Issuu

Spring/Summer 2017

Woodward & Associates, Inc.

1707 Clearwater Avenue ·P.O. Box 1584 ·Bloomington, IL 61702 (309) 662-8797 ·Fax (309) 662-9438 ·Email woodwardassoc@cpaauto.com ·http://www.cpaauto.com Providing service to over 25 Iowa dealerships and their related entities. We specialize in automobile dealers in the following areas:        

Certified Public Accountants

Memberships in:

     

Dealership valuations Automobile dealer legal support Buy-Sells for dealerships LIFO inventory computations Financial statement analysis Corporation Income Tax returns Personal Income Tax returns CPA prepared financial statements Dealer estate planning Employee theft consulting Internal control studies and audits Profit consulting Training office managers/CFO’s 401K Audits

AUTOCPA Group The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Licensed to practice in Iowa

Serving more than 250 Automobile Dealers throughout the United States

FROM THE PRESIDENT

I am so excited for you to read this edition of Iowa Auto Dealer. That’s because I want you to meet—or at least read about—some of the very best people I know. It may seem odd at first that a magazine written for and about automobile dealerships focuses more on people than cars, but it’s the people who work in those dealerships that make the industry what it is. And the people working in Iowa’s automobile dealerships are quite simply the best people I know. I’m not just saying that because I work for you, either. I realize that there may be a cynic or two out there who would say that my thinking must be a reflection on how few people I know if I think automobile dealers and their employees are so great. But I assure you, I know plenty of people. I was in private law practice for 20 years before I went to work at IADA. My client list included farmers, school administrators, banks, health care facilities, entrepreneurs, and more than a few other folks who were facing jail time. I am not being critical or judgmental about any of those people that I used to work for. They were a varied lot. Some of them were quite successful. Many of them were caring and generous. Most of them were upstanding, law-abiding citizens. And a few of them were even auto dealers. Even then the dealers stood out. They were leaders in their community. They were supportive of local schools and charities. They always found a way to succeed, even in difficult financial times—maybe especially in difficult financial times. What I didn’t realize was that my impression of that handful of dealers was true of all of them. More so than in any other industry, profession, or group I know of there is this thread of common traits, like success, drive, altruism, and decency, running among people who work in automotive retailing. Celebrating and documenting those traits is the reason Iowa Auto Dealer magazine exists. You are not going to find sales charts, regulatory compliance guidance, or legislative updates in the pages that follow. IADA will always make certain that its membership receives that kind of information when it is needed. But this magazine is published to celebrate, document, and preserve those stories about Iowa’s auto dealer community that need to be told. The magazine is intended to be both timely and timeless but never timesensitive. Please don’t feel like you need to rush through it. The articles are important but not urgent. Unlike so much of the important information sent to you by IADA, this magazine is meant to provoke thought and discussion instead of just assisting with regulatory compliance and meeting deadlines. In short, its purpose is to help make the best people I know even better. Please let me know what you think about Iowa Auto Dealer. I’d love to hear who you’d like IADA to interview for the next “Five Things” column. Give me a call if you have an item like the stories on the car ministry in Sioux Center and the community truck in Dubuque for “Show & Tell.” I am especially interested in your thoughts on the “auto dealer angle” on important issues like the feature on women in the automotive workplace. Thanks for reading. Thanks for your support of IADA. And thanks for being among the very best people I know.

Bruce Anderson IADA President

SPRING/SUMMER 2017 1

PHOTOS: BRIAN BARKLEY (TOP LEFT); RENEE WIELENGA, SIOUX CENTER NEWS (TOP RIGHT); COURTESY OF EASTERN IOWA COMMUNITY COLLEGE (LOWER LEFT); COURTESY OF APRIL FINNIN-RINK (LOWER RIGHT)

in this issue

1111 Office Park Road West Des Moines, Iowa 50265 p: 800.869.1900 f: 515.226.1988 CHAIRMAN Brad Deery VICE CHAIRMAN Jim O’Halloran PRESIDENT Bruce Anderson SECRETARY Jeff Haun TREASURER Jeff Finch IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN

Jeff Weber DIRECTOR AT LARGE

Mike Clemons HEAVY DUTY TRUCK DIRECTOR

Jon McCoy

INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR

Dale Finch

DISTRICT TWO DIRECTOR

Patrick Eads

DISTRICT THREE DIRECTOR

Matt Brown

departments

from the president Celebrating the best people.

pro tip Telecom solutions aren’t just plug-and-play.

iad foundation Get the scoop on community college programs.

show & tell Dealers supporting their communities.

DISTRICT FOUR DIRECTOR

John Gookin

NADA DIRECTOR Mark Birdnow EDITOR Brittany Bungert EDITORIAL INTERN Ellen Colville Iowa Auto Dealer (ISSN 2472-2634) is a bi-annual magazine produced for members of the Iowa Automobile Dealers Association. © 2017 Iowa Automobile Dealers Association For advertising information, contact Brittany Bungert at 515.226.1900. Cover Photo: The Old Car Home (page 20) houses an extensive collection of classics, including a 1934 Ford Woodie Wagon. COVER PHOTO BY BRIAN BARKLEY

2 IOWA AUTO DEALER

five things Debi Durham has a message for dealers.

q&a Employee benefit best practices.

iada printing & promotions Business card basics.

the close The longesttenured dealership employee.

features

blast from the past Classic cars retire to the Old Car Home.

making her mark Women are paving their way through the automotive retail industry.

IMPACTING 60%

OF DEALER SALES. BEFORE BUYING FROM YOU, YOUR CUSTOMERS SHOPPED ON AUTOTRADER AND KELLEY BLUE BOOK.

LET US PROVE IT.

Visit LetUsShowYou.com for a free study.

Source: 2016 TRANSPARENCY Data Study. © Cox Automotive, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Autotrader is a registered trademark of TPI Holdings, Inc. used under exclusive license. Kelley Blue Book is a registered trademark of Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc.

FIVE THINGS

five things from debi durham What the Director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority wants automobile dealers to know.

4 IOWA AUTO DEALER

PHOTO COURTESY OF IOWA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

FIVE THINGS IOWA SUPPORTS AND DEPENDS ON ITS SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS

More than 97% of Iowa businesses are considered “small businesses” by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Iowa’s economy is dependent on entrepreneurs and the state of Iowa has several programs designed to support them. The state of Iowa has a website just for small business owners: IASourceLink.com. This website has information about planning a business, securing funding, meeting state regulations, and many other helpful tips for growing your business in Iowa. It also features a calendar that is regularly updated with events for small business owners.

IASOURCELINK OFFERS MARKET ANALYSIS FOR FREE TO QUALIFYING BUSINESSES

The state offers a program called “The Business Concierge.” This program offers actionable business intelligence to entrepreneurs at no charge. Services offered by the program include market trends and industry statistics, demographics and expenditure data, and financial benchmarking metrics. Interested companies can contact this program through IASourceLink.com.

THE STATE MAY BE ABLE TO HELP YOU TRAIN NEW EMPLOYEES

The Iowa Economic Development Authority administers a grant program for registered apprenticeships in coordination with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship. A registered apprenticeship is a program that provides on-the-job training for new employees in certain approved occupations. There are more than 1,000 occupations eligible for these grants, including a range of automotive repair occupations and several back office occupations. For more information on apprenticeship grants, contact Jill Lippincott at 515.725.3132.

GET TO KNOW YOUR LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGENCY

In addition to my office, there are local economic development offices throughout the state of Iowa. These agencies exist to support employers in the regions they serve. They can offer a range of services and can help your business navigate regulations and state and federal programs. The individuals who work at these agencies have incredibly valuable networks and can help connect you with other local business owners, community college leaders, and more. To find your local office, visit EDA.gov.

2 4

LOOK TO OUR COMMUNITY COLLEGES TO RECRUIT TALENT

Iowa has 15 community colleges and is fourth in the nation in associate’s degrees per capita. These institutions are a great resource for employers looking for trained staff. I encourage you to make connections with the leaders of your local community college. These colleges will play a pivotal role in helping our state reach the goal of our Future Ready Iowa program: for 70% of Iowa’s workforce to have education or training beyond high school by 2025. For more information on that program, visit FutureReadyIowa.gov.

Debi Durham is the director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority, a state agency whose mission is to strengthen Iowa’s economic and community vitality. More information on the agency is available at IowaEconomicDevelopment.com.

SPRING/SUMMER 2017 5

PRO TIP

hold the phone Dial in on your telecom solution. Finding the best phone and Internet solutions for your dealership can be complicated, but making sure you have the right services to support your business is essential. “A voice communications system and how a business will communicate with its customers and colleagues is one of the most significant investments that most organizations will consider,” says Nancy DeVinay-McNeley, a spokesperson for CenturyLink. “With thoughtful planning and execution, a communications investment can help enhance efficiency, productivity, and cost savings, laying the foundation for growth and advancement.” The key, however, is to take the time to select services that are right for your business and to work with someone who will take the time to find the product that is the best fit.

6 IOWA AUTO DEALER

“Make sure whoever you’re talking to about these services understands the business needs and isn’t just there to sell you something,” says Jeremy Baumann of Carrier Access, a technology solutions company and IADA preferred provider. “These services can be much more complex than one would think.” Keep the following tips in mind as you evaluate whether it’s time to make a change to your telecom solutions.

T H I N K A H E A D. “As technology evolves, traditional phone systems are becoming obsolete,” DeVinay-McNeley says. “Most businesses are turning to Voice Over IP (VOIP) for cost-efficient business communications that are easy to manage and have the flexibility to scale to any size of business.” Baumann agrees, noting that some providers have indicated they’ll be discontinuing plain old telephone

“With thoughtful planning and execution, a communications investment can help enhance efficiency, productivity, and cost savings, laying the foundation for growth and advancement.” Nancy DeVinay-McNeley

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PRO TIP

services (POTS) in the future. “With the emergence of VOIP, which continues to improve, POTS is becoming a thing of the past.” BE REDUNDANT. “It’s not a matter of if but when you lose phone and/or Internet, and having a backup in place is critical,” says Baumann. “If you can’t access the Internet, you’re in many ways crippled. And if a customer can’t call you, they’re calling someone else.” DON’T SKIMP. “It’s easy to view phone and Internet as a commodity, but the old mantra ‘you get what you pay for’ rings true for both automobiles and phone and Internet solutions,” Baumann says. “Make sure you see the pros and cons of all solutions and make a decision based on the needs of the business and not price.” DeVinay-McNeley cautions against preconceived notions about services

based on cost or complexity. “Don’t assume that a communications solution with business continuity is too complex or expensive for your business. Hosted VOIP and other forms of managed services can provide cost-effective, cloud-based communications that can easily help you keep your business up and running should the unthinkable happen.” DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK. The telecom industry is full of lingo—and many providers have their own twist on it. “It seems telecom has more acronyms than any other industry,” Baumann says, noting that he frequently uses Google to look up terms, even after 14 years in the industry. So if you’re not confident you understand what something is, ask. It’s better to ask for clarification than to not understand the services you’re purchasing. EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED. “Assume

it won’t go exactly as you think it will,” Baumann says. “Transitions rarely go as planned and we do our best to inform our clients of that up front. Make sure you have someone you’d deem a trusted advisor who will proactively communicate and be honest and transparent. And if you’re told it will take 90 days to change, plan on 150 days. It always takes longer than many would like to tell you.”

find out more

Carrier Access is IADA’s preferred provider for managing phone and data services. Contact Jeremy Baumann at jbaumann@carrieraccessinc.com or visit CarrierAccessInc.com for more information.

“It’s easy to view phone and Internet as a commodity, but the old mantra ‘you get what you pay for’ rings true for both automobiles and phone and Internet solutions.” Jeremy Baumann

learn the lingo

Bandwidth: The width of a communications channel, which is the speed of a line, and is measured in bits per second (bps) or kilobits per second (kbps). CPE: Customer provided equipment. DID: Direct inward dialing; allows inbound calls to go to a specific extension without assistance from an operator or auto attendant. Fiber: A type of cable ideal for high bandwidth or long distance applications. Network: A collection of terminals, links, and nodes that connect to allow communication between users. PBX: Private branch exchange; a telephone switchboard, located on premise, that connects private and public telephone networks. POTS: Plain Old Telephone Service; the standard (landline) telephone service homes and businesses traditionally used. VOIP: Voice Over Internet Protocol; allows users to make telephone calls without using a standard telephone service.

8 IOWA AUTO DEALER

DRIVE YOUR BUSINESS FORWARD

From inventory and marketing to sales and service, through each stage of a car’s life, Cox Automotive is connected to the process and committed to your success. With the broadest, deepest, most complete view of the automotive ecosystem, our solutions can drive a smarter, more streamlined and profitable business for you.

DRIVE RESULTS AT COXAUTOINC.COM

Q&A

picking perks

Three HR experts offer tips for choosing employee benefits. Q: What best practices should employers keep in mind as they select benefits to offer their employees? 1. Consider steps to make health care costs more affordable. Concerned about affordability of health care costs, some employers have made changes specifically designed to lower out-of-pocket costs or have lowered premium contributions for low-wage workers. Other employers now offer high deductible health plans with tax-advantaged health savings accounts (HSAs) associated with them and have prefunded the account to help employees cover increased out-of-pocket costs. Employers should seek to understand their employees’ needs and create an action plan centered on shoring up those gaps. In addition, employers should consider providing multiple plan options. When employees have a choice in plans, they will consider their real needs and avoid purchasing a plan that offers more coverage than they need. 2. Evaluate your health insurance network. Some employers change health insurance companies, plans, or provider networks to better manage costs. What hospitals and doctors do your employees need access to? Is there a better network alternative you can select based on those needs? Does it make sense to offer two different networks and allow the employees to decide which best fits their family needs and financial wherewithal? 3. Consider expanding voluntary benefits. Voluntary benefits are gaining traction with employers interested in meeting the needs of a more diverse, often multigenerational workforce. They have the benefit of being relatively low cost for both employees and employers. Depending on the employee’s needs, conventional voluntary benefits such as dental, vision, life, and disability insurance might make sense to offer your employees. Worksite benefits such critical illness, cancer, or even an accident policy might also be attractive. Find out what your employees’ needs are and provide them access to affordable voluntary plans.

JAMES RANG Vice President LMC Insurance & Risk Management lmcins.com

Have a suggestion for our next Q&A? Submit your questions to bbungert@iada.com.

10 IOWA AUTO DEALER

Technology Solutions Made Simple.

Let us connect your business to the world. Carrier Access is one of the nation’s leading technology solutions providers. At Carrier Access, we enable organizations to fully leverage their technology strategy and assets, incorporate new technology solutions, and enhance support offerings. By working with Carrier Access instead of

CONNECTIVITY • Mobility » Mobile Device Management » Planned Optimization • Data » Wide Area Network / MPLS » Internet » Ethernet » SD-WAN • Voice » SIP / VOIP » PRI » Fiber

directly with the carrier, you will get a neutral, highly devoted partner that’s transparent and collaborative, and provides the best options at the best prices. From procurement to full lifecycle support, we are your single point of contact that’s invested in your long-term success.

TECHNOLOGY • • • • • • • • •

Office 365 & Collaboration Security Disaster Recovery Cloud Solutions Desktop Services Wireless Networks Managed Firewall & LAN Network Hosted or On-Premise PBX Data Center Solutions

Get In Touch p: 515-987-9200 e: info@carrieraccessinc.com w: www.carrieraccessinc.com

LIFECYCLE SOLUTIONS • • • • • • • •

Audit Services Telecom Expense Management Field Services Invoice & Inventory Management Managed Services Program Management Service Delivery Tech Support

Q&A

1. Provide the best medical insurance for your employees that you can afford. Employees can get affordable dental, vision, and life benefits on an individual basis. This is not true of medical insurance. 2. Group ancillary benefits such as dental, vision, life, shortterm disability, and long-term disability are generally reasonable for the employer and are valuable to employees. If the employer can’t afford to pay the whole or even a portion of the premium for these benefits, they are good benefits to offer on a voluntary basis. You are offering them to employees that may need them, generally at a lower group rate than they will be able to purchase on the open market. 3. If you are still utilizing a sick/vacation plan, consider changing to a PTO plan. Today’s workforce likes the flexibility of PTO. This type of plan has been proven to reduce unscheduled absences and often will keep the accruals level down in your budget. 4. Consider flexible scheduling if it works for your industry. Offering a 4-10 or 9-80 schedule to exempt employees and a 4-10 schedule for hourly employees will often reduce turnover. Employees may think twice about leaving an organization where they have flexible scheduling if another employer does not offer it. 5. Consider phased retirement. Phasing institutional knowledge out of your organization while training a replacement is a win-win situation. The person retiring can glide into retirement with up to six months of part-time work and the knowledge they carry doesn’t walk out the door after the retirement party!

ROBERT FARMER Society for Human Resource Management HR Disciplines Panelist Sr. Vice President of Human Resources for Missoula Federal Credit Union

12 IOWA AUTO DEALER

SYLVIA FRANCIS Society for Human Resource Management HR Disciplines Panelist Total Rewards Manager for Regional Transportation District

1. Don’t forget about your total compensation package and how benefits fit in. Benefits are just one piece of an employee’s compensation package. You want your benefits to complement and support the compensation/salary side. Maybe your strategy is to pay higher wages and offer fewer benefits. Maybe it’s the other way around. Or maybe it’s higher wages and a rich benefit package. You must decide what’s right for your organization. Part of this is also making sure your compensation package supports your organization’s strategic plan. 2. Ask! Don’t be afraid to ask employees what benefits they are hoping to see offered. A short simple survey is a great way to get input from your employees. Employees are well connected these days and are aware of different benefits available in the market. Include them in the process. Often, employees will even have ideas on how to adjust current benefits to make them more attractive. Remember to communicate what you can and can’t do, and why. Employees will appreciate this. Also, be careful not to judge ideas. While they could seem wacky, times change and wacky today is often normal tomorrow. 3. Connect with other employers and industries and see what they are offering. We often get trapped in our own bubbles and only look at our own industry. Look to others for new ideas.

JIM ARENSON ATTORNEY AT LAW • Buy-Sells, Including Complete Documentation • Manufacturer Disputes and Termination • Manufacturer Negotiations • Franchise Relocation • Dealer Defense • Assistance in Finding a Dealership to Purchase • Assistance with Due Diligence in Purchasing a Dealership • Assistance in Selling Your Dealership • Auto Dealer Consulting for Operations/Management Financing/Expense Reduction/Crises Management • Employee Disputes • Transition Planning/Succession Planning • Real Estate Issues

ARENSON LAW GROUP, PC

425 Second Street SE Suite 900 Cedar Rapids, IA 52401 T: 319-363-8199 F: 319-363-8448

JIM ARENSON jarenson@arensonlaw.com

www.arensonlaw.com

BRONZE SPONSOR OF IADA AND LONGTIME MEMBER OF NADC

IOWA AUTOMOBILE DEALERS FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION

hit the books

Community colleges are training the next generation of employees.

An Eastern Iowa Community College student gets hands on training from an instructor. PHOTO COURTESY OF EASTERN IOWA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

BY ELLEN COLVILLE

Dealerships have a problem: They need more qualified auto techs and mechanics. The solution? More students need to enroll in the automotive programs at Iowa's community colleges. School Rules Through community college programs, students get hands-on experience, which helps prepare them for the work they will do in a dealership. At Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids the curriculum is based on lab activities that all begin with discovery learning, explains Assistant Professor Brian Brownfield. That type of hands-on experience familiarizes the student with the system on which they are working. “We have shifted as much of our curriculum as we can to on-car activities to build confidence and get practice,”

14 IOWA AUTO DEALER

Brownfield says. Ten of Iowa's 15 community colleges offer automotive programs accredited by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF). Schools with NATEF accreditation meet certain standards designed to prepare students for successful careers in the auto industry. All NATEF-accredited programs are required to have a minimum number of hours of combined classroom and lab or shop instructional activities. “That’s one of the things we really pride ourselves on out here at DMACC is the amount of time we spend with students in the lab,” says Jerry Burns, Program Chair for Automotive Mechanics and GM ASEP at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC). Instructors at Western Iowa Tech Community College try

IOWA AUTOMOBILE DEALERS FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION

to offer a lab that gives students a wide array of projects and vehicles to work on. In their labs, Western Iowa Tech has a well-rounded inventory of vehicles that exposes students to a variety of makes and model years. Students at the Sioux City school spend at least three to four hours a day getting hands-on experience by performing a combination of assigned lab tasks and work on customer cars. Outside of the lab, classes are designed to establish a foundation of knowledge for each area of the vehicle that is studied, with focuses on specific systems such as brakes, suspension, or engines. Every system is allotted a set amount of time. “While in the class, we try to understand the basic building blocks of each of those systems, and understand the fundamentals of making those repairs,” instructors Shane Sampson and John Kraemer, and Division Chair Greg Strong wrote in an email. After learning the basics in the classroom, students transition into the lab where actual testing and repair of those systems on a vehicle can take place.

“We have shifted as much of our curriculum as we can to on-car activities to build confidence and get practice.” Brian Brownfield

Although very different from work in the lab, supplemental classroom time is essential in each automotive program. At Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge students start their days in the classroom and move to the lab. “We tear cars apart so that we can bring in components of different makes and models so they have a visual,” says Dale Eldridge, automotive instructor at Iowa Central. The Iowa Central program is designed around block scheduling, which means that students only study one area of the car at a time. As Eldridge explains, this means that when they are in fuels, all they study is fuels and the components of all the different brands of vehicles out there. They talk about how to test them, what the test equipment looks like, how to run the tests, and what the tests mean. Through both lab and classroom learning, each community college program provides students with valuable knowledge and experience. Work Experience Two Iowa community colleges—Kirkwood and DMACC— have programs specific to a manufacturer, including Toyota, Honda, Chrysler, Ford, and GM. These programs tend to be internship-based, with students spending part of their time in a dealership. And while the other community colleges don’t work directly with manufacturers, most of them do offer co-ops or internship opportunities for students.

SPRING/SUMMER 2017 15

IOWA AUTOMOBILE DEALERS FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION

A student at Eastern Iowa Community College works on a vehicle in the lab. PHOTO COURTESY OF EASTERN IOWA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Students at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs have the opportunity for three separate internships. Clint Meyer, Diesel Technology Program Chair and Automotive Technology Program Chair at Iowa Western, says that most students will choose to stay with one dealership, but it is an opportunity for them to test up to three dealerships and get an idea of how each one operates. Tom Arends, department instructor at Eastern Iowa Community College in Bettendorf, says dealers from their area match students up with master technicians, giving the students a feel for what it will be like to work in an actual dealership. “If they hire our students while they’re still in school and are able to, almost like an apprenticeship, if you will, I think it helps them build that relationship and lets them see before they hire them full-time whether they’d be a good fit for their program or their business,” Arends says, adding that they find a high number of their students are actually hired by the dealers permanently once they graduate. Working on customer cars in the classroom gives students real world experience, as well. Many schools, including Iowa Central, Iowa Western, and Western Iowa Tech, allow students to actually work on customer vehicles through their programs. Eldridge explains that at Iowa Central they have students take the cars for a test drive and diagnose the issue. They then figure

16 IOWA AUTO DEALER

out estimates and make calls to let the customer know how much it will cost. If the customer says to go ahead to do the repair, the students repair the car and help with the billing. Bright Future The problem for automotive programs isn’t finding students a job after graduation—it’s that there are too many jobs and not enough students. “Right now this industry is really in need for mechanics,” Meyer says. “The more that these programs and the local dealerships work together, the better off everybody is going to be.” Having the local industry support the training they give students and knowing that students will have jobs when they come out of that training really helps, Meyer says. Dealership involvement with automotive programs helps produce more qualified employees. Small things, such as speaking with students can also give them an opportunity to learn from someone who will potentially employ them. Instructors at the community college programs across the state are grateful for any support dealerships can provide. Arends says, “The fact that they do support us at the community college and the vocational-tech programs, I can’t tell you how much we appreciate that.”

IOWA AUTOMOBILE DEALERS FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION

get involved

Dealerships can make a difference. 1.

OFFER INTERNSHIPS. Pairing students up with a master technician during their time spent in school helps the student apply the knowledge they’re learning firsthand in the dealership. This also gives them an opportunity to understand how your dealership works and if they would be a suitable employee. LOAN OR DONATE PARTS. Whether parts are new or used, this helps the students get that hands-on experience that the dealership is looking for in a recent graduate. PARTICIPATE IN CAREER FAIRS. Many schools hold career fairs for their students and this is a great way for dealers to actively engage with students who are coming up on graduation and potentially looking for a fulltime job or internship. GIVE TOURS. Providing tours of your dealership gives students an opportunity to see what the dealerships have to offer. PROMOTE SCHOLARSHIPS. Many students struggle with paying for school and that deters them from earning a degree. By helping promote scholarships and encouraging students to apply for them, it shows your dealership cares about their education. The Iowa Automobile Dealers Foundation for Education offers scholarships every year for students who go into automotive-related studies. ENGAGE A YOUNGER CROWD. Brian Brownfield of Kirkwood Community College suggests dealers get involved with STEM, or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs. The goal of STEM is to increase interest and achievement in these topics. Because a lot of career paths go unknown to young people, Brownfield also suggests dealers work with their local K-12 systems on job shadowing and exposing students to career options at their stores and with their manufacturers.

Deery Brothers in West Burlington hosts students from Burlington, Danville, and West Central High Schools for a career day at the dealership. PHOTO COURTESY OF DEERY BROTHERS

The McGrath Family of Dealerships participates in a career fair at Marion High School to help drive interest in auto industry careers. PHOTO BY BROOKE LENTZ, MCGRATH FAMILY OF DEALERSHIPS

“The more that these programs and the local dealerships work together, the better off everybody is going to be.” Clint Meyer

SPRING/SUMMER 2017 17

IADA PRINTING & PROMOTIONS

play your cards right Create a standout business card. BY ELLEN COLVILLE CHOOSE COLOR. Use hues strategically. A colorful card can be eye-catching, but don’t be afraid to keep it simple. A white background and colorful typography is a classic look.

EMPHASIZE BRANDING. Always make sure your company’s logo is highly visible and consider including logos for any franchises you have.

EMBRACE SPACE. Leave plenty of open space in case someone wants to write on the card. (Hint: It’s difficult to write on UV-coated surfaces, so skip the coating if writability is a priority.)

Anyto Keepin

wnAu

g Any

1111 D e Anyto aler Lane wn, IA 5 Anyto wnAu 0265 to.com

ANDY

Sales

MATERIALS MATTER. A thicker paper can make your card feel more expensive. Consider embossing it to add elegance and style, or, if you’re really bold, try a different material such as plastic or changing up the texture with softtouch lamination.

FLIP IT OVER. Consider adding photos to the back of your card. The extra real estate allows you to showcase your products.

18 IOWA AUTO DEALER

town R

olling

Since

1919

INCLUDE A TAGLINE. Consider adding your business’ slogan, if you have one.

KNAP

Repre

sentati

Office : 515.5 M 5 aknap obile: 515.5 5.1111 p@an 55.12 3 ytown auto.c 2 om

SIZE IT RIGHT. Avoid print that is too small.

KEEP IN CONTACT. Include your name, phone number, and email. Add your website and relevant social media accounts, such as Facebook and Twitter, but be wary of including too much information or the card could feel cluttered.

blast from the past Dubbed the “Old Car Home,” this dealership-inspired showroom lets classic cars retire in style. PHOTOS BY BRIAN BARKLEY

20 IOWA AUTO DEALER

Polished chrome. Sparkling paint. Neon signs. To a classic car enthusiast, the Old Car Home in Davenport can be described in one word: Paradise. Part garage, part museum, the extensive collection belonging to dealers Vinje and KV Dahl pays homage to an era where every vehicle was a work of art. Dozens of cars fill a building designed to look like an old car dealership, with replicas of vintage ads hung on the walls and antiques displayed throughout the facility. It is a car lover’s dream. Compiling a Collection

Cars have been in the Dahls’ blood for generations. Fourth- and fifth-generation dealers, both Vinje and son KV have spent their lives in and around automobiles. Collecting cars, however, is different than selling and servicing them. Vinje began his collection more than 50 years ago, in 1966, with the purchase of a 1934 Ford Woodie Wagon that he found in upstate New York. That vehicle (pictured on the cover) was lovingly restored with the help The “service” area of the Old Car Home, which is modeled to look like an old dealership, is filled with classic cars arranged in chronological order.

SPRING/SUMMER 2017 21

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Top: The “Doc’s Hot Rod,” Vinje’s newest car, is a 1931 Buick. Details on the car include the figure of a woman holding up the side view mirror (right inset). Opposite page: The grille of a 1932 Oldsmobile that was sold new to a teacher by McEleney’s in Clinton.

of a woodworker in Des Moines. Since then, Vinje has added to his collection and nurtured a passion for classics in his son, KV. Between the two of them, the Dahls have amassed a collection of nearly 100 cars. Fifty-eight of the vehicles reside in what they fondly call the Old Car Home. When Vinje first began collecting, he stored his cars all over town—in little old ladies’ garages, apartment garages—wherever there was space. “When I was growing up I didn’t play sports. My dad would drive us around to the ‘old car homes,’ I called them. That’s where this place got its name,” KV says. “My childhood was those old cars.” But then the river flooded, and the Dahls almost lost two vehicles. They decided they either needed to sell the cars or build a building to properly house their collection. They built, and in the fall of 2016 doubled the square footage of the space to fit their ever-expanding collection,

22 IOWA AUTO DEALER

SPRING/SUMMER 2017 23

BLAST FROM THE PAST

updating the facility to resemble a dealership. The Old Car Home isn’t open to the public, although they will host events occasionally for car clubs or charities. It’s located about five minutes away from the Dahl’s Ford dealership, right on the route they take customers for test drives. Lucky customers sometimes get to stop in to see the collection while taking a potential purchase for a spin. From the street, the only indication of what lies inside the unassuming facade is a blue oval with “Ford” in neon lights. (The manufacturer granted special permission to display the sign outside.) But walk through the doors and you’re transported into a showroom filled with vintage street rods and memorabilia. A guest book logs visitors. Antique signs adorn the walls. Vinje’s photos of Elvis, taken as a 15-year-old, are displayed in the office. What would be the service area of an old dealership is the main display at the Old Car Home. More than 50 vehicles line the long walls back to the mechanic’s shop, arranged in chronological order, from a Model T to a Volkswagen bus.

24 IOWA AUTO DEALER

The collection contains all the cars that you would expect of a serious collector, and then some. Vehicle Vignettes

KV is a storyteller, and he knows his cars. He rattles off details about each vehicle in the collection: Models, years, anecdotes. And there’s a personal connection, something special besides the pedigree, with nearly every vehicle in the Old Car Home A Michigan man named Barney Pollard saved the 1923 Cadillac from being dismantled for materials to support the war effort during World War II. As the story goes, Pollard stored it (and hundreds of other vehicles) by hanging it from wire rope strung between telephone poles for nearly 50 years. A teacher purchased the 1932 Oldsmobile brand new from McEleney’s in Clinton, then traded it in more than 20 years later. The vehicle was in the McEleney collection from 1954 until just recently, when the Dahls acquired it. The cool kids in high school drove cars just like the 1941 Chevrolet Special Deluxe Vinje found in the newspaper. The

BLAST FROM THE PAST

nostalgia-factor necessitated its addition to the collection. The Dahls purchased the 1937 LaSalle from its original owner—and just six months ago, that owner’s granddaughter called, wondering if they’d like to have the original bill of sale she’d recently found. Then there’s the 1954 Kaiser that KV bought when he was 12 and restored over the course of three years. He started working on it in the front yard, then the guys in the shop at the dealership taught him how to do body work. KV jokes that you shouldn’t look too closely, but the car is a valued member of the fleet. Growing up, Vinje often rode his bike past a 1956 Lincoln Premiere and fell in love with the car. He decided then that if he ever owned a ’56 Premiere, he’d know he’d made it. So when a customer traded in Vinje’s dream car several years later, he jumped at the chance to make it his and took the keys. But when Vinje’s dad, Kenny, found out about Vinje’s new car, he made his son pay the cost of the trade to the dealership. They found the 1960 Oldsmobile 98 locally and bought it on the spot. The vehicle is all original, and they don’t intend to

Left: This baby blue 1959 Ford Galaxie Fairlane Sunliner is equipped with a continental kit. Middle: The Dahls customized parts of this 1953 Chevrolet, including putting extra teeth in the grille. Right: This two-seater 1957 Ford Thunderbird is known as a “Baby Bird.”

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BLAST FROM THE PAST

Top: The late Doug Bemis gave this 1937 Dodge to Vinje as a thank you for helping him get his start in the auto industry. Bemis worked for Dahl Ford for a number of years before owning and operating Doug Bemis Auto Mall in Muscatine. Right: KV Dahl welcomes visitors to the Old Car Home. Left: The Dahl collection includes vehicles made by manufacturers that are no longer in business, like this 1953 Kaiser.

26 IOWA AUTO DEALER

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Top: The interior of a 1956 Mercury. Right: The original owner of this 1940 Ford Deluxe convertible was still driving it when she was in her 70s. She had promised the car to everyone in town, but left it to her nephew when she passed away. Vinje wanted the car so badly, he traded the nephew a new Maverick for it.

change that. (“It can only be original once,” KV says.) “We don’t go after cars, they kind of come to us, along with a lot of other stuff,” KV says about the father-and-son duo’s expansive collection, which includes items such as telephones, bikes, and washing machines. And the vehicles in the Old Car Home aren’t just to look at. Every car but the 1929 Buick runs, and KV and Vinje drive them on a regular basis. When they bring a car back, it comes with a list of things that need to be fixed. KV calls Al Longmeyer, the Old Car Home’s mechanic, the car whisperer. Longmeyer is responsible for keeping the vehicles running and fixing up any new ones that the Dahls add to the collection. While Longmeyer initially was concerned he might eventually run out of work, he hasn’t yet. And with the cars getting regular use, KV says that’s not likely to happen. The Dahls will keep restoring and driving these classics. And chances are, the Old Car Home will continue to grow, creating a place for collectibles to retire in style.

SPRING/SUMMER 2017 27

making her

mark With women holding fewer than one-quarter of dealership jobs, many view the industry as a man’s world. These women are shattering that perception.

28 IOWA AUTO DEALER

MAKING HER MARK

When a customer walks through the entrance of Finnin Kia, one of the first faces they might see is that of April Finnin-Rink, sitting at her desk near the door. Many assume, whether because of her proximity or her gender, that they know her role. “I am assumed to be the receptionist, which might not be All in the Family the same assumption if I was a male,” says Finnin-Rink, dealer Although many future dealers grow up in family dealerships, principal at the Dubuque dealership and one of just a handful of it wasn’t necessarily the assumed career path for the women female dealers in the state of Iowa. working in the automotive retail industry today. Where sons are “When you call a dealership and ask for the sales manager often the heir apparent to the family business, that isn’t always or dealer, I think there is an assumption when the phone is true for a daughter. answered it will be a male voice,” she continues. “Everyone loves “You would traditionally think ‘I have one brother and he a surprise, though!” carries the family name’ and by default think he is the person to These subtle, unconscious assumptions about women’s roles carry the legacy. But he welcomes me with open arms to share in dealerships aren’t unusual, even as women take on more the legacy with me,” says Pritchard Spiteri. leadership roles in an industry traditionally dominated by men. As a fifth-generation member of Pritchard Family Auto Stores, Angela Pritchard Spiteri, business manager in the commercial Pritchard Spiteri says that the business was part of her whole life. division of Pritchard Family Auto Stores, says that being a But it wasn’t the industry that made her fall in love. woman in the industry offers the surprise effect. “It’s really “For me, it hasn’t necessarily been about my love for the auto quite entertaining to go to a meeting where people think I’m industry, more about my love for family business,” Pritchard my father’s assistant,” she says. “It’s the best paradigm to be in. Spiteri says. “I have grown to love the auto side of it, but it was You go in, you shake hands if you’re not familiar with the people. definitely a love for family business that drew me back to the You’re the only woman in the room most times. It’s not, ‘oh, can company first.” I have your card?’” After Pritchard Spiteri’s father begins the The car business was all Brooke Hubbard of Edwards Auto meeting, the light bulb starts to come on. Group knew when she was growing up. Her dad, Dave Edwards, “The shock on their faces can be quite entertaining to see always worked at a dealership, and many of her siblings and them be like ‘oh, you’re somebody!’ I think that is probably the cousins worked in a dealership while they were in school. highlight,” Pritchard Spiteri says. “It makes it entertaining.” “I wanted to be the one who found ‘my own job’ and ‘didn’t According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women made up work for the stores,’” Hubbard says. She followed her own path nearly half the workforce (46.8%) in the United States, but just in the real estate business until deciding to make a career change 20.9% of the positions in an automobile dealership in 2016. In to become the public relations director for the auto group. 2012, the Department of Labor found just 1.2% of automotive “I think for many women, working at a car dealership does service technicians and mechanics nationwide were women. not come as a natural choice,” Hubbard says. “I feel that most “In most dealerships, it ’s typical to see women in women in the auto industry kind of fell into their positions. It administrative roles, however you rarely see women salespeople, was not sought out at first.” service advisors, technicians, etc. The more women we can Like Hubbard and Pritchard Spiteri, McGrath grew up attract to the industry, the more women that will be able to in dealerships. grow into leadership roles within the dealerships,” says Lindsay “I grew up in the car business, so yes, a part of me always McGrath, general manager for McGrath Family of Dealerships. wanted to work in a dealership—however another part of me Indeed, the majority of the women working in Iowa’s wanted to explore what else was out there,” McGrath says. She dealerships hold administrative positions: office managers, title earned a degree in business administration and considered clerks, marketing assistants. moving away to pursue a career in advertising, but “I began “Auto dealerships have been a male-dominated field in part working at the dealership toward the end of my senior year and because most of us weren’t raised to work under the hood of fell in love with the business—I was hooked!” a vehicle or even look under the hood,” says Jo Josephson Gallagher, president of Hawkeye Ford in Red Oak. Turning Tides “The automobile business has evolved to include women As more women take on roles in dealerships, workplace in sales and accounting, but not so much as technicians,” dynamics have shifted. Where there once may have been a Josephson Gallagher continues. “The challenge to women in stereotype of a boys’ club environment, many dealerships foster dealerships is the same for every dealership employee. Learn about your product “When you call a dealership and ask for the sales and your customer. Educate yourself. Become comfortable manager or dealer, I think there is an assumption in your knowledge of cars and when the phone is answered it will be a male voice.” trucks—it’s a fun world.”

April Finnin-Rink

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MAKING HER MARK

“The automotive profession is such a huge industry and companies can’t afford to tolerate sexism. It is too counterproductive.” Jo Josephson Gallagher cultures of inclusiveness and diversity. “The automotive profession is such a huge industry and companies can’t afford to tolerate sexism. It is too counterproductive,” says Josephson Gallagher. That doesn’t, of course, mean that the industry is free from sexism. “Of course I have war stories, just as most women who work in dealerships do,” says Josephson Gallagher. McGrath says the discrimination she has encountered came from customers, rather than co-workers. “Every once in a while I will run into a customer who prefers to see women in ‘traditional roles’—doesn’t want me to drive his truck for a trade appraisal, etc. That’s very few and far between, but it does happen.” The women interviewed for this article who acknowledged experiencing sexism at work didn’t dwell on it. They focused instead on something they could control: themselves. “Most of the sexism I have encountered has been inadvertent or unconscious,” says McGrath. “The best way to combat it, in my opinion, is to prove them wrong.”

Josephson Gallagher agrees. “The key to success is hard work and to know your stuff.” And some women, whether due to company culture or their position in the dealership, have not experienced sexism. “I have not been treated differently, however, I was always in management,” says Gwyn Wilson, the CFO of Dubuque Auto Plaza, Warthan Brothers Maquoketa Ford, and Cascade Chevrolet. “I am confident in my knowledge and being raised with three brothers—and raising two sons— I do not put up with anything ‘condescending’ from any man.” Wilson attributes the lack of discrimination or sexism in her dealerships to the company culture, adding that “It also helps to have a few females in lead roles in the dealership.” One of the challenges women can face when working in a traditionally male-dominated field is battling stereotypes. “I think people have a perception of women being ‘emotional’ or ‘not rational’—the sooner you can shatter that perception, the better,” McGrath says. “Display early on that you have just as thick of skin as they do.” That isn’t always easy. “I feel that when men get stern with their employees, they are stereotyped as a ‘strict boss,’ but if women get stern with employees that can get stereotyped as a ‘witch’ or ‘unhappy,’” Hubbard says, adding that the double-standard isn’t isolated to the auto industry. The stereotypes aren’t always negative for women. “Women in general tend to be better listeners, more

she said, he said

A 2014 Pew Research Center study found that women in business were perceived to be better at being honest and ethical, providing fair pay and benefits, and mentoring employees. Men were perceived to be better at negotiating profitable deals and being willing to take risks. That same study found very different perspectives on gender discrimination.

Women face at least some discrimination in society today.

A major reason there aren’t more women in top business positions is that women are held to higher standards than men.

mind the (wage) gap

65%

women agree

52%

women agree

48%

men agree

22%

men agree

In Iowa in 2015, women’s median weekly earnings were just 78.6% of men’s, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Iowa women earn a smaller percentage of male wages than their counterparts in South Dakota (79.2%), Minnesota (82.4%), and Illinois (83.4%) Nationwide, female marketing and sales managers earned 65% of their male counterparts’ wages while female sales representatives made 69%.

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MAKING HER MARK

paving the way

Iowa has a proud history of women taking active roles in automobile dealerships, dating back to the 1920s. The March 1925 Motor Trades Bulletin reported, “One of the new fields for women in which they are beginning to excel is the automobile business.” At the time, according to the Bulletin, Iowa boasted several women dealers.

Kate Terry Loomis

Kate Terry Loomis of Cedar Rapids, served as president of the Cedar Rapids Motomart Association and was an active member of the Linn County Motor Trades Bureau. In 1923, she was nominated for the Automotive Hall of Fame in the Automobile Trade Journal. The nomination read: “We nominate Kate Terry Loomis, president, Loomis Motor Company, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, because she has proved that a woman can be a far more successful automobile dealer than most men, because she is a business woman who has sacrificed no womanly qualities in attaining to success in the automotive field, because she is president of the Cedar Rapids Dealers’ Association and because she has the admiration and respect of every member of the automotive trade in our home city.”

The Gray Sisters

Margaret Neil

Margaret Neil and Ruth Stockwell were dealers in Marshalltown known as “the Gray sisters,” since they were the local Gray dealer. (The Gray was manufactured from 1922 to 1926.) Neil was interested in mechanics and spent much of her time rebuilding cars and driving coast to coast. She took Stockwell, a music teacher, along on a trip west in 1922. When Neil broke her arm, Stockwell had to learn how to drive and quickly became interested in automobiles. The two women found success operating their dealership and putting their unique skills to work in securing sales. The March 1925 Motor Trades Bulletin described the women as “extremely versatile”: “Sometimes, when a sale is difficult, Miss Stockwell will entertain the family with her playing and singing and will leave with the order. “Not long ago, Miss Neil was calling on a farmer prospect who was shingling his roof and claimed to be too busy to discuss cars. ‘Go in and talk with Miss Stockwell,’ she said, ‘and I’ll shingle the roof for you.’ The idea appealed to the man. ‘If you can put on a row of shingles as well as I have, I’ll give you an order,’ he said. She did, and the order was hers.”

Ruth Stockwell

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MAKING HER MARK

“I think a lot of women are afraid to enter the industry because there is a misconception that you need to be a ‘gear head’ in order to be successful. That couldn’t be farther from the truth.” Lindsay McGrath

Attracting and Retaining Top Talent According to the Automotive News | Deloitte 2015 Women in Automotive Survey, three of the top ways to attract and retain women are mentorship programs, increasing the visibility of key leaders who serve as role models, and flexible work practices. Flexibility is one of the benefits that Wilson’s dealerships offer employees. “I also encourage my staff not to miss out on their family things,” Wilson says. “We try to be as flexible as possible while still providing our customers with a world class experience.” Edwards Auto Group also focuses on flexibility for employees. “We allow our female employees to bring their children into work, when needed,” Hubbard says. “We try to be understanding and flexible when emergencies come up with family and kids.” Hubbard notes that in addition to flexibility, it’s important to simply let employees know they are valued. “Employee appreciation can go a long way. With the normal rate of turnover within dealerships, it is important to say ‘well done and thank you for your hard work,’ to tell those that are doing a good job.” Helping dealerships retain female employees is one of the goals of the General Motors Women’s Retail Network (WRN), which is the only automobile manufacturer-sponsored group focused on supporting its female dealers (see sidebar, right). “We support women-owned businesses as dealers. We’re also trying to make sure that women are aware of the opportunities that exist in automotive careers,” says Celeste Briggs, director of the WRN. The WRN is working to increase the number of women

empathetic. Taking care of people comes naturally to most of the women I know,” says Finnin-Rink. “I want to be clear, many men develop these skills and become very good at them, I think it tends to come more naturally for women, though.” Another perception is that women are more concerned with work/life balance than their male counterparts. “It’s tough to find a ‘balance’ when you absolutely love what you do,” McGrath says. “Overall, we have tried to move toward a more flexible schedule for our employees. We understand that the more opportunity we give them to spend time with family, the more focused and productive they are when they are working.” The biggest stereotype of all, however, is who works at a dealership. Imagine a gathering of car dealers. Who do you picture in your mind? A mix of successful, entrepreneurial men and women? Or a group of successful, entrepreneurial men? “I think the biggest challenge is just to get rid of the stigma of ‘it’s a man’s deal to work at a dealership.’ I am finding that there are a lot of women that are interested in mechanics and cars and they should pursue their interests,” says Wilson. And even if a person isn’t interested in mechanics, a career in the auto industry could be right for them. “I think a lot of women are afraid to enter the industry because there is a misconception that you need to be a ‘gear head’ in order to be successful. That couldn’t be farther from the truth,” McGrath says. “It is a fast-paced environment that is challenging, competitive, and based on teamwork. If you are mentally tough, love working with people and a team, and have a passion to win, you’ll be just fine.” Breaking down those stereotypes has advantages for dealerships, too. “I think a lot of the ‘old school’ perceptions about dealerships bring about a stereotypical used car salesman picture to mind, so when a woman is the one greeting them and working the numbers that perception is thrown out—something is different here for sure,” says Finnin-Rink. “The men that work here get it. They are fathers to daughters, husbands, sons, brothers, and they know we all bring something to the table and women and men working together make a Dealer April Finnin-Rink (right) and Sales Manager Amy Montgomery better organization.” (left) of Finnin Kia in Dubuque show that women can have rewarding careers in automotive.

PHOTO COURTESY OF APRIL FINNIN-RINK

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MAKING HER MARK

participating in automotive retail. “You know attracting them is one thing. Retaining them is certainly the larger challenge,” says Briggs. “It speaks to culture within the business.” Briggs adds that a high turnover rate of female employees isn’t only reflective of a dealership’s work environment—it also reflects how customers who come to do business may feel. “Dealers who have been successful have created an environment where women feel comfortable. It’s a winwin as far as customer experience, your business, and your reputation in your community.” The McGrath Family of Dealerships developed a group similar to the WRN for its own female employees. “We started our McGrath Women’s Network two years ago this January to help provide a place for women within our company to connect, and also provide them with tools to grow personally and professionally,” McGrath says. “A lot of the women in our company are spread around in different departments; often they might be the only woman in their department or don’t have other women to interact with. This group creates a sense of community as well as help to provide access to leadership and personal growth training.” The goal of the McGrath Women’s Network is to increase the retention of female employees. “The more women we retain, the more women we can attract. This will help to create a more diverse culture,” McGrath says. Creating that more diverse culture would be easier if more women thought of automotive as a career option. In the Automotive News | Deloitte study, only 2% of respondents report that K-12 schools actively encourage girls to consider automotive careers. The General Motors WRN has been working to change that through its Drive to Succeed scholarship

program, which has given more than 50 scholarships totaling more than $150,000. “We’re helping to really attract and then support women who are going after degrees or certification as technicians,” Briggs says. The Future is Female Although women may never make up the majority of dealership employees, their numbers are poised to rise in the coming years. Dealerships should embrace the advantages that come with a more diverse workforce. “I think that there are some people that prefer to work with a female,” Wilson says. “This is why I believe more women should strive to go into a dealership and work. I think they have every capability to be as good as any top performers.” McGrath also sees customers who prefer working with a woman. “Women make a large portion of the purchase decisions and often feel more comfortable working with a woman, especially in a transaction that they might not necessarily feel confident about,” she says. “We have seen female customers request women salespeople or women service advisors when they come in.” Throughout the industry, women anticipate a bright future for females in automotive. “Women in dealerships are strong, smart women,” Josephson Gallagher says. “Especially in small dealerships where everyone wears a lot of hats, women will continue to play expanding roles.” McGrath agrees. “My hope for the future of the dealership landscape is that women are equally represented. It’s great for business, it’s great for customers, and it’s an amazing opportunity for women to have a challenging and very rewarding career.”

“Women in dealerships are strong, smart women. Especially in small dealerships where everyone wears a lot of hats, women will continue to play expanding roles.”

building connections The General Motors Women’s Retail Network (WRN), which supports women dealers and key managers, is the only program of its kind among automobile manufacturers. The program was modeled after GM’s minority dealer program. “It started out with a study on basically why women are just not attracted to automotive as a career or as consumers,” says the program’s director, Celeste Briggs. When the WRN began in 2001, women made up 2.5% of dealer operators at General Motors. Today, that number is close to 6%. The number of women who are in leadership positions at dealerships has also grown, and 447 women are currently named as successor dealer operators. “We are very interested in that next level of influencers within the business and also allowing them to participate in this network,” Briggs says. “It’s all about professional growth. And who knows? That general manager or service director may become the dealer someday.” The WRN provides education, training, and networking opportunities for female dealers and their employees. In 2014, they created the WRN Service & Parts Forum, an educational forum that holds quarterly training via webinar. The WRN also has worked with NADA to create two 20 Groups just for women-owned dealerships. The network has been successful in supporting not just women dealers but also the next generation of women dealers. “One of the things that makes me know we’re on the right track is I get phone calls from fathers asking, ‘Look, I don’t have sons. What do I do to get my daughter prepared to take on this next step?’ To know that the manufacturer is very interested in her success. That’s been the biggest gauge of the impact that we’ve had in these past 16 years,” Briggs says.

Jo Josephson Gallagher SPRING/SUMMER 2017 33

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free wheeling

Sioux Center’s Car Ministry provides vehicles to people in need.

Rock Rapids resident Tolbie Lucus sits in the 2008 Dodge Caravan she received through the Car Ministry of ATLAS. PHOTO BY RENEE WIELENGA, SIOUX CENTER NEWS

Marion Mouw and Arnie Ver Hoef had a dream. The Sioux Center dealers had heard about a program where cars were donated to people in need. The two men wanted to create a similar program for their community, but were missing a key ingredient: a place to recondition the cars. Enter ATLAS of Sioux Center. “The dealers were instrumental,” says Jen Sandbulte, a Car Ministry of Atlas board member and employee of ATLAS of Sioux Center. “Our director had a gentleman approach her about wanting to build a building and allow ATLAS to use it

34 IOWA AUTO DEALER

for ministry. When she approached the dealers, Arnie Ver Hoef and Marion Mouw, they had actually seen something at Willow Creek Church and were excited about it and trying to figure out a way. The dealers walked right alongside in the set up process. They helped find the volunteer mechanics we use (one from each dealership!) and they also helped a great deal in sourcing tools, etc., for the shop area.” More than five years later, the ministry has donated nearly 100 vehicles to people in need. “We just see that a lot of those people that need those cars are

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really hard up for them,” says Marion Mouw of Mouw Motor Co. “That’s why we got into it. It’s really grown, really worthwhile. I’m 85 and it’s become part of my life.” And although the ministry’s co-founder Arnie Ver Hoef passed away in 2014, Ver Hoef’s son-in-law, current Ver Hoef Automotive dealer Kembe Hulstein, is still actively involved in the ministry as well. Any vehicle that is given to a recipient is inspected by the dealers, who assign a fair market value for the Car Ministry to note on the donation receipt. All of the vehicles donated to the Car Ministry are either passed on to those in need or scrapped. “We probably scrap about 25% of them,” Mouw says. “We take off the tires if they’re good, take off the good parts and keep that in stock, and use that on a car that is more capable of being replenished. We have a certain set of safety standards that the cars have to pass. The money we get for salvaging it, we use to rebuild the better cars.” Both Mouw and Sandbulte emphasized that the vehicles aren’t just handed out to anyone. “Our goal is to be a part of transforming lives, not just giving away free vehicles,” Sandbulte says. “We really desire it to be a learning process and do what we can to ensure that happens.” Mouw says the most rewarding part of being involved in the ministry is seeing someone succeed after receiving a vehicle. He remembers one of the first vehicle recipients was a man who had been in a treatment center for substance abuse and gotten clean. The ministry gave him a truck, and once he had that truck he was Tolbie Lucus (left) and Bill Roelofs look under the hood of the vehicle Lucas received from the Car Ministry of ATLAS. PHOTO BY RENEE WIELENGA, SIOUX CENTER NEWS

36 IOWA AUTO DEALER

able to get a good job. A couple years later, the man was able to trade in that truck for a new one. “He was on his own and making his own way in life and not getting any help from anyone anymore,” Mouw says. “That’s what we really aim for is trying to put people on their own feet.” People in need of vehicles must fill out an application and take part in an interview with the committee that approves applications. That committee has six members and conducts two to three interviews each month. After the interviews, the committee votes to approve a donation. “Each applicant must come with an advocate who agrees to walk alongside them for at least a year,” Sandbulte says. “If they don’t follow through with their advocate the vehicle is taken away.” Mouw says the Car Ministry approves about 80% of the applications. “They all have to go through the process. We want to make sure these people have a real need for it and that they aren’t capable of buying a car,” he says. “The word is out that you’re not just going to walk away with a car real easy.” Awareness of the program has spread throughout neighboring communities and it continues to grow. “Never dreamt in my life retired mechanics would be so excited about it,” Mouw says. “It has worked out real, real well.”

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transporting a community

A dealership-owned community truck helps local nonprofits.

Resources Unite uses the Bird Chevrolet community truck to help transport a wheelchair-bound elderly woman into her new apartment. PHOTO COURTESY OF RESOURCES UNITE

BY ELLEN COLVILLE

From the moment Bird Chevrolet opened its doors in Dubuque in 1927, the dealership has been involved with the community. “Part of the philosophy of our business, when my grandfather and his business partner started it, was to become very engaged in the community,” says Kate Walsh Brothers, a thirdgeneration owner of the dealership. “If you provide resources for the community, the community will always reciprocate through business.” One way the dealership lives out this philosophy is through its community truck, which was introduced in 2011. Walsh Brothers, who is responsible for the vehicle and the projects it is utilized

38 IOWA AUTO DEALER

for, says that the idea came from their sales team, where many of the members are highly engaged in their community with various outreach organizations. “You know, we are in the car business. Transportation is what we do,” Walsh Brothers says. The truck was created to help nonprofit organizations that have a need for transportation. Though it is not a available for individual use, nonprofits are able to borrow the truck to assist individuals in need. Josh Jasper, President and CEO of Resources Unite, says that they have used the truck’s services countless times.

SHOW & TELL

Resources Unite uses the community truck to pick-up Christmas gifts for 310 children in need. PHOTO COURTESY OF RESOURCES UNITE

The organization, which works to create connections within the Dubuque community, has used the truck for helping survivors of domestic abuse move into their first apartment; picking up donations of water collected for the people in Flint, Michigan; delivering donated household items to a severely impoverished community in Morton, Mississippi for the past three summers; and much more. One of the many highlights from using the truck, Jasper says, is when Resources Unite delivered 65 beds to children in need. “It was so exciting to pull up with the truck to a new home to watch the children get excited knowing they were going to sleep on a brand new bed that night,” Jasper says. Resources Unite’s experience using the truck has always been outstanding, Jasper says. The team at Bird Chevrolet goes above and beyond to support not only their mission, but the whole community. The process to use the truck is easy, Jasper notes, which makes their work much easier. He frequently recommends the truck to other organizations as a resource for the community. According to Walsh Brothers, they don’t turn away any organization that is a credible nonprofit. They simply require that the organization have insurance and provide tax exempt and nonprofit organization certificates. If the documents are in order all an organization needs to do is contact the dealership and explain how they want to use the vehicle in the future. Bird Chevrolet not only benefits from knowing they are helping their community, but, as Walsh Brothers explains, they get great exposure through their truck. “People and organizations see it, and they have employees who need to buy vehicles, so it’s a great trade-off and gives us great PR and advertising,” Walsh Brothers says. “That’s how we really see it as a benefit.” With the community truck, Bird Chevrolet has been able to provide assistance to many organizations at no cost. The Alzheimer’s Association uses the truck for their annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Bird Chevrolet will provide resources during

the planning of the project in the summer all the way up to the walk itself in the fall. Other organizations using the truck include Habitat for Humanity and Goodwill. “Without this incredible resource, we would not be able to do what we do for the community,” Jasper says. “The use of the community truck at Bird Chevrolet has impacted thousands of lives throughout our entire community.”

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SPRING/SUMMER 2017 39

THE CLOSE

head of the class

The longest-serving employee at an Iowa dealership has worked more than 50 years. In June 1965, a gallon of gas cost $0.30. “Help Me Rhonda” by The Beach Boys topped the charts. And Rodney Stark began working in the body shop at Glendenning Motor Co. Stark has the distinction of being the longest-tenured dealership employee* in the state of Iowa. His career spans five decades and a world of changes in the industry. “I’ve worked with Rod all my life, literally,” says dealership general manager Paul Glendenning. “He started working for my father the year I was born. I literally grew up with the man.” Stark spent the bulk of his career in the body shop, then briefly did dealer trades during a temporary retirement. The retirement didn’t stick, however, and he’s back at the dealership now. “I was wanting something to do and they were needing some help, so now I’m back, servicing cars, rotating tires, and stuff, just fiddling around,” Stark says. The longevity of Stark’s career at the dealership is notable, but not surprising given the high regard his co-workers and the community have for him. “I can’t think of anybody who wouldn’t like to have that kind of employee,” says Glendenning. “Because he’s somebody you could count on who was there on time, every day, for that many years and still had that drive.” In nearly 52 years at the Mount Ayr dealership, Stark has seen many changes. Glendenning Motor Co. is the only dealership in town now, down from three in the 1960s. He notes that they’re doing a lot more work than they used to. “And there’s really a difference in the cars, what they are now compared to what they were then,” he says. “I think in those days, things were a lot simpler. I know the cars were easier to work on.” There’s one thing, however, that hasn’t changed. “I guess the one constant has just basically been the people. That’s really about the only thing that hasn’t changed over the years,” Stark says. “We got a lot of customers that are around on a regular basis. Most of them are good people. That’s about the most enjoyable part of it, is the people.” Looking back on Stark’s career, Glendenning notes that Stark left his mark on the dealership. “He was well known far and wide for his ability,” says Glendenning. “He was someone who was there every day and had years of knowledge and experience, somebody who could take things and do a lot with a little. Somebody who didn’t have to have all the greatest tools and technology to make things work. He was able to think outside the box and fix things. Obviously, there’s a craft to doing body repair, collision repair. He was able to go above and beyond and think outside the box and do things that were really amazing to me as a kid.” For his part, Stark knows that if he hadn’t been working somewhere like Glendenning Motor Co., he may not have spent his career with one employer. “I guess if you get along with the people that you work with, that makes it easier to stay with them for a long time,” Stark says. “You gotta enjoy what you’re doing if you’re going to stay. You really have to enjoy what you’re doing.”

40 IOWA AUTO DEALER

Rodney Stark

Glendenning Motor Co.

*Who has never been a dealer principal.

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