Meet Your New MTADA NextGen Board Member, CHAD NOTBOHM Chad Notbohm grew up in Mohall, North Dakota, a small town near the Canadian border. His father, Chuck, was a band and choir teacher in the local school. After some years of teaching, Chuck realized he couldn’t make much money in the profession. So, in 1984, Chuck approached a couple of friends from church and purchased their Chevrolet store. Chad was 10 at the time and often went to work with his father. Chad would clean the shop and the showroom and work on little things that needed to be done. There were eight employees at the dealership who took the time to teach Chad about parts, service, selling and much more. That is where Chad’s interest in the industry started. After high school, he attended North Dakota State University (NDSU) in Fargo, North Dakota. Chad worked at Gateway Chevrolet during that time in the parts department and was eventually promoted to service manager. He graduated with a degree in business and continued to work at Gateway Chevrolet for three more years. Then, in 1995, Chuck had the option to close the dealership or find another location, as manufacturers weren’t renewing franchise agreements in small towns. Chuck found an opportunity in Miles City, Montana, moved and opened the doors of Notbohm Motors. In the summer of 1999, Chuck asked Chad to come home because the business was growing, and he needed help. Chad worked as a service manager until about 10 years ago. At that point, he became general manager as his father wanted to start slowing down and move toward retirement. “Dad is semi-retired. He still comes in quite often, but he’ll also take off for a couple of months. For now, my official role is general manager. But, we have a succession plan in place, and I will be taking over as a second-generation dealer,” Chad said. Chad’s wife, Janelle, works with him at the dealership as a marketing director. They have three children: Jace, who is currently attending Miles Community College and playing baseball on the college team; Natalie, who is a sophomore in pre-med at Rocky Mountain College; and Brynn, who is a freshman studying pre‑law at Carroll University and plays for the Carroll Saints softball team. When Chad isn’t working, he enjoys traveling to watch his children’s sporting events, hunting and fishing. He also has a hobby farm just south of town that keeps him busy. We recently had the opportunity to talk with Chad and get to know more about his thoughts on the industry and his new appointment to the MTADA board. The following are excerpts from our conversation. What is the biggest issue facing the dealership industry? The first would be personnel issues. It’s very difficult to hire good people to meet the customer demands. The second is the rapid shift towards EVs and the mandates that have been placed on dealerships. To take a whole new technology on so quickly makes it difficult to ensure that everything works effectively. I don’t think rural Montana and some flyover states are ready for EVs. The commute is so far between towns and cities in this area, and the infrastructure is not there. It’s a real problem. Third, the relationship between the manufacturer and the dealer has changed a lot. They used to be there to help you. And right now, you really have to question some of the decisions that they want you to make or that they’re making for you. As dealers, we have to be careful and analyze whether this is a good decision or not. I am looking forward to serving on the board and being a part of the bigger discussion in regard to manufacturers — listening to where they’re at, what their thoughts are and whether some of these things work for them or not — and pushing for compromise and for what works for dealers. 20 MONTANA AUTO DEALER
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