Pub. 3 2014-2015 Issue 3

12 San Diego Dealer Tell us how you got into the automotive business. I got into the business in 1968. I was a finance manager at a finance company, and at that time, thereweren’t finance peopleworking in the car business. I was one of the first that went into the dealership as a finance manager. Dealerships up to that time had an insurance guy doing the financing. I started working for Friendly Ford in Las Vegas and did that for 10 years. From there, I became the general sales manager of the same dealership. In 1980, I bought El Cajon Ford, which I’ve been at for 35 years. Do you have family in the business? My grandson Klayton is one of my top managers at El Cajon. What’s the most rewarding part of your career? The most rewarding part of my career is being able to do what I love for so long. The fact that we just rebuilt the dealership, and it is practically brand new, makes it like I’m starting all over again, which is a wonderful feeling. What do you thinkmakes the San Diego County automotivemarket different than other markets around the state? A lot of the people in my area have been around a long time, with families and children growing up here. We have so many repeat customers; their families don’t move around very much and they call this home. Tell us about the civic or charitable organizations you are involved in. Every year, we invest $250K to Salute to Education. They are able to give scholarships of $1,000 to 250 students a year. This has been going on for about 15 years. I’m also involved in fishing charities with kids, and we support various high school organizations, as well as a number of youth groups. What are your thoughts onbeing selected as aTIME Dealer Nominee? I think it’s awonderful feeling; the fact that other dealers in our area think that I’mworthy of such an honor after 35 years is a really big deal to me. Paul Leader of El Cajon Ford An Interview with TIME Quality Dealer of the Year Nominee,