You’ve been branded the wild card in the West Virginia Governor’s race. You’ve got money, but the polls aren’t tipped in your favor. Do you consider yourself an underdog? I’ve been looked at as an underdog my whole life and been told, “You can’t do that. You can’t do that. You can’t do that.” And guess what I’ve done? I’ve always gone out and done it. To consider myself an underdog is nonsense. When I look at the data and when I go around the state and talk to people, it’s exactly what people are looking for. They’re looking for a business guy, they’re looking for an outsider that’s never been involved in politics, they’re looking for somebody that speaks their mind, they’re looking for authenticity for once. And they’re tired of the way these politicians sound. Every single chance that we get to be in front of an audience on stage with all the other candidates, we’re able to expose all of that. We’ve taken off like a bat out of hell. There’s a reason why [national conservative organization] Club for Growth is attacking me. It’s because they’ve seen the same numbers that we’ve seen. They’ll poll twice before they deploy capital. And then to be out attacking me and only me says something — it’s that they know that I’m dangerous. Let’s talk auto retail for a moment. You’ve set up leadership in your stores, so you aren’t in the day-to-day as much. What did it take to remove yourself and focus on other enterprises and, now, running for governor? Technically speaking, as a third-generation family business, I’m the one who’s supposed to blow everything up, right? It’s the old adage, “The first generation makes it, the second generation keeps it, the third generation loses it.” That’s one of the things that drives me: to do what everyone else says you can’t do. One of the things that can happen when it comes to growing businesses is to grow it on the cult of personality. I grew all of our businesses based on my drive, hard work and the cult of personality, and had to restructure it. My brother stepped in and took over the role as president. We brought in a chief operating officer. We had a changeover in the CFO position. And then we restructured and reorganized the administrative side of the business to facilitate what our people needed. Because, at the end of the day, my job as a leader is to solve problems and provide an infrastructure that allows the people we work with to thrive. We all know that the real key to any business — and in particular, our business — is people. It’s the ability and the privilege to work with good people that allows you to be successful. Keith A. Laudenberger, CPA klaudenberger@cbmcpa.com Councilor, Buchanan & Mitchell’s automotive dealership accounting team is your trusted partner in achieving your financial goals. Our professionals are experienced leaders with a deep comprehension of the challenges and opportunities faced by the automotive industry. Contact us today if you are ready to experience personalized service. cbmcpa.com 301.986.0600 7910 Woodmont Ave, Suite 500 Bethesda, MD 20814 John R. Comunale, CPA jcomunale@cbmcpa.com STEERING YOUR FINANCIAL SUCCESS IS OUR BUSINESS Tax Planning & Preparation Cost Segregation Analysis Mergers & Acquisitions Audits, Reviews & Compilations Business Process Review Succession Planning LIFO Inventory Fraud Prevention Buy/Sell Agreements Business Valuations Financial Planning Wealth Management Our Services: vada.com 9
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTg3NDExNQ==