challenge. This agency model bypasses the traditional franchise system as the OEM would set the price, manage inventory and handle the customer relationship. The dealer would act as a point for test drives, handovers and after-sales support. We’re trying to keep the traditional sales model in place. When Henry Ford started to mass-produce cars, he saw the significance of having a franchise system and it’s worked over all these years. But a lot of companies, like Rivian, Tesla and even Amazon, want to change that. The franchise system is beneficial for consumers and provides a structured framework for buying, selling, servicing and financing automobiles. This is why we put so much focus on protecting and strengthening the franchise laws in our state. How do you manage to balance your professional responsibilities with your personal life? Having a supportive spouse is first and foremost. I am so thankful for my wife, Alice, and her continued support. I couldn’t do this without her. I often say when you come home from work, you want to feel good about coming home to your castle. You have work rocks, and you have home rocks. When you’ve spent all day slaying dragons at work, you had better leave your work rocks at work. And vice versa, when you go to work, leave your home rocks at home. Because if you get both those rocks in your pocket, you’re not going to get anything done. Next, having a good work-life balance is crucial. It is important that you manage your priorities properly, knowing when to zig and when to zag. Having a good business partner, like Tom, that I can trust and rely on allows me to do that. And then, hire good people, you can’t grow without good people. Retaining and growing those people is equally important. Having a good company culture, with core values in place, helps with that. Our core values are honesty, a strong work ethic, a positive attitude and continuous improvement, and that permeates from the top all the way down to the bottom. Everything we do revolves around those values and it naturally brings a level of personal accountability along with it. Our purpose is to improve the quality of life of everyone, and we have worked hard to build a culture that does just that. And then, trust that your people are going to do the right thing. Tell us about your family and any hobbies you might have. My wife and I have three children and two grandchildren. Our daughter, Bailey, is married and lives in Montana. We visit her often and enjoy playing with our grandchildren while there. Our two sons are David and Harrison. I made both of them work outside the car business for a number of years to really see what it was like and to realize they could do it on their own. I let both of them know if they wanted to come back, they could. They ultimately decided to come back and have both joined the family business. David is our Hyundai brand manager, and Harrison is our Subaru brand manager. My wife and I have two Labradors: Darby and Maddie. I like to play golf and go hunting and fishing. My dad got me into bill fishing, and we go every couple of years. 9
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