continued from page 9 What are your biggest accomplishments? Larry asked me to buy him out in 1995, and I have been the sole owner of Tony Divino Toyota ever since. I had to take out a huge loan and refinance our building. It was an all-in move. My biggest professional accomplishment is paying off that loan in 5-6 years. I amwilling to take calculated risks, but I don’t want to go all-in all the time. Being out of debt is a big deal for me. I do everything I can to stay as debt-free as humanly possible. What are the biggest issues facing the dealership industry today? There are quite a few. When COVID-19 hit, we didn’t know where we were going for three weeks, and it was scary. COVID is still looming out there. I’m also concerned about where the industry is going, especially government interference that doesn’t look at longterm ramifications and its effects on the industry. President Biden’s proposal to pay a $4,500 bigger tax credit for EVs built by union workers would be very disruptive to the industry. Many nonunion companies pay the same wages as union companies, and they are doing a great job of building cars in America and shouldn’t be unfairly penalized. We have no control over that; it’s up to Congress. EVs will be good, and I am not against them, but they are only one piece of the business and not the ultimate answer. We must look at the long term. Can we support additional demand for electricity? Where does it come from? Utah doesn’t have clean power. It makes most of its electricity from coal. Why is having coal to charge a battery better than zero-emission cars like hybrids? That looks to me like a better option in some ways. Hiring and retaining good people is always a challenge. I have been incredibly lucky to have so many long-term employees. Where do you see the future of the industry going? Many manufacturers would like to go in the direction of online ordering, do away with car dealers, and adopt the Tesla business model. Ford tried it 20 years ago, but it didn’t work. The challenge is whether the factory will do orders completely online or let the dealers continue to do what they are doing now. Choosing packages and building a car is complex and involves a lot of paperwork. We spend hours and days to make sure it is right. Suppose someone misses a major package, a convenience, you name it, and the car isn’t right because the customer didn’t know enough to order it correctly. Who owns the car when it arrives and isn’t built correctly, right? Do you have any advice for other NCDU members? Appreciate that NCDU is doing so much for us as dealers, from legal to legislative, auto show, working with the Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division and other state agencies. Craig looks at the big picture. He thinks about consequences for 142 dealers, not one dealer. We are lucky to have him. Do you have any last words? I never thought that the car business was for me, but I was wrong. There isn’t much better, in my opinion. I really enjoy what I do and the countless relationships I have made. I have a great customer base and great employees. I am very, very fortunate. I have enjoyed this business and can’t imagine doing anything else. 3 10
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