…those dealers that succeed are also those dealers that have an innate desire to serve, give back to the industry and champion organizations that support the dealer model.
“For of those to whom much is given, much is required …” –John F. Kennedy
TADA has a history of excellent and insightful leadership through its 117 years’ history of protecting the rights and interests of its dealer members. The role of Chair, in particular, is one that requires clear vision and a passion for the automobile industry, along with integrity, people skills, and the ability to have the right conversations at the right time, among many other attributes.
TADA is privileged and proud to introduce Charlie Gilchrist as the new chairman of our organization. Charlie has over 36 years of experience operating automotive dealerships. His experience with trucks and his passion for strong leadership has led him to owning 14 dealerships across Texas and 4 in Oklahoma, with 750+ employees.
We had the opportunity to catch up with Charlie and discuss his very successful career, but also his thoughts about what is important for dealers to focus on now, and his plans for his chairmanship.
It doesn’t take long for pieces and parts of JFK’s speech to the Massachusetts legislature to find its way into any insightful conversation with Charlie Gilchrist. To say that these words have been a north star of sorts to Charlie would be very true; they resonate with his core belief that good fortune, while a result of hard work and good decisions, is also an ethical responsibility.
Charlie was born in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, but grew up in Irving, Texas. During his high school years, Charlie’s dad, Wil Gilchrist, sold new heavy-duty trucks for Metro Ford in Dallas, Texas, and Charlie spent his high school years transporting heavy-duty trucks to locations around the nation and returning used truck trade-ins back to Dallas.
He attended the University of Texas, majoring in accounting. He passed the first three parts of the CPA exam while in college and joined the firm of Coopers and Lybrand, passing the fourth, and last part of the CPA exam the November after graduating.
After two years, he decided to move on from accounting because, in his words, “he missed the world of cars and trucks.” His decision to purchase a heavy-duty Freightliner truck and start his company, hauling freight, paved the way to the auto industry – a way that was pretty much solidified when Charlie’s father introduced him to a colleague of his, Ken Nichols.
Ken not only gave exceptional business advice and took an interest in Charlie, but he eventually gave him an opportunity into dealership management and later ownership in his first dealership.
In 1986, at 30 years old, Charlie took over as GM at SouthWest Ford in Weatherford, Texas, a dealership owned by Ken Nichols. In 1990, Charlie encouraged Ken to expand to meet the ever-increasing volume of customers and staff, and Nichols Ford in Ft. Worth, Texas opened, with Charlie running both stores. As Charlie’s passion for the automobile industry grew, so did his knowledge, reputation, and opportunities. In 1992, Charlie bought SouthWest Ford from Ken, completing the buy-out in 1995.
“Ken gave me an opportunity and forever changed my life,” says Charlie. “Because of the chance he gave me, and the impact it had on my life, we do the same for our people. We give our partners an opportunity to buy in.”
The automobile industry, as all dealer principals know, is a combination of risk and reward, and it’s not always an easy career. But those dealers that succeed are also those dealers that have an innate desire to serve, give back to the industry and champion organizations that support the dealer model.
In 2003, Charlie was asked to serve on the Ford Marketing Dealer Advisory Board and later elected to serve on Ford’s National Dealer Council. In 2008, Charlie served as the chairman of Ford’s National Dealer Council. He spent time with many Ford executives and dealership owners. During this time, Charlie met and formed a professional and personal friendship with Ford CEO Alan Mulally. As a mentor and friend, Alan taught Charlie not only about the automobile business, but also about leadership. To this day, Alan’s service leadership style resonates with Charlie, and has been pivotal in his own career.
“To serve is to live. Be a servant leader – put the needs of employees and customers first and help people develop and perform as highly as possible. Running a business is a team sport. Winning and success are an everybody deal,” words that speak to Alan’s mentorship and Charlie’s own core beliefs.
In 2014, Charlie Gilchrist was elected to the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), representing Northern Texas’ new-car dealers. He said, “When I got involved with NADA, I saw the passion and drive that NADA employees have for defending dealers and franchises” and he appreciated there were others who wanted to push against legislative and regulatory challenges like he did. Over the next four years, he chaired the Regulatory Affairs committee and Industry Relations committee. In 2018, he became vice chairman of NADA, placing him in charge of several important initiatives from protecting dealer-assisted financing from overregulation to working with the White House in supporting job recruitment in the automotive industry.
When Charlie became the chairman of NADA in 2019, he brought his own vision of NADA’s position: “One NADA: Nurture, Advocate, Deliver, and Accountability,” a statement he printed on a business card and carries in his wallet to this day. It became the cornerstone of his own service leadership. One of his main goals as chairman was to continue to attract young people to careers in the automotive industry. Dealerships were facing a shortage of experienced service technicians to meet the increasing demand for scheduled maintenance and warranty services. The NADA Foundation launched its workforce initiative to promote the value of dealership jobs in the retail auto and commercial truck industry. NADA also continues to reach out to high school guidance counselors, community college administrators, and military separation officers looking for a place for veterans in the hopes of recruiting more young people.
As Charlie takes the reigns at TADA and asked what his focus as TADA chairman will be, Charlie is quick to respond that protecting the dealer franchise laws are paramount, “they are all we have.” Supporting TADA’s legislative efforts are at the top of his agenda and offering support and collaboration with other dealers follows closely.
Becoming more engaged, as Charlie puts it, should be the driving force of all Texas dealers in helping to advocate for our industry. “We must get involved with local, state, and federal politics – to protect our state franchise law. Period. It’s the lifeline of our dealerships. It’s so important to be strong. We need dealers to step up.”
Charlie continues, “The auto industry is a complex business. Most people don’t know how we contribute to our communities. They don’t know the quality of jobs we provide. We are a powerhouse. We need our legislators to know that.”
“As dealers, we’re blessed to have the strong legal department in TADA that we have. I have been personally blessed in my life and in this business, so I feel that I need to serve the industry. I want to strengthen TADA. We have the largest state dealer association in the nation. We are TADA. We are only as powerful as our members. I want everyone to get involved and know how we contribute. At the end of the day – the fight is a lot easier when we do it together.”
Charlie’s leadership philosophy is deeply embedded in these core values, originally coined by the author Dave Anderson, another person Charlie feels changed his life with his books on leadership:
- Character – People with integrity are trustworthy. They will do what they say they will do when they say they will do it. They will admit their mistakes and take responsibility for their actions rather than blame others. They manage their time well, show up on time and put in a good day’s work.
- A Sense of Urgency – Having a sense of urgency means doing what needs to be done immediately, without being asked. It’s being proactive, respectful of time, and being mindful that there is a deadline.
- Attention to Detail – It’s important to pay attention to the details, especially in the automotive industry, because it’s typically the little things that make customers happy. People with an attention to detail also produce consistent, high-quality work.
- Teamwork – Teamwork is critical to the success of any endeavor, including a dealership. Being a member of a team means that you are dependable, patient, and able to keep a level head.
- Work on yourself every day – Continuous learning and self-improvement is a way to acquire necessary knowledge, gain perspective and better relate to people. It also helps one to recognize and take advantage of opportunities.
TADA for Charlie, represents the cornerstone of success for dealers here in Texas. He encourages all dealers to become engaged with the organization and look for opportunities to advocate for the industry.
Charlie-isms
- Just do the right thing.
- Hope is not a strategy.
- I will train you and invest in your development, but I also expect you to invest in yourself.
- I will expect you to become brilliant in the basics of your job. Just do the ordinary things, extraordinarily well.
- Regardless of the outside conditions, your inside decisions will determine your success. Even in the worst of times, you can control your attitude, your discipline, and your character choice.
- Leadership develops daily, not in a day.
- Who you are is whom you attract.
- Nobody does anything great alone. A leader’s potential is determined by those around them. What makes the difference is the leaders in our circle.
- Leadership is caught more than taught, by watching good leaders in action.
- The best leaders lead today with tomorrow in mind, by making sure they invest in leaders who will carry their legacy forward.
