WHERE IT ALL STARTED...

John started selling cars at the age of 18 in his hometown of Weyburn Saskatchewan while taking over the family farm. Realizing he was better in sales than farming, he dove into the auto industry, becoming a very high performer. Many customers still remember his "John's pick of the week" that ran in the weekly paper. John married his High school sweetheart Trina at the age of 19. She has become instrumental in the growth of the company over the years. Trina works behind the scenes on major decisions and human resources but is still very active parenting their youngest son Logan born in 2009.

John had several senior management positions over the 17 years he worked in Edmonton. In 2010, he moved the family to the Okanagan with his family. Putting everything on the table with the acquisition of his first dealership, Kelowna Hyundai in November of 2011! Throughout the growth of Kot Auto Group, John has been proud to be able to put family first and build a family-owned and operated business he can be proud of. After growing up around the car business, Brandon, Trina and John's oldest son, started selling cars right out of high school. Brandon left the family business for a few years but remained in the car business to gain experience in Finance and Sales management. Brandon came back to Kot Auto Group in 2018 and is currently the Active Vice President / General Manager at Victoria Hyundai and Woodgrove Chrysler.

Jordan attended University right out of High School and graduated with a business degree.  He and his Wife Hali now have two little girls, Haven and Everly keeping them busy when they are not working. Jordan is currently the Vice President overseeing all dealerships operations. Janessa McGowan has had several positions at Kot Auto Group, including Marketing Coordinator, Human Resources and Receptionist. She is currently the Finance Director in the auto group. Connor McGowan married Janessa in 2020. Connor started selling in January 2016 at Kot Auto Group and is currently the General Sales Manager at Kelowna Hyundai. The two of them have recently welcomed their first daughter in 2022, Isla.

On top of a passion for cars, John is an avid sports fan! Hockey is his favourite, where he has been both a coach and player. His favourite pastime is taking his longer termed staff to Haida Gwaii for the annual Kot Auto Group Fishing Trip! In John's spare time, he keeps busy with his younger son Logan and wife Trina.