Dear Editor,
I have been in business for over 35 years. I have five retail locations and three commercial locations.
I have been reading Wayne Williams’ columns for years and this guy is spot on. He hits home on a lot of topics, about the things that we do that have made us successful.
In the article he wrote about Fred, “Expenses creep, and gross profit leaks” from the April 2016 issue was spot on, topic after topic. “Expenses creep, and gross profit leaks” – boom! That is the truth. The bottom line is every dollar saved trickles to the bottom line, a full dollar.
I can tell this guy is passionate about what he does and he gets it. I always look forward to his articles, month after month.
Keep up the good work.
Les McLea, Owner
McLea’s Tire & Automotive Service
Santa Rosa, Calif.
Question of the month
Each month we ask members of our National Advisory Council a question or questions on a current hot topic. This month we asked, “Cancun. New Orleans. San Diego. Orlando. A cruise to the Bahamas. Tire manufacturers host dealer meetings and tire ride-and-drives in some pretty swell locations. Do you take advantage of the trips? What have been your favorite cities for meetings? What is your favorite part of the meetings?” Here are some of their responses.
- Unfortunately, or fortunately you might say, I’ve never been on one of these “trips.” Over my 22 years in the tire business, I’ve limited my official attendance to dealer conferences and traditional trade shows. We have had a few people in our organization attend these types of events, namely our CFO and dealer principal, on occasion.
- Charleston, S.C., is one of my favorite locations. It’s certainly nice to get away from work and be with your spouse, however, it’s also interesting to “talk shop” with other dealers from other regions and perhaps pick up some new ideas. Sometime some small takeaways (ideas or best practices) are very valuable. The other appeal to the getaways is there are a variety different activities to do when not attending a business function. Historical areas are always fascinating. While fun and enjoyable, beaches and resorts can be overrated. Attendees need to make these trips memorable by being active.
- As a general rule and practice, we don’t participate in these special “trips.” We do regularly attend our dealer conferences and trade shows.
- The trips are all great. Each manufacturer does a good job making sure the dealers are well taken care of. I like the variety of different cities, that way if you go on many trips and they are all different.
What’s on your mind?
We also asked the dealers on our National Advisory Council what was on their mind. Here are a couple of their responses.
South Carolina lawmakers have not increased the gas tax that maintains our highways in 30 years. During this legislative session, the roads funding bill has been held up in the South Carolina Senate.
They’ve been talking, avoiding, diverting, talking some more and not passing that roads bill. Most of this under the guise of true reform need in the structure of the Department of Transportation.
Whatever it is, we know what they should be doing. Our senators should be passing a roads bill. Our senators should be protecting us, protecting our families, and protecting everyone who has to take their life into their own hands when they drive on South Carolina roads every day.
Tripp Lee, General Manager
Frasier Tire Service Inc.
Sumter, S.C.
“The further a society drifts from the truth the more it will hate those who speak it.” — George Orwell
Jeff Cohen, Co-owner
Traction Wholesale Center
Bensalem, Pa.
Join Modern Tire Dealer’s National Advisory Council
Each month, Modern Tire Dealer is guided and influenced by a select group of readers — members of our National Advisory Council. These members’ opinions are the heart of the monthly Your Marketplace column, compiled by industry analyst Nick Mitchell. If you’d like to join this prestigious group, please let us know. We’d love to hear from you. Contact Editor Bob Ulrich at [email protected] or call (330) 899-2200, ext. 11.
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All You Have to Do Is Act Naturally
