Pub. 1 2019 Issue 2

George Nahas Orlando Auto Show Chairman CFADA Director GETTING TO KNOW Orlando’s Auto Show Chairman, George Nahas How did you become a car dealer? Did you always aspire to be part of the automotive industry? I didn’t start my career in the auto industry with plans to enter the auto industry. I had a couple of friends in college who had family members in the business, but I was in law school and planning on becoming a lawyer. One of my friends — a former college professor with a Ph.D. in Econom- ics — had a father-in-law who had a Chevrolet dealership. One day, he put his arm around me and said, “George, come to work for me.” I explained that I was in law school and had my career path set. I was going to become a big-time lawyer in Chicago. My friend pulled out the Yellow Pages phone book and opened it up to the “big-time law- yer section.” There were a lot of lawyers. Even I could see that there were a lot. I did get my law degree, but I also decided to give car sales a try. So, I started in the automotive busi- ness in 1970 as a new-car salesman at Bill Jacobs Chevrolet in Joliet, Illinois. In 1972, I was promoted to sales manager after selling more than 1,200 cars in two years. It turns out that I had a knack for selling cars. In 1973, two things happened. I sold a car to an FBI agent from Memphis. He knew people in Flori- da, and I got a job offer to become a general manager at a Cadillac dealership. I took it. Figured I couldn’t get a better reference than the FBI! I purchased my first dealership in 1977, in Tavares, Florida. It was an Oldsmobile dealership — a single point dealership — and I was there for 25 years. I had a good run with them until the manufacturer killed off Oldsmobile. I bought a Saturn dealership in Montgomery, Ala- bama — which, as we all know now, also went the way of Oldsmobile. I was eventually able to turn my dealership in Montgomery into a Subaru franchise, and in 2010, I was able to negotiate a Chevrolet franchise in Wildwood, Florida. My wife, Ann, used to say, “I married a lawyer and got a car salesman.” Right before she passed away, she told me that she wouldn’t change a thing. The car industry has been good to me. Do you have family members in the auto industry? No family members. My cousin worked with me for years, but sadly he passed away recently. I am a first-generation dealer. I came up through the ranks. Describe your education background. What did you study? I have a bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University, and a law degree from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago, in 1969. Are there any specific individuals who had a major impact on your career? Bill Jacobs. He was the consum- mate teacher. There were 25 peo- ple who started their careers and came up through the ranks at his dealership, and they all became Issue 2 2019 21 CFADA.ORG