Ken not only gave exceptional business advice and took an interest in Charlie, but he eventually gave him an opportunity into dealership management and later ownership in his first dealership. In 1986, at 30 years old, Charlie took over as GM at SouthWest Ford in Weatherford, Texas, a dealership owned by Ken Nichols. In 1990, Charlie encouraged Ken to expand to meet the ever-increasing volume of customers and staff, and Nichols Ford in Ft. Worth, Texas opened, with Charlie running both stores. As Charlie’s passion for the automobile industry grew, so did his knowledge, reputation, and opportunities. In 1992, Charlie bought SouthWest Ford from Ken, completing the buy-out in 1995. “Ken gave me an opportunity and forever changed my life,” says Charlie. “Because of the chance he gave me, and the impact it had on my life, we do the same for our people. We give our partners an opportunity to buy in.” The automobile industry, as all dealer principals know, is a combination of risk and reward, and it’s not always an easy career. But those dealers that succeed are also those dealers that have an innate desire to serve, give back to the industry and champion organizations that support the dealer model. In 2003, Charlie was asked to serve on the Ford Marketing Dealer Advisory Board and later elected to serve on Ford’s National Dealer Council. In 2008, Charlie served as the chairman of Ford’s National Dealer Council. He spent time with many Ford executives and dealership owners. During this time, Charlie met and formed a professional and personal friendship with Ford CEO Alan Mulally. As a mentor and friend, Alan taught Charlie not only about the automobile business, but also about leadership. To this day, Alan’s service leadership style resonates with Charlie, and has been pivotal in his own career. “To serve is to live. Be a servant leader – put the needs of employees and customers first and help people develop and perform as highly as possible. Running a business is a team sport. Winning and success are an everybody deal,” words that speak to Alan’s mentorship and Charlie’s own core beliefs. In 2014, Charlie Gilchrist was elected to the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), representing Northern Texas’ new-car dealers. He said, “When I got involved with NADA, I saw the passion and drive that NADA employees have for defending dealers and franchises” and he appreciated there were others who wanted to push against legislative and regulatory challenges like he did. Over the next four years, he chaired the Regulatory Affairs committee and Industry Relations committee. In 2018, he became vice chairman of NADA, placing him in charge of several important initiatives from protecting dealer-assisted financing from overregulation to working with the White House in supporting job recruitment in the automotive industry. When Charlie became the chairman of NADA in 2019, he brought his own vision of NADA’s position: “One NADA: Nurture, Advocate, Deliver, and Accountability,” a statement he printed on a business card and carries in his wallet to this day. It became the cornerstone of his own service leadership. One of his main goals as chairman was to continue to attract young people to careers in the automotive industry. Dealerships were facing a shortage of experienced service technicians to meet the …those dealers that succeed are also those dealers that have an innate desire to serve, give back to the industry and champion organizations that support the dealer model. 9 WINTER 2023
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