Pub. 5 Issue 3

10 Issue 1 2020 There’s a lot of benefits. This would be a difficult business to go it alone.GLANCDA offers exceptional training, a unified voice within our state, and the exposure we, as dealers, see through the Los Angeles Auto Show each year is definitely a boost for business. Another big thing for me person- ally is the opportunity to interactwith fellow dealers at the many GLANCDA events. Are you involved in any civic or charitable organizations? Very,we split our focus between the envi- ronment and kid-focused charities. I am on the board of Heal the Bay and Environment Media Association (EMA). We also use our dealerships as venues for events that support the causes we’re passionate about. It’s a really nice way to be involved in the community and make a difference. So many nonprofits need ven- ues for their events, and it’s something that we’ve been doing for years. Your family business spans generation, so you have the advantage of the insight of time. Do you find that it is more difficult for abusiness toconduct business today thanwhenyou firstbecame a dealer?  If yes, what should be done to make the process less complicated? It is dramatically different today. It was relatively easy in the 70s. Today, without a doubt, the governmental regulations make it very hard to be a dealer. The litigious nature when government interferes (and I’m thinking PAGA) adds to the hurdles of running a small business. I wish “they” (state and national gov- ernment) would make it easier for us main street people.We’re chargedwith a lot when it comes to jobs and local economies. 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 theauto industry? First, be aggressive in what you do, but learn to temper it with timing. Timing is everything. When the timing is right, it takes some of the edge off the aggression. Half-hearted efforts rarely succeed. Next, build a broad base — maybe we don’t need 12 dealerships, but we definitely need more than one! Putting all your assets with one OEM is risky. Finally, sell a lot of cars. The OEMs like it when you sell a lot of new cars!! Our busi- ness model is pretty simple: sell a lot of cars and have fun doing it. What are some professional moments that make you the proudest? I am a genuine environmentalist at heart. I spent a lot of time surfing and div- ing when I was young — and I still do — and I realized early on that you can’t put crap in the ocean and surf in it. We need to take care of the places where we live and recreate. It’s that simple. And the car business as a whole isn’t the cleanest when it comes to the environment — it’s pretty dirty when you consider the junkyards, the tires, the detail shops and the service departments. Granted, we’re a lot better now that we were in the past. I’ve had a lot of opportunity to further the environmental causes close to my heart. I worked hard to become the largest hybrid dealer in the world — which was a much harder sale when these cars were new to themarket. The Prius, 20 years ago, was a funny looking little car. I have to say that being passionate helped a lot. It was personal for me, and I was determined to move at pace in exposing themasses to cars that could make a difference. When you’re passionate about some- thing, I have found that thinking outside the box, so to speak, is generally easier. I think that there’s a creativity the happens because the cause is important. In trying to get the “coolness” factor into these cars, it occurred tome that we are doing business in Hollywood, and we have a lot of “box office cool.” So in an effort to “expose the masses,” we were able to talk a few big names in Hollywood into driving a Prius to the Academy Awards and we got a green carpet placed so they could walk a “green” carpet as opposed to the traditional red one. The star power that helped push the hybrids, like Cameron Diaz and Tom Hanks, loved the cars. The press loved the cars, and so did the masses. Prius became the No. 1 selling car in Los Angeles. Lexus Santa Monica Service Exterior Mike Sullivan EMA event Sully in front of VWSM  SULLIVAN — continued on page 11