{"id":68468,"date":"2026-01-29T09:25:49","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T12:25:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automotive.einnews.com\/article\/887581564"},"modified":"2026-01-29T09:25:49","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T12:25:49","slug":"walser-automotive-group-sales-training-now-gi-billa-eligible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/01\/29\/walser-automotive-group-sales-training-now-gi-billa-eligible\/","title":{"rendered":"Walser Automotive Group Sales Training Now GI Bill\u00c2\u00ae eligible"},"content":{"rendered":"
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MINNEAPOLIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jan 29, 2026–<\/p>\n

Veterans pursuing civilian careers in automotive retail now have a new pathway at Walser Automotive Group<\/a>, where the company\u2019s on-the-job sales training program is officially eligible for GI Bill \u00ae benefits.<\/p>\n

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https:\/\/www.businesswire.com\/news\/home\/20260129742927\/en\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Dominic Tolkinen, U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Customer Specialist at Walser Automotive Group, is the first employee to benefit from Walser\u2019s newly GI Bill\u00ae-eligible sales training program.<\/p>\n

The designation allows eligible veterans to receive financial support while training for a full-time sales career, bridging the gap between military service and civilian employment.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a benefit that Customer Specialist Dominic Tolkinen is embracing.<\/p>\n

Tolkinen, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served as a Lance Corporal and CBRN Defense Specialist, joined Walser in June 2025.<\/p>\n

“Making GI Bill benefits available is a statement of who Walser really is and what they stand for,\u201d Tolkinen said. \u201cAnd just like in service to our country, at Walser we are driven by a commitment to protect, support, and serve with integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n

The GI Bill approval builds on Walser\u2019s veteran employment efforts, including its Beyond the Yellow Ribbon company<\/a> designation in 2025 and a goal to hire 50 veterans annually.<\/p>\n

While the GI Bill is commonly used to cover college tuition costs, the benefit can also support veterans during on-the-job training. Walser worked alongside its employee resource group, Veterans at Walser,<\/a> and the Minnesota\u2019s Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a> to certify its 12-month, 2,000-hour training program as eligible for both the federal and Minnesota GI Bill.<\/p>\n

The program combines classroom instruction, self-guided learning, workshops, and hands-on dealership experience. The structured approach prepares sales consultants for high-performance sales roles and long-term leadership opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWalser making their sales training benefit-eligible creates a bridge from service to purpose,\u201d said Tolkinen. \u201cWalser does more than thank their veterans for their service: they invest in their lives, their families, and their next chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a result, veterans like Tolkinen and other eligible beneficiaries enrolled in Walser\u2019s sales training program can now receive GI Bill benefits in addition to military-focused benefits such as military training pay and differential pay for active deployments. Together, these benefits provide financial stability and help ease military transition.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe word \u2018thank you\u2019 often feels insufficient for our veterans\u2019 sacrifice, and making our sales training program benefit-eligible is an actionable way to show gratitude and support to our veterans,\u201d said Kristen Baker, Walser\u2019s Director of Training.<\/p>\n

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Baker said the program was redesigned in 2024 to center on the learner experience and support multiple learning styles.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany dealerships drop new hires off on the show floor with no support or guidance. This is a structured, compassionate training program that not only builds skills, but careers as well,\u201d Baker said.<\/p>\n

In 2026, Veterans at Walser plans to implement a veteran mentorship program designed to connect new veteran hires with experienced veteran mentors who can provide guidance and support during a critical transition period.<\/p>\n

GI Bill \u00ae is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at https:\/\/benefits.va.gov\/gibill\/.<\/a><\/p>\n

View source version on businesswire.com<\/a>:https:\/\/www.businesswire.com\/news\/home\/20260129742927\/en\/<\/a><\/p>\n

CONTACT: Media Contact:<\/p>\n

Dayna Kleve<\/p>\n

dkleve@walser.com<\/a><\/p>\n

KEYWORD: MINNESOTA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA<\/p>\n

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: OTHER DEFENSE VETERANS HUMAN RESOURCES AUTOMOTIVE GENERAL AUTOMOTIVE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES OTHER AUTOMOTIVE TRAINING EDUCATION DEFENSE<\/p>\n

SOURCE: Walser Automotive Group<\/p>\n

Copyright Business Wire 2026.<\/p>\n

PUB: 01\/29\/2026 07:00 AM\/DISC: 01\/29\/2026 07:02 AM<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.businesswire.com\/news\/home\/20260129742927\/en<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/strong> <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

… Veterans pursuing civilian careers in automotive<\/span> retail now have a new … and Customer Specialist at Walser Automotive<\/span> Group, is the first … VETERANS HUMAN RESOURCES AUTOMOTIVE<\/span> GENERAL AUTOMOTIVE<\/span> PROFESSIONAL SERVICES OTHER AUTOMOTIVE<\/span> TRAINING EDUCATION DEFENSE …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68468"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68468\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}