DEALER SPOTLIGHT LENORE J. SPENCER KEY SCALES FORD Since 1929, CFADA has had a history of excellence and members that lead by example. Lenore J. Spencer, General Manager of Key Scales Ford, is no exception. We recently had the chance to sit down with Lenore and get to know more about her, her thoughts on the current state of the industry and EVs, and what the future holds. We would like to thank Lenore for her time. The following are excerpts from our conversation. We hope you enjoy getting to know more about her as much as we did. How did you get into the auto industry? I’ve been in the industry for about 40 years. I started in an entry-level part-time position when I was in high school. My mother, Ida, was quite a trailblazer in the auto industry. She was the only woman Body Shop Manager in Central Florida back in the early 80s. The dealership she worked at needed somebody to do some filing and admin work. She suggested that I could work part-time during the summer of my sophomore year in high school. I started working there as soon as summer break began; I was very eager and always wanted to learn more I worked that summer until it was time to go back to school. A few months back into my sophomore year of high school, the Controller offered me a job working after school and on the weekends. I was fortunate that the Controller saw potential in me and gave me a great opportunity at a young age. I went from working in the accounting office to helping the sales and service teams. I had a deep desire to understand how all the departments worked. That was the beginning of my passion for the automotive industry. During college, I worked for an auto group that owned three franchises. I gained knowledge of different manufacturers and their unique processes. After college, I went to work at an Acura store and started to learn the financial side of the business. I remember the CFO at the Acura dealership always telling me, “You’re never going to be a great CFO if you don’t understand the trials, tribulations, and daily activities of every person and every department in the dealership; you’ll always see things black and white unless you see it from their perspective.” She had me go and work in every department. She wanted me to have an overall experience of how the dealership worked, from sales to parts to service. I worked with her side-by-side and gained a lot of great experience. After that, I worked my way up and became an Office Manager, then a Controller. I worked for many years as a Controller gaining an abundance of knowledge along the way. I had the opportunity to take on the responsibilities of General Manager at several stores I worked at. Many colleagues were unaware of my tenure as a General Manager, as I continued to hold the position of Controller at the same time. I loved the double duty and was able to really put my years of experience and leadership into helping those dealers flourish. I’ve currently been at Key Scales Ford for almost 14 years. After working for the family for eight years, my dealer principal made the decision to make ACCELERATE 7
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