Pub. 57 2016-2017 Issue 2

6 Getting to Know CARROLL SMITH How did you become a car dealer? Did you always aspire to be part of the automotive industry? I grew up in it. My high school days, my father was a heavy- duty truck dealer in Tennessee. A heavy duty truck dealer. And I did every job you could possibly imagine: from cleaning the floors and painting the walls, to being out on the sales floor. It was just a part of my everyday life, whatever I could be doing there. Do you have family members in the auto industry? My father, naturally. My sister and brother-in-law also run a heavy-duty truck dealership. There is also my two sons, WC and Brandon, who are a huge part in running my Chevrolet Dealership in Houston. Describe your educationbackground.What didyoustudy? I went to Georgia Tech, and while I was there I worked part- time at a Chevrolet Dealership. Originally, I wanted to be an engineer, but I left as an industrial manager. To me, the engineers were the ones in lab coats doing research, and the ones who were actually managing were the ones having all the fun. Originally, I wasn’t interested in going back to my dad’s dealership after I graduated. I wanted to try something new. But when you’re fresh out of college, you kind of take the opportunities that you can, right? And my dad and his dealership were always right there for me. I worked there for about two years, and then I went on to do a partnership with DanTimmers at a Chevrolet Dealership inTexas. I was about 24-years-old at the time. Are there any specific individuals that had amajor impact on your career? My dad, obviously, was a huge impact. He taught me a lot about what I know.The guy I partnered with, Dan Timmers, also had a huge impact. When I left my dad’s company and partnered with Dan, he had already owned his own dealer- ship in Atlanta. He was the guy who was my daily phone call, and my daily “How do you do this?” Additionally, a fellow by the name of Walter Wainwright was a huge influence in encouragingme to take responsibility through associations: he encouragedme to join theHoustonAutoDealers Association. What is the most rewarding part of your career? Havingmy two sons withme in the dealership. I can’t express what a unique blessing that is for me. Family businesses are becoming less of a thing now, it seems like, but it’s been tremendous having them there by my side. What do you see will be the dominant trends in the next 5-10 years? The business is going to change a lot in ten years. From consolidation to technology, responding to changes in gov- ernment, even changes that’ll happen in manufacturing and the technological advancements they’ll make as well. We definitely are going to have some more unique challenges when it comes to staying on top of all the changes that are going to happen in the next decade or so. What is thebiggest importanceof beingaTADAmember, what makes it beneficial? We have to do everything we can to protect our franchise, and our first line of defense is our association. By banding together to be a voice for changes in government, or manufacturing, an association is an invaluable and incredible way to do that. What are your priorities andgoals as the incomingTADA Chairman? What’s in store for TADA in the short term and/or long term? For me, it’s mainly to capitalize on grass roots efforts in the state legislature. We need to help define and redefine those regulations on state levels—through government and manu-