Pub. 57 2016-2017 Issue 2

7 WINTER 2016 facturing. I have grandkids, you know, and they constantly remind me of the importance of protecting our franchise and our heritage for future generations. What is your approach to helping dealers face challenges at their dealerships? The importance of joining an association, I think, cannot be understated. Associations bring information that would be tremendously more difficult to find on our own. I also think it’s important to protect smaller dealerships, which may not have all of the same resources that a large dealer would have, to stay on top of everything. Are you involved in any civic or charitable organizations? Education and benefitting young people are the biggest things for me. We’ve been involved with a number of different men- torship programs that help less fortunate kids develop their career. (Those sorts of programs typically last from their first year in high school, all the way up to their Associate’s degree in college.) Additionally, Pasadena has a fairly new career and technology high school, and we’ve been heavily involved with developing curriculum and helping those kids develop their careers. I think the biggest thing we can do—especially when protecting our franchise— is help the kids in our community. The better they’ve become, the better we’ve become. Describe your all-time favorite vehicle (it canbeone you’ve owned, or something on your wish list). What are you driving today? I’m going to keep it plain and simple and say Corvette. I’ve worked with Chevrolet dealers, right? I’ve had a number of Corvettes and their just number one in my opinion. Tell us about your family. I have my two sons, Brandon and WC, and four grandkids. Again, having them and being with them has reminded me of the importance of preserving and protecting our franchise and heritage for future generations. What is your favorite way to spend your free time? Any unusual hobbies? Boating and flying. And you know, you say outside of the dealership, but, for me, working a car business is a hobby. I enjoy working and what I do. Every day is a pleasure.