On the Cover Welcome, Mr. President

Welcome, Mr. President

By Katie McDonald NMEDA Manager of Communications & Social

As we welcome in the new year, we also welcome a new NMEDA President. The ever witty, insightful, and punctual (he’s never missed an article deadline!), Christian Quandt of Advanced Wheels. No stranger to NMEDA or the NMEDA Board of Directors, Christian has most recently served as Vice President, and Representative at Large prior to that.

Though he refused my congratulations and insisted (in jest?) that he turned down the position twice, Christian was kind enough to virtually “sit down” with me, and answer a few questions to help us take a peek into the mind of the new NMEDA Board President...

1. Well, you are a legacy! Your father, John Quandt, served as NMEDA President from 2000 to 2003. What are your thoughts on being, essentially, EXACTLY like the Bush family? It is an honor to our family to think that 20 years apart our peers still think that a Quandt would be a good steward for the presidency of the organization. Or is it that they knew then and now that we don’t often say, “no”? Our family has given a lot to this organization, but we’ve taken back just as much from the relationships we’ve made and the things we have learned. 2. Tell us about your personal history—where you grew up, family, education, favorite sports teams, other info you’d like to share. I grew up an only child in Connecticut where I played sports and worked at our shop since I was 12 years old. My wife, Crystal, and I have two children, and I coach their sports yearround. I have a Bachelor’s in English Writing from Westfield State, and an MBA from UMass. I’m an avid New England sports fan, and attempt to play golf and fish whenever I have time. 3. Obviously, your family has been in auto mobility for some time. How did you personally get involved and when did you decide you wanted this to be your career? I started my career at my parents’ business at 12 as a janitor, and manager to another employer. Once I came back full-time I realized that this business had a better future for me than education did. 4. Could you summarize your personal business philosophy? I’m competitive and want our business to grow and be as successful as possible, but we do that only in a way that is customer-focused and executed with honesty and integrity. Our manufacturers and dealers are going to be challenged like almost no other two years in this industry’s history, and NMEDA is positioned to help the industry communicate and collaborate as that change occurs. ” “

then “go-fer” when I got my license, so by the time I was in college I wanted to do anything BUT go to work for my father. I taught middle school special education for about a year but then came back to work for my father when he lost his business Treating everyone the same way, whether they are a customer, employee, vendor, subcontractor, has been a reason that our company has many long-time employees, return customers, and steady growth.

5. You are credited with coining the term “FOO Fighters” (Circuit Breaker April-June, 2019 – Officers’ Message)…in your opinion, what distinguishes family owned and operated (FOO) dealerships from the larger dealer groups? Some of our vendors were referring to businesses like ours as “mom & pop” shops and I didn’t like the connotation, so I suggested that they should call us FOO fighters instead. Many of our FOO shops do the same volume as some of the corporate stores, and I have observed that FOO shops tend to have a lot more personnel stability, which keeps a strong knowledge-base in the stores. I also believe that having an owner present and able to make decisions benefits the customer experience, especially in the instances where extra attention to detail may be required. 6. What do you see as the association’s biggest challenge over the next two years of your presidency? NMEDA has done a great job of keeping up with all of the industry change and how that has affected membership over the last few years. However, the next two years is likely to see the continuation of consolidation, and the disappearance of major product choices (the Grand Caravan and Sienna as we know it). Our manufacturers and dealers are going to be challenged like almost no other two years in this industry’s history, and NMEDA is positioned to help the industry

L to R: Christian Quandt, Don Clock, and Corey Kupsh at the 2019 NMEDA Annual Conference & Expo.

communicate and collaborate as that change occurs. 7. Do you have any final thoughts or a message for our members?

I look forward to working with the Board and am always open to calls/emails/texts from our fellow members. --- Christian will be officially sworn in as President along with our other board of director members at the 2020 Annual Conference & Expo in March. Be sure to catch Christian as a panelist on the “FOO Fighting the Good FIght” educational panel discussion.

C o n f e r e n c e S p o t l i g h t Conference Panelist

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