Pub. 58 2017-2018 Issue 3

8 How did you become a car dealer? Did you always aspire to be part of the automotive industry? I don’t come from a dealer background, so the answer to that question is “no,” the automotive industry wasn’t an early consideration. But, I was deeply influ- enced by two important people in my life – the first was a college professor and the second was my wife, Jeanie. I graduated from the University of Texas, with a B.B.A. in Marketing. One of my professors was involved with the initial marketing campaign for the Ford Mustang, and he referred to the Ford company a lot in his class discussions. My wife, Jeanie, and I met in kinder- garten. We were friends, best friends, really, and her dad, Tommie Vaughn owned a Ford dealership, so I guess you could say that I was in close proximity to the auto industry. Jeanie and I remained friends throughout our school years. We had a little fling in 8th or 9th grade, and luckily remained friends.We both ended up in at the Uni- versity of Texas. She helped me with my papers and I was her boat-driver. Then one day, close to graduation, I decided that I better do something if I wanted Jeanie inmy life every day, so, I proposed. The day after graduation, I went to work for my future father-in-law , because I neededmoney to pay for the engagement ring. That was May of 1976. Do you have family members in the auto industry? I do, my two sons both work with me in the business. Kirby is our GSM, and Kyle is our Parts & Service Director. Describe your educationbackground. What did you study? Well, like I said, my degree is in mar- keting. My dad was a home builder, so I knew what hard work was about. We all learned good work ethics from a young age. Prior to graduating, I sold funeral plots door-to-door. I like people and I’m genuinely interested in them, so it’s easy for me to talk with just about anyone about anything. Are there any specific individuals that had a major impact on your career? My father-in-law was a big influence. My father-in-law was a force of a man and he had a way of doing things. He worked 6AM to 6PM every day, in- cluding Saturdays, if he was in town. On Sundays, he would drive down to the dealership, just to check things out. When people asked him why he’d go in on Sundays, he’d say, “If you had a million dollars sitting on a street corner, wouldn’t you check on it every day?”That logic was hard to argue with. He was dedicated to the business. I had several fraternity brothers in college whose family was in the automobile industry and they knew that they were destined to join the business. Many were sent to NADA schools, as they started their careers. I was sent to the wash bay. I started in the business by washing cars and changing oil. I learned the business from the ground up. There is no job in the dealership that I haven’t done. I worked hard, and I’d like to think that my willingness to work hard impressed my father-in-law. Interview with Jim Janke