Pub. 60 2019-2020 Issue 5

17 FALL 2020 What are two things that you have learned frompast experiences that are helping you navigate now? Things are never as bad or as good as they appear to be initially. Like all changes, the pandemic is going to pass at some point. I try to share that perspective with our staff whenever possible. That said, the things we learned about expense control dur- ing the Great Recession have helped us be better prepared for this. We’ve also been focused as much as pos- sible with employees because we’ve learned that good communication builds buy-in and stability. What ef fect do you think the pandemic will have on the auto industry going forward? It ’s going to be a slow recover y. At the same time, there’s going to be some pent-up demand after the elections are behind us. People have delayed purchasing because of un- certainty in the news. Some of the changes that have taken place, such as moving as much of the purchase online as possible, are not going to stick around completely in the long term. People are going to return to the showrooms and buy vehicles in person. They still will want to see and drive them, so there’s going to be a return to normalcy once people feel safe again doing that. What is the takeaway for you as a leader from this extraordinary experience that will guide your future business decisions? I believe we have an opportunity to exhibit leadership skills for some of the younger managers who do not have the same breadth of experience dealing with crises. We can set the pace and the example. Younger employees tend to take the cue from the more senior lead- ers; they look at our outlook and how we react to uncertainty and adversity. I do feel good about the younger generation that is rising through the ranks. They show the same resilience that a lot of us had at that age, and it is heartening to see that. What are you and your dealerships doing for community outreach? General Motors has run a promotion for first responders, which I fully sup- port. In the past, we’ve done all the standard stuff that people expect. We usually sponsor 8-10 different events a year, and we also sponsor leagues and teams. There’s an annual food drive our team puts on at Thanksgiving, and we’ve often partnered with the local police department to buy bikes for children. We call it Blue Santa. Unfortunately, most of these things have been canceled this year, so we are constantly looking for other ways to serve and give back to the community. Once the election is behind us, and things calm down politically and in the media, we should be able to get back to some sense of normalcy. We are hop- ing to resume our regular schedule of events in the spring. De s c r i b e you r e duc a t i ona l background. What did you study? I studied to be an electrical engineer. I ended up in the car business instead. How did you become a dealer? Did you always aspire to be a part of the auto industry? No, becoming a dealer was never part of the plan. I had taken a job in the service department at a local dealership in Austin to help with school but never dreamed I would become a dealer or make a career of it. How has coming up through t he ser v ice depa r tment s ide of dea ler sh ips a f fec ted your leadership approach? I grew up on a farm and ranch in central Texas, where we worked on all our own equipment.That’s how I startedworking on equipment and engines. We had to maintain and repair everything that we used, so it was essential to survive. It’s somewhat rare to start in the service department and eventually Once the election is behind us, and things calm down politically and in the media, we should be able to get back to some sense of normalcy. We are hoping to resume our regular schedule of events in the spring. continued on page 18