Pub 9 2021-2022 Issue 1

6 Q&A With Matt Browning, Browning Automotive Group  MATT BROWNING — continued on page 10 You went to Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. What did you study, and what life lessons did you learn there? In 2001, I earned a B.A. in international studies. Emory is a great university, and I had great mentors. I was far from home, came into my own, and developed my individuality. I was also a golf team member for four years, and I learned the most on the golf course. In addition to the desire it gave me to be better and work hard for what I wanted to achieve, golf also opened doors. You are a third-generation dealer, but you didn’t want to go into the family business after college. Why did you change your mind? As I grew up, I saw various aspects of what was then, and is now, rapidly changing the business. In 1995, for example, the internet side of the dealership business was just starting. During high school and college, I worked at a dealership each summer. As a result, I worked in various aspects of our business, such as stocking parts, being a parts driver, and being involved with the internet’s infancy as part of the retail suite business. After college, though, I wanted to go outside and do something different. There are a couple of reasons for that. First, I wasn’t pressured to be a dealer, and second, I wanted to make my own name. I worked for Bank of America after graduation. Bank of America is a massive Fortune 500 company, so my job there was a great opportunity, but I also saw what I was losing by leaving the auto industry. At the dealership, I can directly impact the lives of the 750 associates we have, and I can see how my decisions quickly affect my business. Also, I realized that I wanted the family business to continue as a family business. Not only had the dealerships been an important part of my life, I knew that good family business dealerships treat their associates like family members. That tradition is worth continuing. What did your four years at Bank of America teach you? My work taught me structure and that you could ask somebody to help you out, no questions asked, whether they were many levels up or down. It didn’t matter that you were part of a large organization. That attitude about helping has translated well into developing my management structure over the last seven or eight years, and it has become one of the reasons behind our success. People need to be able to get a helping hand no matter where they are in the organization, and nobody’s position makes them immune to helping anybody else. Tell us about your grandfather, Richard Browning. My grandfather started his career washing cars at an Oldsmobile store in Long Beach. He was a salesperson