Pub. 8 2019-2020 Issue 3

24 San Diego Dealer What effect do you think this crisis will have on the auto industry going forward? In the short term, I think we will see a slow rebound. I don’t expect any normalcy before the end of the year. Inventory will be light because we’ve seen a substantial supply chain disruption. I think that used cars will make a rebound. I think that people will tell you how they are comfortable buying a car. I think we’re going to see some people who will want to use the more conventional way — come into the showroom, look at the car, drive the car and have that point-of-sale experience. I think we’ll see more people be comfortable with doing the research online, buying the cars and having the vehicle delivered remotely. And there will be some in-between. The key is that we don’t come out of something like this without people having changed what they are comfortable with and what they are not. As dealers, we will need to become flexible in how we conduct business. What is the takeaway for you as a small-busi- ness owner and leader from this extraordinary experience that will guide future business decisions? What a learning experience this has been. First, there’s a lot to be said for hiring the right people. For us, the bar has been raised. We had some phenomenal employees who rose to the occasion like none other, and it was humbling to experience. We learned that we can run leaner and still operate well. We’ve changed hours, we’ve workedmore with appointments, andwe’ve run our stores with more involvement from our management team. Our people are our biggest asset. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. What are you and your dealerships doing to reach out to the community or to support essential work- ers, including health care workers and first responders? We have been doing a few things. Subaru always does a Subaru Share the Love Event. The most recent one was between Nov. 14, 2019, to Jan. 2, 2020, and we chose Rady Children’s Hospital as our Hometown Charity. We gave the Heart Institute there a check for $65,000. This year was the fourth year we chose Rady Children’s Hospital, and during that time, we’ve raisedmore than $242,379 for the hospital. The hospital is a comprehensive pediatric care facility with 505 beds. In June 2019, U.S. News & World Report ranked it as one of the best children’s hospitals in the U.S. Rady Children’s Hospital is the only one in the San Diego area to focus only on pediatric health care, and it is the region’s only pediatric trauma center. We are offering health careworkers and first responders one complimentary oil and filter change, along with a multipoint inspection and vehicle health check, until the end of 2020. This offer is valid on Toyota, Hyundai, Subaru, Kia and Lexus makes. We also work with Miracle Babies, a nonprofit organization that helps families with critically ill babies by giving them diapers. Frank Motors gave Miracle Babies a $3,000 sponsorship to help pay for diaper distributions in South Bay. Also, several diaper drive-thru events have been scheduled throughout San Diego County. Frank Toyota agreed to sponsor June, Frank Subaru sponsored July, and Frank Hyundai sponsored August. Parents are asked to write “NICU NOW” on their dashboard. Diapers are loaded directly into the back of their cars, so there is no contact. Continued from page 23