Pub. 5 Issue 3

8 Issue 1 2020 through the ranks and eventually convinced my dad to partnerwithme in 1989 and open Lexus Santa Monica, one of the first Lexus dealerships in the U.S. For me, the draw into the business was family — the opportunity to work with my dad. Until he bought the VW dealership there really wasn’t a clear path for me into the business. Once he was the dealer princi- pal that of course changed. Do you currently have family members in the auto industry? All three ofmy children, Sean,Kelly and Meghanare partners andoperators.My son- in-law, Chris also works with us. Your dealership is a family business. What’s it like to work with family? Any advice you can give? First, I can’t imagine any business op- portunity being more meaningful than working with family. I have always en- joyed working with my family. Sully was my dad, my partner and my best friend. I got to work with him every day for 20 years. And I am coming up on the same mark with my children. I am right in between 20 years with my dad, 20 years with my children. Descr i be you r educa t i on background.What didyou study? I have a BS in Psychology from UC Ir- vine. I had a great college experience. I lived in Newport Beach while attending college. I loved the whole experience. 1975 in New- port was good. A r e t h e r e a n y s p e c i f i c individuals that had a major impact on your career? I have been very lucky. I have a long list of people that gave generously of their time to trainme, pushme and provided amazing opportunities to succeed. Jim Press trusted me and encouraged me. He also found me funny when ev- eryone else found me a bit irritating. Bill Young at VW was another mentor that helped propel my early career. George Borst was a “banker”— friend and ally— that believed inme early on. He treatedme like a partner, which shaped my life. Bob Carter andAlanDeCarr were always part- ners. Theywould genuinely look at a bigger picture. And then the Real Bankers, Dave Braun and Jeff VanTassle at Comerica. Again, partners and friends in the truest sense of the word. Fritz Hitchcock gives back to our industry more than any I have seen in my career. Tirelessly and with a smile on his face, a great role model. And of course, my dad. No one succeeds alone. We’re the prod- uct of the relationships that we cultivate with others. What is the most rewarding part of your career? I keep going back to working with my family. Sullywas such a big influence inmy life. I have such an appreciation for the years I had with him. I love that I can work with my children, the way that my dad worked with me. All the children — Sean, Kelly and Meghan are in their late thirties. So is my son-in-law, Chris and our COO, James. They are all in that age where they have a lot of energy for this business and they are motivated to learn, which puts me in a great space to train and coach. It’s agreatmatch. I’mmotivated, theyare motivated and we have a lot of fun. What do you think will be some of the dominant trends within the auto industry in the next 5-10 years? I would never be arrogant enough to think I could predict 10 years out. I think in the next five, we’ll see more of what’s starting to disrupt our industry now. A lot will depend on how the public accepts AI in regard to safety. I think that there will be much more electrification of the industry, and more solutions that target the propul- sion component. The OEMs will have to invest. Big. And we will have to learn to “expand” our dealerships thru digital sales and home delivery. Metro stores will need to become more divergent. As dealers, we’re going to have to adapt. I personally don’t lose sleep over the change — it’s a challenge, quite frankly to be bet- ter. Change is an opportunity to reinvent ourselves, which if you think about it, is somethingwe should all be doing every four or five years. What is the biggest impact of being a GLANCDA member? What makes it beneficial? Lancaster Honda ribbon cutting, May 2017 HTB Clean Up Beach Group Shot, LACG Mike with Longtime Employees  SULLIVAN — continued on page 10  SULLIVAN — continued from page 6