Pub. 6 2017-2018 Issue 3

Issue 1. 2018 11 Continued on page 12 and bend over backwards for our customers, and each other. I really enjoy spendingmy days withmy entire team in the environment that we have created within our dealership. What’s the most rewarding part of your career? It’s the people. Hands down, it’s the people. San Diegans are just great. We’re blessed to have a small town vibe, in what is a big city. Buying a new car is probably the second biggest financial decision people make. Helping themmake the right decision is rewarding. What do you think makes the San Diego County automotive market different than other markets around the state? I think San Diego is a little different, in that we’re more isolated. We have geographic borders on all sides, so we’re a nice mix between small town and big city. People here are grounded, solid and very appreciative of the services we provide. And of course, the weather is wonderful. That helps. We know that you work bell-to-bell at the San Diego International Auto Show. Tell us what the auto show means to your business. I’m a car show guy. Quite frankly, there’s not much about an auto show I don’t like! Even back in Wisconsin, I was very involved with them. And the one here is just wonderful. It’s so well run. NCDA does an exceptional job with it. The auto show brings in thousands of people, in a very exciting atmosphere, and they get to see cars they may not otherwise see or ever consider as a choice for them. For us dealers, I think the auto show is the gift that keeps on giving. I have people coming into my dealership months after the show, because they saw Lincoln at the show. Tell us about the civic or char- itable organizations you are involved in. I am currently the chairman of the board of Father Joe’s Villages, a group that provides housing programs and services to transform lives and to break the cycle of homelessness. It has been my most rewarding experience to work with the team at Father Joe’s. We provide many services and prepare more than a million meals a year. We also offer permanent, tempo- rary and emergency housing, with thousands housed each day. We currently have a $532-mil- lion-dollar project underway to provide an additional 2,000 permanent housing units with