NIADA President-Elect Tormohlen Brings History of Service, Leadership to New Post

By Jeffrey Bellant

Gordon Tormohlen is president of Tormohlen’s Good People Automotive, a buy-here, pay-here dealership in Freeport, Ill. He is also president-elect of the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association.

USED CAR NEWS: Tell us about how you got into the car business.

Tormohlen: I was a ‘Boss’s kid.’ My dad had been in the car business since 1940 and had enjoyed a great career. After learning the business from a mentor, he became a Hudson dealer, then had an independent lot. In the ’60s, he managed for several dealers, including a stint managing a Ford store in Decatur, Illinois as the Mustang was introduced. Eventually, we moved to Freeport, where he and a partner purchased the Chevy store that he was managing. In 1983, he sold the store to his partner and he and I bought the Chrysler Plymouth Dodge dealership. My career began in 1973, when I was 13. My Dad started me for $.50 per hour to be a body shop apprentice and detailer.

Eventually, I held positions as display manager (lot rat), janitor, B grade technician, parts delivery, parts counterman, courtesy driver, service advisor, salesman, F&I manager, sales manager, and GM. About 2 months after I started working, I bought my first ‘car’, a 1967 Cushman Truckster that had been traded by the city on a police bid. I fixed it up, repainted it, and flipped it for a $210 profit. My Dad later said allowing me to buy it was the worst thing he ever did. By the time I could legally drive, I was on my 21st car. The bug had bitten! I later paid my way through Northwood

University by wholesaling almost 300 cars and trucks. Northwood was a fantastic experience for me, I graduated Cum Laude with a BBA, and three associate degrees, having also chaired the Northwood International Auto Show my senior year. During those first years, I learned a lot. Including the way to earn the respect of my co-workers was to outwork them. I also learned how important customer relationships were to our success. As a result, the Chevrolet store became the third one in the nation to receive Chevrolet’s coveted Service Supremacy

IN THIS ISSUE:

• Auto Finance

• Safeguards

• Dealer Sentiment

Award -- and the Chrysler store got 19 consecutive Five Star Awards of Excellence.

UCN: What do you like about BHPH and what does it take to be successful at it?

Tormohlen: I entered the BHPH business in 1992, while still a Chrysler dealer. Rick Reeves had been asked to attend my 20 group meeting and teach us the basics of the BHPH business model. To me, it was simply another part of the broader preowned vehicle market, much like Retail, CPO, Trucks, Classics, and Wholesale. Each model has their own quirks and attributes. To be successful in BHPH it requires a plan – for cash acquisition, controlled spending and investment, and collections. Collections are the key. Selling a BHPH customer is easy, but getting paid is where dealers lose their shirts. Once the plan

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