how important it is for a customer who may walk in with a frown to leave with a smile. We pride ourselves on being the best and therefore offer the best in training, education and superior health and wellness benefits. We are a family. Our team meetings are solution-based, and we try hard to grow the bottom line by serving our customers with integrity. What’s best for the customer is always what’s best for Apple Chevrolet. Year to date, Apple Chevrolet continues to donate to over 94 organizations in and around the community. We feel blessed to not only support by giving, but also to get involved on a greater level, such as our USO event, where we’ve raised over $150,000 to date since inception. Every year at the USO event, we host local veterans and their families at the dealership with a BBQ and a 21-gun salute. What advice do you have for people just starting out in the business? I try and tell every new salesperson who comes through the door that they should stop thinking they sell cars. Just make a friend today. What you need to do is make a friend and create trust. That customer may not buy a car that day, but they’ll remember you. People sense it when you work too hard at selling a car. Make a friend, build trust and you’ll be surprised where that takes you, if you are in it for the long haul. Over time if you make a friend, you build a bond that cannot be broken. The worst thing you can do is make a mistake on something like pricing. But it happens; you really can’t go back on your word; you have to honor it. What excites you most about this industry? What keeps me excited in this business is helping my staff build their families. We have so much opportunity in this industry if we do our job! What keeps me energized is the technology. When I see an advancement in a car, a diagnostic tool, or through AI, I get excited. And technology is only going to get better. What about electric vehicles (EVs)? From where I sit, this is the first time in history that we have what I call a “political” car. Evolution has made this industry great and profitable, with vehicles built for customer appeal and safety at heart. Now, as dealers, we’ve been told how they want us to sell cars in the future, and it doesn’t seem realistic for millions of reasons, including affordability. In 2022 and 2023, I spent three-quarters of a million dollars to make our dealership EV-ready and that equipment is already obsolete. We need to slow down this pace of production. This is happening too quickly. In my Chevy world, the market needs cargo vans and work trucks for their livelihood. Sure, everybody wants a clean, safe environment. Still, the rush to EVs is problematic on a number of levels, and this interview is much too short! How did you get involved in IADA leadership? When I first talked to my dad about joining an industry board, he said I didn’t need the headaches. I loved my dad but disagreed. I want to be in the know, helping firsthand to solve some of the bigger problems we all share. I like to contribute solutions by working together with other members of the IADA to identify and solve problems facing auto dealers throughout the state. I never hesitate to take someone’s great idea and work to implement it. Most importantly, I truly believe in the franchise system are industry has come to know. What are some of your goals as chairman of the IADA? One important goal is to promote the franchise model. There’s nothing better than having a hometown dealer distribution system. We’re in the neighborhoods, giving money to baseball and softball teams, cheerleading squads and the like. There’s a lot of talk about selling cars directly from the manufacturer. That takes away from the trust and the relationships local dealers have built in their communities. If someone has trouble with their car, they can come to the shop and get it fixed by someone they trust. They don’t have to go online or call a random 800 number, but instead, talk to a dealer they know and trust. The franchise model has been around for decades, and it is a model that works. We need to be resourceful by constantly getting that message out. I’m particularly proud of the efforts of the IADA in supporting a group of 26 Ford dealers who challenged Ford’s “Model e” electric vehicle allocation modifications. The Ford dealers hit a home run, winning the protest, and this decision benefited the entire dealership industry. IADA also coordinated with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office to challenge a lawsuit filed by Volkswagen against the recently enacted warranty reimbursement law which has enabled dealers and service technicians to get adequately reimbursed for warranty repairs. The Volkswagen lawsuit was dismissed, and the warranty reimbursement law stands. The IADA is heavily involved in the lawsuit against Rivian and Lucid to challenge the issuance of dealer’s licenses to motor vehicle manufacturers. Direct sales by manufacturers erode the important dealer and consumer protections embedded in the Illinois Motor Vehicle Franchise Act. 7 Illinois Automobile Dealer News
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