so much about everything else, and he helped me a lot. He worked here until he was 84 years old. He became a very close, personal friend. In fact, while my kids were growing up, they would often visit him; he was like a bonus grandpa to them. What have you learned during your career that you would pass on to someone you are mentoring? One thing I’ve learned is that many people come in thinking that buying a car is going to be the worst thing in the world. They don’t want to do it, or they haven’t done it before, and they’re anticipating this awful experience. So it’s important to me to make people comfortable. After all, this is the second biggest purchase many people will make, and it should be a fun decision. I really enjoy putting people at ease and teaching them what they don’t know, such as what the interest rates are or how payments work. Connecting with people and making sure they understand the process and have a good experience is one of the best parts of the job. If someone comes here and learns something from me that helps them make an informed purchase later, I’ve done my job. It doesn’t matter if they bought a car from me or not, though obviously it’s great if they do. Please tell us about your community involvement and how the dealership gives back. I visited Thompson Falls School the other day and spoke with the students about dealerships, workflows and different job opportunities available. I always try to share a little bit of wisdom, whether they listen to it or not. Talking to kids is a fun part of my job. I also do a lot of work with the Sanders County Fair. This year, I partnered with Studs Hardware store and sponsored free live music concerts at the fairgrounds. We paid for all the bands, and after the rodeos, we pulled semi-trailers into the arena to serve as the stage. The community was welcome to come and see the bands play for free. That was a lot of fun because it wasn’t really a fundraiser — it was just a way to get people out and show them a good time. I also love helping out the fire department. For one of their fundraisers last spring, we cooked tacos for people and matched all the donations they made to the fire department. The fire department brought their trucks to the dealership and had their gear on display to show the kids. What does the best day in this business look like for you? For me, the best days are the ones when I feel like I helped someone. I don’t look at it like I’m selling somebody a car; I look at it like I’m helping someone solve a problem. We sell a lot of construction-type vehicles, since that’s my background — flatbeds, service trucks and things like that — many of our customers come in with a specific need. Whether they’re going to do concrete work or they’re an 18 MONTANA AUTO DEALER
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTg3NDExNQ==