I look forward to learning more from our partners at the WVADA, and I appreciate their hard work on our behalf. What is the biggest issue facing West Virginia dealerships in the next three to five years? West Virginia has a major issue with citizens leaving the state. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, our state’s overall population dropped 3.3% over the past decade. In Parkersburg, it’s almost double that amount of decline. We lost 6% of our population in 10 years. Our state needs to find ways to retain our citizens and attract people from out of state to relocate here. We also need to encourage trade schools and trade jobs such as service and metal technicians. These jobs are vital because they are the backbone of our communities. What are three pieces of advice you would give someone if you were mentoring them? 1. Find diverse work experiences when you are young. They will make you more adaptable and desirable as an employee in your chosen field. 2. Hire people smarter than you. 3. Pursue anything that is both terrifying and amazing. What advice would you give to other women who are thinking about getting into the automobile industry? I’d like to think that I’m capable of advising anyone interested in the automobile industry. Considering a job in the auto industry is a great first step. You will never be bored. Working in this industry is about more than just selling cars. I advise women in this business to seek out local women’s leadership organizations. I joined a women’s group a few years ago, and I’ve made great friends and contacts. It’s always nice to find others who can relate to your experience. The CEO of General Motors, Mary Barra, is a great example of a woman succeeding in this industry. Tell us about Shop Click Drive (for Chevrolet) and Online Shopper (for Mitsubishi). How have these programs helped your business during the pandemic? Our community and customers still like to do things in person, especially when buying a car. I don’t blame them. As much as I like the “Amazon Experience,” it isn’t a one-sizefits-all model. Aside from purchasing a home, purchasing a new or used vehicle is most likely an individual’s largest purchase in their lifetime. Personally, I would not want to purchase a vehicle without seeing it, driving it, and reviewing its features with a product specialist. Nevertheless, I want to offer all options to purchase – a Burger King “have it your way” experience. One person may want to facilitate a transaction from start to finish online, but someone else might prefer to walk the lot and purchase the vehicle in person. With solutions like Shop Click Drive and Online Shopper, we try to give consumers a choice. We legally need wet signatures, so our store is not set up just yet to purchase a vehicle from start to finish digitally, but it is in the works. The company motto is “A Tradition of Trust since 1915.” Explain how that led to the McClinton Million-Mile Warranty. We decided to launch The McClinton Million in 2020 when so many people faced an uncertain future. People deserve peace of mind. Many people are keeping their cars longer, so we thought it was only fair to offer an extended powertrain warranty to most of our customers. With the McClinton Million, powertrain issues are one less thing our customers worry about. Continued from the previous page wvcar.com 16 WVADA
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTIyNDg2OA==