One of the most critical departments of Team Chevrolet of Valparaiso is tucked away behind the showroom. Nestled next to the service department’s garage to provide easy access for the technicians, the Parts Department is a fundamental part of Valpo’s hometown Chevy dealer – providing parts for both the vehicles they service and customers looking to DIY.
Team Chevy’s Parts Department is staffed by a small crew of long-time employees, including Doug Helminski. He officially joined Team Chevy’s parts crew a little over nine years ago, but his history with the dealership stretches much further back.
“I used to come in here with my dad, who was the used car sales manager,” Helminski said. “I’d come in here on Saturdays and snow days just to hang out. I grew up here, everybody here is my family.”
His career at Team Chevy actually stretches back a little further than nine years ago – having joined in 2007 in a different role, shortly after his father passed away.
“I did a little bit of everything,” he said. “I started as a detailer, then I went to being a service porter, and at one time I was a service and sales porter. I moved on to being a lube tech and then a regular tech.”
Then, unfortunately, Helminski suffered a bad back injury that put him out of work for 11 months. Complications from the injury meant that stepping back into working on cars was not safe or realistic, but he wanted to stay with Team Chevy.
“I couldn’t work on cars anymore, they wouldn’t clear me to do it with my back,” he said. “I asked Dave Brubaker, the general manager here, if he had anything for me and he came back with parts. It happened to be right around the time someone else was leaving the team, so it worked out perfectly for me.”
As a parts consultant, Helminski is a jack of all trades. He looks up parts for the vehicles customers bring in for service, the vehicles that are out on the lot, keeps the inventory organized, and takes care of customer calls
He enjoys the job, and not just because of the actual work itself. Instead, it’s the culture at Team Chevy that makes the biggest difference.
“It’s laid back, but we run a tight ship,” he said. “The most important thing is to have a sense of humor. That's above everything else. I love the people I work with. I consider them my family. I’ve known them my whole life. This is the best job I’ve ever had – and I’ve worked for my mom.”
Even on his days off Helminski is likely to drop by the dealership, often with his dog Logan in tow. He encourages customers to bring their dogs if they plan to make a trip to Team Chevy.
“If you have a dog, bring them in,” he said. “I love dogs. I’m the dog guy of Team Chevrolet. Every time there’s a dog at the dealership, I run out of parts so I can pet them.”
To learn more about Team Chevrolet of Valparaiso, visit chevyon30.com.
