Pub 2 2021-2022 Issue 1

The car business is a great business. Do your best to remove stress from your employees’ day-to-day jobs and your customers’ in-store experiences. Deal with any customer concern absolutely as quickly as possible and stay accessible as the dealer, owner, etc. There are rarely any “wrong” answers as long as you have an honest conversation with a customer that makes them feel like they are important and are being “heard.” As a leader in your store, be consistent and do your best to properly communicate and get “buy-in” anytime significant changes are considered where your employees are involved in the business. How did you weather the pandemic storm? I focused immediately on two things during the pandemic onset: COST CONTROL and SANITIZING. Both were exceptionally difficult. One involved temporary layoffs, and the other involved shopping on eBay for disinfectants at unbelievably high “gouge” prices. Really, from day one forward, my priority was having a healthy and sanitized dealership and communicating this fact to our customers. It was a pretty crazy period I will never forget. Nobody had a playbook here, and it was a very challenging period to be the leader and head of a business. You had to act decisively, and much of it was a “gut” feeling versus known “best practices” for the first week or so. What is the takeaway for you from the pandemic that will guide your future business decisions as a small-business owner and leader? When you think you have seen everything, you have not! Describe your all-time favorite vehicle (it can be one you’ve owned or something on your wish list). What are you driving now? Hmmm. This question will get me in trouble with my Mazda executive friends. My current vehicle is my all- time favorite, I think. I was fortunate enough to order the new 2020 C8 Corvette from our Chevrolet store in early 2020 before the pandemic hit. Even with all the chaos and delays, I received mine in December last year. Not only is it an amazing vehicle, but it’s also worth substantially more than I paid for it, and we all know any car dealer loves that! Tell us about your family. I have been married to an amazing woman now for over 28 years. I actually married my cat’s veterinarian. I have been a big fan and supporter of her as she practiced veterinary medicine and opened up two of her own pet clinics here in Central Florida. Anne (Dr. Scholl Mealey) sold both clinics a couple of years back and is now doing her best to be semi-retired these days but still practices a day or so a week. We have two boys, and I am happy to report they have just graduated from FSU with Business/Marketing Degrees. The older one is pursuing a postgraduate degree in Miami. The younger is currently involved in some in-house digital marketing efforts (with his dad) as he contemplates his next steps after graduation. What is your favorite way to spend your free time? Any unusual hobbies? I enjoy my downtime just hanging out with my wife, whether relaxing, exercising, or taking in a social outing. We do a ton together and enjoy many of the same things — music, food, church, and just enjoying the simpler things in life. I tend to be more of a creative person and am also a musician. Rather than read a book, I would prefer to be playing guitar, jamming 80s style lead electric, or composing something original and probably quirky on acoustic guitar. When a “creative” personality runs car dealerships, it can get interesting. I have a trophy on my desk that was given to me by my old website vendor: the “Mad Scientist” award. I admit to learning to moderate and simplify and, most importantly, keep my employees in the loop as my left side of the brain would wrestle with the right. Luckily, I have had the leeway to experiment, and my employees have proven very understanding and resilient. They have made me look better than I deserve over the years. I was never short on ideas, and was continually amazed by how well my management teams could accomplish the results and realize the vision. For that, I will always be thankful. Pub Yr 2 | Issue 1 15 CFADA.ORG