How do you think the industry will change in the next 3-5 years? I think we are seeing the direction of vehicle sales in the next few years. With so much information available to the consumer and the ability to buy vehicles online, it’s a race to the bottom number between dealers. The manufacturers seem as if they’re controlling inventory, building just enough to keep them out of having to have large incentives on vehicles. Doing this keeps profitability up on the manufacturer’s side, but it still comes down to who can get to the bottom number the fastest on the dealer side, which starts to cut into profit margins. That pushes dealers more towards watching their fixed operations, their service and their parts department — to make sure that they’re solid and that everything is running smoothly. Because the variable side will be just that, extremely variable. There will be a lot of ebbs, and it’s going to happen quickly. What is your biggest career accomplishment? Looking back, I would have to say it was the semester before I graduated from NDSU. I was promoted from the parts department as a part-time employee to the service manager position at Gateway Chevrolet in Fargo. It was quite an accomplishment because I was only 21 years old. I had to gain the respect and trust of 36 employees in that department — a lot of technicians, service advisors and a lot of different personalities. They were looking to me for guidance and needed to make sure they made a living and stayed busy. There was a lot of decision-making that had to be done. And I did it. That was probably my biggest accomplishment and the thing I am proudest of. Who have your mentors been? What did you learn from them? My dad is my biggest mentor. He would always tell me to set goals and make sure that those goals are measurable. This advice has helped me throughout my career. Additionally, I’ve been very fortunate in that I’ve met a lot of really good dealers from the time I was young and during my career. I made it a point to listen to what they had to say. I was a sponge. The many pieces of advice have been put to good use. When you mentor others, what are three pieces of advice you would share? 1. Be honest and transparent with your customers and always do the right thing, even when it’s difficult. 2. Inspect what you expect. If you know something needs to be done or ask employees to do something, ensure you’re following up to see that it does get done. 3. Set goals and make sure that they’re measurable. How long have you been an MTADA member? We’ve been a member since 1995 when Dad moved to Miles City and opened the dealership. We got involved with MTADA right away just for the support and guidance that other dealers provided. How did you get involved in the board? I know Bruce pretty well. He has approached me several times about being on the board. I always told him I was too busy, which was a good excuse, with everything else I had going on. But Bruce is relentless. He just kept twisting my arm. One day, I talked to Dad about it and said I should probably do this. Then, Dad sits back in his chair, takes his glasses off and says, “You know, you really do need to do this. It would be good for you.” And that was that. I called Bruce and told him I would serve on the board. I am looking forward to serving. I want to help other dealers in any way that I can. Whether it’s new dealers coming in or existing dealers, if there’s something that I can contribute to help them or the board as a whole, that’s what I want to do. 21 MONTANA AUTO DEALER
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