your TICF Regional Sales Manager is available to assist.

We truly value your partnership and look forward to continued collaboration in achieving mutual goals, customer loyalty, and long-term profitability.

Good luck, and we hope to see you in the Partner’s Circle!

The New Year is always a bright time as people and companies reflect on the previous year and make plans and voice resolutions for what is hoped for in the future. As TICF looks ahead, 2024 is especially bright as we plan and prepare for a major transformation in 2025.

In the last four years, in survey after survey, dealers have indicated that improving the current origination system is one of the main drivers to improve overall satisfaction of doing business with TICF. As a captive finance company, we exist to support you and Hino Motors and your customers, and our systems are keeping us from fully delivering on our purpose.

As a result, and as shared in December, Toyota Industries Commercial Finance (TICF), has launched a major initiative called Project FOCUS, which stands for Finance Opportunities for Customer and User Satisfaction. And, during the next 18 months, into Q2 of 2025, Project FOCUS will prepare all of us for the replacement of our credit origination system, TC3, as well as our portfolio management and servicing platform, SAP.

“The first New Year’s celebration was nearly 4,000 years ago, and while our systems are not quite that old, we have much to improve,” said Mike Schultze, Senior Director of Sales & Marketing. “While it is a bold move to make a fresh start with our origination and servicing systems, launching a completely new back-end system is what is needed to allow us to best serve you, deliver a modern lease and finance experience, and respond to market demands.”

TICF’s Chief Information Officer, Mary K. Trostmann-Tully, views a new origination and servicing system as “the art of the possible” and is excited about the journey ahead. Mary K. shared, “Project FOCUS is a great opportunity to re-envision the way we do business and support our dealers and customers.” She added, “With Project FOCUS, from a technology standpoint, we aim to go from behind the pack to the front and become innovators.”

This new system’s cloud-based technology eliminates the “lag” dealers have felt when working in the current systems. Furthermore, using scalable, future-ready technology capable of evolving and expanding will better support the changing marketplace and the complexity of logistics and larger customers. And the new flexible technology foundation reduces operational complexities, allowing for better support, service, and ongoing growth.

The dealer perspective is critical to a successful transformation. We are asking for a few volunteers to represent the dealer perspective in software testing and provide input on the training. If you are interested in being a representative in the project by Friday, February 23, 2024, please send an email to TICF_Marketing_SM@toyotacf.com.

Thank you for your business, partnership, and ongoing support. We couldn’t be more excited about what lies ahead, and we look forward to making a fresh start with you in 2025.

Peter Bergin joined TICF in mid-January as Hino’s southeast regional sales manager. He is firmly in the driver’s seat in his new position, having already met with several dealer groups.

With fifteen years experience in truck financing, most recently as a district finance manager growing relationships across Florida for Daimler Truck Financial, Peter is excited for a fresh start and a new challenge. “As TICF grows its commercial portfolio and expands into new markets, it’s exciting to be a part of that story,” he says. “The people I’ve already met in the office have been so welcoming and kind. I’m looking forward to getting to know all my colleagues better and help in any way I can.”

“Constructive dialogue and communication is critical to our collective success, and I believe my background prepares me well for the challenge.” Peter also knows how critical it is to have a strong back-end office presence and is eager to hone those relationships and be an advocate for the internal team.

A native of Chicago, Peter spent seven years in Fort Worth and now lives in sunny Orlando. With four kids ages 10 to 17, Peter spends most of his time outside work on his family’s many activities, yet still manages to sneak in a round of golf here and there.

In his recent meetings, a common recurring theme was how critical the TICF finance relationship is to the dealers’ success. “This is a relationship business, and I can clearly see the value TICF brings to its dealer partners,” Peter says.

While expectations are high, he considers it a positive sign that underscores the exceptional products and service dealer partners are accustomed to—and which he looks forward to continuing to deliver.

The Commercial Account Services team is comprised of 22 associates. One of the biggest strengths of the team involves their experience. Many associates worked in other departments at TICF, bringing knowledge of those departments to their current role, and a deeper understanding of how the organization works to help dealers and customers each day.

Also recently, TICF created and hired for a brand-new role along with the recent departmental and role name changes. A Commercial Account Quality Assurance Analyst will be dedicated to reviewing and listening to phone calls and e-mail interactions between TICF and customers, with the ability to coach and train current associates to continuously improve and ensure we provide a best-in-class customer experience. The Quality Assurance Analyst will also work with the supervisors to develop and implement training for the department on an on-going basis.

When asked about the purpose of the team, Commercial Account Services Manager, Michelle Klaus shared, “There are a lot of our associates who care about providing a great customer experience. As we all know and experience, we are customers too. It is within our power to do what we can and always work on crafting the greatest experience for our mutual customers.”

We are committed to providing excellent service on our accounts and believe that this name change is a positive step forward for both TICF and our mutual customers and dealers.