dealer. I owe my success to my parents raising me properly. I was raised in a good home, and you can’t buy that. When you mentor others, what are three pieces of advice you would share? 1. Treat people as you would like to be treated. 2. Take genuine concern for the well-being, wants and needs of your employees, friends and clients, and you will gain their respect and trust. It will also help you earn their business. I don’t make friends to sell them cars, but if they know you, like you and trust you, they will come to see when they need something. 3. Attitude and effort are keys to success. I tell my employees that if they come to work with a good attitude and give their best effort, they will have a job for life. Where were you born? Please tell us about your childhood. I was born in Rome, GA, which is right next to Calhoun, GA. I lived my whole life here, except for the four years when I was in college. I grew up on a cattle farm, and we had a large garden which was a lot of work — it was a very humble beginning. I learned the value of a hard day’s work. My parents instilled a strong work ethic in me from a young age, which I think is important. I attended Calhoun High School and participated in basketball, baseball, softball and weight training. I really enjoyed sports. What is your educational background? I received a bachelor’s in economics from the University of Georgia. To this day, I’m a big Georgia football fan. I follow them regularly — going to the games is a lot of fun! How long has your family been in the automotive dealership business? I am a third-generation dealer. My grandfather, Gaines Prater, was in the used car business until he purchased a Pontiac franchise in 1952. He sold Pontiacs until 1957 when the local Ford dealer went out of business. Ford approached him, and since they had a more complete line of vehicles, my grandfather felt like that would be a better scenario. He ended up purchasing the Ford franchise in Calhoun, and we are still in the same location today. What experience did you have working at a dealership before you became the President and General Manager of Prater Ford? I grew up in the business. I worked weekends during the school year and spent my summers at the dealership, cleaning up the shop and helping with whatever needed to be done. I’ve worked in all departments, including parts and service. When I graduated from college, I was a salesperson for quite some time; then I got into F&I. After that, I moved into sales management, then General Manager and Vice President. A few months ago, my father retired, and I took over as President. Any last thoughts? I appreciate the association allowing me this opportunity to serve as Chairman, and I look forward to the road that lies ahead. THE GENERATOR 6
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