Pub. 60 2019-2020 Issue 5

21 FALL 2020 Brian Singh, 34 General manager, Parkway Family Mazda and Parkway Family Kia W hen Brian Singh was 19, he answered a newspaper ad for a dealership job and was hired to work in the parts department. Later, he moved to service and then worked for a five-store auto group as manager of fixed operations. He liked the industry. For someone like him, who was willing to work hard, it offered strong wages and com- mission. The combination promised a stable financial career. Although Singh soon found himself being promoted, he had a challenge that could have prevented him from becoming a general manager. He had never sold cars, but that is what most general managers do on their way to the top of their organization. Some people advised him to transfer over to sales and start the process all over again. He didn’t think starting over was nec- essary. Instead, he attended the gen- eral dealership management program for the National Automobile Dealers Association and focused on doing a great job inmanaging fixed operations. Two and half years ago, the owners promoted Singh as a general man- ager. He is currently managing two dealerships in Kingwood, Texas: Parkway Family Mazda and Parkway Family Kia. Singh’s Kia store set a record for new-vehicle sales in 2019. As general manager, Singh sold some of the cars himself. He has also proven himself by managing his stores during the COVID-19 pandemic. The stores have followed safety guidelines, and most of the employees have been able to continue working; even during the shutdown, they stayed open for sales and service. Initially, Singh liked the financial security that comes with successful dealerships. Now, though, he prefers the opportunities he has to mentor other people. He likes the opportunity it gives him to teach others. When Singh isn’t working, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two small children. Singh met his wife when he was working at his first deal- ership job.  under