Pub 2 2021-2022 Issue 1

continued from page 9 I enjoy racing my Nissan 350Z and Nissan 240SX with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). I have run the New York Marathon six times, the Chicago Marathon once, and the Disney Marathon once (so far!). also support Embrace Families, which works in the local area to mentor, foster and adopt children. We have the Reed Nissan Cars or Kids program, where for the past six years, we have given away two new vehicles per year to foster kids aging out of the system. I really believe that dealerships are more than just a business — we’re part of the community. We work to create awareness with the charities we work with, and we encourage our employees to get involved in our community. What’s the secret sauce for you in running a successful dealership? For us, it’s “happy employees will create happy customers” first and foremost. It sounds simple, but in practice, it takes focus and effort every day. We have been in business for over 70 years for our dealership and are in the third generation of family ownership. We get a great deal of joy and satisfaction from seeing employees achieve success and how it can change their lives. If you look back at your career and life, what would be three things you have learned that you would pass onto a younger member within the auto industry? First, establish trust. Earning trust is hard to gain but easy to lose. Trust is essential in all relationships, especially in business. Second, work to improve yourself and keep learning. There are many different paths you can go working at a dealership, so find what is you want to do and pursue it. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or for help. And third, embrace change. How we do as a business changes daily, as do our customers’ expectations. To be successful, you need to be able to adapt and move forward. How did you weather the pandemic storm? It was a difficult time and one we hopefully won’t have to go through again. It was a difficult time to conduct business with so much uncertainty. Our employees were tense, and our customers were tense, which is not a good combination. I would joke about not wanting to check my phone because the news was never good. We tried to lead by example by following local protocols and realizing everyone had a different take on what was happening. We tried to create an environment where we could make our employees and customers feel as safe as possible under the circumstances. What is the takeaway for you from the pandemic that will guide your future business decisions as a small-business leader? I think we all learn from our experiences. Last year accelerated the digital aspect of our industry. Now we will see what happens as we start returning to normal. Also, be adaptable to change because no one could have imagined what we all went through the last year, personally and in business. Many changes were forced upon us during the pandemic but will now be a permanent part of our operations going forward because they taught us a new successful way to do conduct business. 10 Pub Yr 2 | Issue 1