Pub. 8 2019-2020 Issue 3
8 San Diego Dealer Continued from page 6 environments become increasingly volatile and complex, it is vital that we remain connected and share resources to preserve the culture of our workforce. What inspired you to serve as a leader within the association? Participating on the board offers a front row view of issues affecting the local business community and a great way to network with dealers across the County. I have been inspired by the dealers who have served before me and am honored now to become Chairman. I look forward to working with Dean and the board to step up to the special challenges that this year will bring. Are you involved in any civic or charitable organizations? Yes, I volunteer my time on duties as President of the Escondido Auto Park Association and represent its dealers in matters with the City and the community. I also participate in Escondido’s Community Advisory Group on Economic Development. If you look back at your career and life, what would be three things that you have learned, that you would pass onto a younger member within the auto industry? • Get clear about what’s important to you and work for organizations where you find alignment. Don’t put up with caustic cultures. • Pursue your passions, hone your craft and enjoy connecting people in your network. Investing in yourself these ways will pay dividends in the long run. • Practice kindness and celebrate things you are grateful for every day. If you could describe the best day in this busi- ness, what would it look like? The best days are those where the team is in it’s flow state. This requires everyone showing up and coming together to tackle their part of the process so that each department and the whole dealership function at peak efficiency. We are constantly refining our processes and empowering individual employees to achieve this goal. These are undoubtedly unprecedented times, what are you doing, as a small business, to weather the storm? When COVID-19 hit our state, we had to make tough decisions to adjust safety protocols, staffing, hours of operation and terms with vendors in order to realign operations with the new challenges of doing business in a pandemic. Luckily, my sister Jasmine had been focused on implementing newtechnology that delivers on-demand test drives to shoppers at home so our sales force was able to pivot quickly. We nowpick up and deliver many service customers’ vehicles at their homes aswell. Today, it’s all about having flexibility to accommodate customers’ varying needs and time frames. What are you doing to support your employees? First, we are highly focused on the health and safety of our employees and their families. We have strictly adhered to state and local guidelines and are continually improving these measures wherever we find oppor- tunities. Second, we are hiring support staff as business returns. Relieving salespeople and service/parts advisors of tasks that can be performed by porters, clerks or administrative staff enables us to quickly scale with demand. Third, we make sure everyone has the resources they need to execute their roles effectively. What are two things that you have learned from past experiences, that are helping you navigate now? I learned some tough lessons from the 2008 financial crisis and am fortunate to have implemented practices that have created stability through this crisis. The most important one is a dedication to our core values: Honesty, Integrity, Attention toDetail andUrgency. Everymanager in the dealership refers to these values to make decisions that produce employees, activities and behavior which represent the essence of our culture. On this foundation, anything is possible or trainable. Another important lessonwe abide by ismaintaining conservative expense controls to stay lean. I believe the best way to face uncertainty is to be nimble. What effect do you think this crisis will have on the auto industry going forward? The pandemic has dealt major blows to every aspect of our industry, most notably to jobs. The Fed’s response has been unprecedented
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