9 continued on page 10 but amid an economic downturn, the position was cut before she even started. She eventually landed a job at Hudson Cook, LLP, a law firm specializing in consumer credit compliance. VADA President and CEO Don Hall notes that experience has made Beck an expert on many of the legal issues dealers face. “Emily grew up around the business her whole life,” Hall says. “She is a woman full of integrity. She’s less about her. She’s more about the greater good.” Beck and her husband, Andrew, live in Winchester with three children: Olin, Marshall, and Margaret. Let’s hear from Emily about her background and where our industry is headed. How did you get into the car selling business? After the first law firm I applied to rescinded its job offer, I took a job at a really small law firm. It paid the bills, but the whole time I was thinking, ‘What do I know that no one else knows?’ I knew the car business because I grew up in it. I called the NADA, and they gave me a couple of names of law firms specializing in the auto business. My husband said, ‘Don’t just call human resources. Find the guy you want to work for. Call him directly and ask to meet him to learn about what he does.’ I called Tom Hudson at Hudson Cook who told me they weren’t hiring but to send a resume. I did, and he said they made an executive decision that they were hiring and to come in for an interview. That’s how I got hired at Hudson Cook. The firm had a large auto finance compliance practice, which allowed me to work with dealers and finance companies all over the country. That was a great experience doing public speaking, traveling, writing, and consulting. If there was a retail part of law, I was in it. I loved it and worked with great people who were like family. But eventually, it got to the point where I had my first son, and my dad was getting older. I was spending all this time in other people’s stores. I kept thinking: Why am I not doing this for my own store? I returned home to work with our family dealerships 11 years ago. Where did you first start at Marlow Motors? The plan was for me to work in all departments. But within a very short period of time of my coming home, my dad had an emergency quintuple bypass surgery and was out of the store. Ready or not, I was in charge. There was baptism by fire and no time to get reacclimated. What was it like for your dealership during the pandemic? It has been the absolute best of times and the worst of times, sometimes on the same day. I have never been more proud of my team. I have also never been more scared for my team. If anyone has any doubt about the resiliency of the American car dealer, they don’t understand what happened [during the pandemic]. “Emily grew up around the business her whole life,” Hall says. “She is a woman full of integrity. She’s less about her. She’s more about the greater good.”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODQxMjUw