NADA ACADEMY G R A D U A T E S The NADA Academy program prepares current and future dealership leaders to operate a successful and profitable automotive business while examining the latest in industry trends and technology. The program includes either six one-week classroom sessions or six month-long live online sessions, once or twice a week, over the course of a year. Sessions are taught by industry experts, with hands-on practical application in each area of the dealership. We recently talked to a few local NADA Academy Graduates and learned more about them, their thoughts on the Academy, and their key takeaways. The following are excerpts from our conversations. DAN CLOWES Title: GSM/Partner Company: Taylors Auto Max GMC Nissan NADA Academy Graduation Date: May 2021 — NADA Graduating Class 364 How did you get into the industry? I have been in the auto industry since 2002. I went to Montana State University from 1998 to 2002 and graduated with a degree in history. After graduating, I couldn’t find a job in my field. The big joke is that I come from a family of engineers — my dad and my sister are graduates of Stanford — and I was supposed to follow suit. I have always been a people person and had a knack for sales, so I answered a classified ad and started working at the Yellowstone GMC Buick Pontiac dealership. From there, I worked at Ressler Motors and then moved to Zurich Insurance Group, where I specialized in automotive dealers. While working at Zurich, I met the Taylor family — they were one of my clients. They asked me to come and work for them, and as part of bringing me on, they agreed to sponsor me at the NADA Academy. I ended up going to work for them in 2019. Why did you decide to attend the NADA Academy? I have always been a proponent of career education, and attending the NADA Academy has always been a goal of mine. To me, the NADA Academy provides a master’s degree for the auto industry and gives a higher level of education you can’t get in day-to-day work. Before the NADA Academy, I felt like I knew the sales side of the business pretty well, but I’d never turned a wrench or changed oil in my life. Yet, 60% of our employees operate in that Fixed OPS department. And, if you’re going to try to manage, lead or mentor, and don’t have the background or the experience, the only way to get that knowledge is through something like the NADA Academy. You’ll find that, in a lot of dealerships, owners generally have come up through one of two sides: the sales side or the service side. And the comprehensive education program that NADA Academy provides teaches dealers the skills that are needed to be successful — leadership, how you read your financial statement, new and used cars, parts, service and more. Please share one of the key takeaways you learned from the NADA Academy. There are many takeaways, so it is hard to choose just one. I benefited a lot from the six-week leadership class. We learned how to motivate employees and get them going — how you fire them up, not fire them. Another big takeaway is that you really need to pay attention. Running a dealership is like running four, uniquely-operating small businesses encased in one. The parts department must be completely viable and profitable 100% on its own as does service, new car sales and used car sales. We learned to watch them all for their own KPI metrics. The academy teaches just how robust the business is and how many details there are to manage at the highest level, from the person who’s washing cars to the one who’s selling them all the way up to the employee running the financial statement. Do you have any advice for your peers that might be considering going to the NADA Academy? I would highly recommend the academy to all those looking to improve their skillset. The material reviewed is critical to producing well-rounded, full-store operators and can speed up the learning curve to manage departments outside your own professional experience and background. 20
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