Melissa Dixon

With an extensive background in retail finance, Melissa Dixson started in the industry when she was in college and working for a bank. Upon graduation she joined GM Financial, then had brief stints with a mortgage company and the Small Business Administration, where she helped with relief loans. In July 2020 she joined TICF, marveling at how friendly and welcoming everyone has been, despite the unorthodox remote environment.

Currently Melissa works with Hino dealers as a Senior Credit Analyst, a role in which she has been able to pilot process improvements that increase efficiency.

A key change has been implementing chat groups designed to bolster communication among her team, leading to better dealer service. “If someone is unavailable, another team member will watch the queue,” she explains. “While everyone was always happy to pitch in before, oftentimes they didn’t realize there was a need to do so, but now it’s obvious. This leads to more rapid responses to our dealers. Customer service is my big thing.”

One aspect of the TICF culture that Melissa especially appreciates is how receptive everyone has been in implementing these changes in a spirit of continuous improvement. And that extends to the technology that TICF uses, she says, citing the ongoing changeover to TC3.

While she admits there might be growing pains as dealers acclimate to the system, Melissa knows that eventually they will find it to be more efficient than the current process. “Now they send an email, but if there’s any change in the application, they have to send another email. If we are working on other applications, we might not notice that change right away, which translates into a longer wait and more back-and-forth communication.” Anytime you are doing something new there is a learning curve, she says, but it will be worth it to the dealers when they jump on board.

Fortunately, TICF prioritizes training and education and is committed to helping make the transition to TC3 as seamless as possible for dealers. This includes offering webinars in December of 2020 and again in February of 2021, accompanied by a three-part video series to offer on-demand guidance at all stages of the application process.

Those who are using the TC3 are already reaping the benefits, as auto-approval has improved significantly in 2020 and targets instant approval of 30% of applications submitted through TC3. And yet, Melissa acknowledges, the team is only as good as the information that’s provided. On that note, she recommends that dealers always take a moment to review the credit application for completeness before hitting Send. “That saves considerable time on the back end because we don’t have to request or verify information.”

Since joining TICF, Melissa has enjoyed calling dealers to introduce herself and get to know them. She also conducts virtual face-to-face meetings as schedules permit, which allow her personality to shine through. “I like to do my job well, but it’s important to have fun doing it,” she says, referring to the various virtual backgrounds she uses.

Besides taking on a new job, Melissa also recently had another life event: She sold her home in the city and moved to a small town. “My whole life I’ve been a country girl living in the city,” she says, sharing that she loved visiting her grandparents—all of whom had acres of land in the country—when she was young. Now she feels as though she has the best of both worlds. “When I need a retreat, I can just go right to my backyard, and the city, with all its amenities, is still accessible when I want it.”

Daniel Kuriyama

You might say that Daniel Kuriyama, Regional Sales Manager (RSM) for the West region, knows the truck business inside and out, end to end, backward and forward. “From dealer principal to business owner to driver, I can relate to every aspect of the business because I’ve been around trucks my entire life. I started out washing Hinos, then driving them during my college summers, then selling them after graduating, and now financing them,” he says.

That’s thanks to a lifetime spent in the industry as a second-generation “truck guy.” Daniel’s dad sold trucks and managed truck dealerships, including one of the first Hino dealerships in North America.

Along the way Daniel has also handled equipment finance, overseen territories, and even had a stint managing a Hino dealership. But it was those early days with his dad that showed him the value of the product and of building relationships. For many years, Daniel’s dad was one of Hino’s top salesmen and sold enough units to be able to take his sales crew on the trips he earned, a way to thank those who had played a role in his success.

Daniel saw how a reputation for excellence would pay off down the road in this small, tight-knit industry. “People get to know and trust each other, and you’re not going to last long if you don’t treat people well,” he says.

But if you build that trait, it is a field rich with opportunity. “In my family it has helped kids go to college, buy homes, and make our dreams come true,” Daniel says. Despite the benefits he has seen, he knows not that many people set out with the career goal of selling or financing trucks. But for him, it’s been everything he could have imagined. “I get to go and see people I’ve developed relationships with—people who have become my friends—and help them be successful,” he says.

Daniel’s first “real” job in the industry, beyond helping out around the dealership his dad managed, was while he was still in college, distributing parts for Hino. He got to drive the trucks as he delivered the parts, which further contributed to his respect for every level of the sales process and product delivery.

The secret to success, he believes, is human connection, given that people want to do business with those they trust and like. But that has to be backed by experience and products such as those that TICF offers, which can help dealers complete the sale.

“I can put together a financing package that will help strengthen the customer’s business —we can offer lines of credit or a wholesale flooring line that won’t encumber the rest of the company’s finances as it might if they were to go to the bank,” explains Daniel.

He also is proud of the technological advances that TICF has introduced recently, most notably the TC3 system. While some customers might be hesitant to learn a new process, he urges them to try it. “I wish I could be the ‘Ghost of Technology Future’ and show them how much easier their life will be in three weeks if they would just experiment with it,” he says.

Customers who have worked with Daniel closely might have noticed that he’s always on time. He considers punctuality a sign of respect toward the person and the meeting. That punctuality might also be attributed to the fact that he’s a watch collector. While he owns more than 50 (all colors, brands, and types), the one that he holds most dear is a family heirloom—a fine Swiss timepiece his favorite uncle gave him when he was 12. A family member had come to America from Japan in the ’30s with nothing, yet had bought this beautiful platinum watch, which makes it truly special. For Daniel, it’s a reminder that relationships and their history are everything.

Tamekia Goree

Business is all about relationships, a lesson that TICF Senior Operations Specialist Tamekia Goree learned from her father. “He advised me to always keep my name and reputation solid; while you might not always see eye to eye with someone, you never know if you’ll run into them again.”

Embracing the philosophy has contributed to Tamekia enjoying her position at TICF, given the high value the team places on dealer relationships. Most recently, it has served her well in her transition to the Dealer Financial Services division. Having started her career at TICF five years ago in the Retail Funding division, she has realized that she has many carryover clients who already recognize her name and the quality of her work from their previous interactions.

Prior to joining TICF, Tamekia held several jobs in the financial industry, starting as an auto insurance adjuster and then moving to the mortgage industry, working her way up in collections, first to quality assurance and eventually becoming a supervisor to associates in-house and offshore. She developed a great deal of empathy as she worked with clients who were losing their homes. Curious to see where else she could apply her skills, Tamekia interviewed with TICF as the company was relocating from California to Texas.

“I enjoy waking up every day and going to work, knowing I’ll have the camaraderie and support of my fellow associates, which I haven’t always experienced,” Tamekia says. “The culture of Toyota is what keeps me here, and it shines through in our work with our internal and external customers.”

That extends to a shared commitment to same-day funding, as long as the customer has provided accurate information and the paperwork is in order. However, sometimes there are constraints that preclude fast funding; for that reason, and to manage expectations, she is mindful of quoting a realistic turnaround time. “I’ll always do it sooner if I can, but if not, it’s because I’m investigating something so that it’s done correctly” she says.

No matter the issue, Tamekia finds that the matter can always be resolved with adequate communication. “Sometimes it just means picking up the phone and calling, versus sending an email or text. You can quickly cut through the questions on the phone, and while you typically realize it’s a simple mistake, either way it’s far easier to find a resolution when you talk through something together.”

Tamekia has shared her business acumen with her daughter and son, ages ten and eight, who have launched their own entrepreneurial venture—a snow cone and concession stand business, dubbed “Penguin Snow Cones.” The family has outfitted a trailer that they take to events, pivoting to nachos, hot dogs, and hot chocolate when the weather gets cold. “My husband and I are teaching our children how to earn, save money, gain customer service skills, and become their own bosses—things I didn’t learn at that age,” she says, adding that both have investments, college and savings accounts, and are proud of their hard work and subsequent earnings.

While the pandemic briefly slowed them down, they are forging on and continue to prepare for the next season of business.

It’s an apt parallel for how Tamekia and the team at TICF have adjusted and adapted—with their commitment to the customer at the forefront