Preview: Disney Helps Dealers

German automaker Porsche AG has won acclaims for its high-performing sports cars, but when it comes to high-performing customer service – not so much. The manufacturer now wants to shift its customer relations into high gear, and who better to turn to for help in making happy customers than the owners of the self-proclaimed happiest place on earth, Walt Disney Co.? Porsche has hired Disney’s customer service, leadership and corporate culture consulting arm, Disney Institute in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., to train management at dealerships under its subsidiary Porsche Cars North America Inc. in Atlanta, as well as at the European headquarters. Taking a starring role in the initiative, called Excite!, is local dealership Rusnak/Westlake Porsche in Westlake Village. Read the full story in the Oct. 16 issue of the San Fernando Valley Business Journal.