Throughout his career, Erick Anderson, president of Placer Motors, has always gone above and beyond. Whether it be his focus on treating the customer right, giving back to the community he loves, or helping his fellow dealers by actively serving on the board of MTADA, Erick exemplifies what it means to be a TIME Dealer of the Year nominee. Erick was nominated by his fellow dealers for this prestigious award. 

We recently had the opportunity to speak with Erick. The following are excerpts from our conversation. 

How did you get into the business?

As a child, I could be a real pain in the neck. Because of this, my mother would often send me to work with my father. He would put me to work at the dealership to keep me out of trouble. I would help by washing cars, pulling weeds or whatever was needed. I was around 10 years old then, and, even though I wasn’t supposed to, I would drive all by myself to make deliveries. Things were just different back then. 

I liked being around all the activity of the car business. It was fascinating watching the technicians work on cars. Back then, the guy with the biggest hammer was your best technician. I spent hours watching them hammer on things, trying to get them apart.

I continued to work at the store through high school, up until I went to college. My first attempt at college didn’t go well, so I returned to work at the dealership. I remember George Buchanan, one of my mentors and a pretty blunt guy, asking me, “What the hell are you going to do now that you’ve flunked out?” I told him that I didn’t know. He made a phone call to a friend and said to me, “You need to head to the Department of Highways building and meet with so-and-so.” I met with him on a Thursday and started work the following Monday.

I worked there for three years and absolutely loved it, but I was a seasonal employee. I would work for nine months, then they would lay me off during the winter. During the off months, I hunted and skied until they rehired me. It was an awesome existence. But when they offered me a full-time job, I started envisioning myself sitting on the side of the road, in a field office at the dead of winter, doing nothing. At that point, I decided I needed to get my life in order. I went back to college and graduated in three short years. 

I went to work, selling cars at my father’s dealership, and I really liked it. Things just clicked from there. I worked in service and finance, and eventually everything came full circle. Today, I am the president and owner of Placer Subaru. 

What is the most rewarding part of your career?

Honestly, it’s the big picture: having a stable business that my employees and the community can count on. When I go out into the community, people are always friendly, saying, “Hello,” and giving me a hug or a handshake. And that’s the rewarding part: People recognize that you’re not just a business; you’re a positive part of the community.

Did you have any mentors along the way and what did they teach you?

My first mentor was my father. He didn’t believe in playing games with people by giving customers the runaround. He believed in up-front pricing while being transparent and honest. Treating people like you’d like to be treated yourself was paramount to him. When other dealers were trying to get every last dime out of customers, he was trying to make sure they came back. The example he set has served me well throughout my career. 

My family store started as Chevrolet and Oldsmobile in the early 1900s. When my great-grandfather left the business, his two sons flipped a coin for who got the Chevrolet store and who got Oldsmobile. Whoever ended up with Chevrolet was to stay in the existing building. My grandfather ended up with Oldsmobile and had to move to a new location. My grandfather’s brother had some serious medical issues and wasn’t long for this world, so he sold the Chevrolet store. Needless to say, my grandfather could not match the selling price, so the store left the family, and George Buchanan became the new owner. 

In his own words, George did all the wrong things when he took over the Chevrolet store, and there were many problems. George ended up selling the store because their reputation had become so bad. In short, he had ruined the store, and my family took back over ownership. Even so, George ended up becoming a regular visitor to the store. He would show up almost every day after playing golf, just to say hello, have a cup of coffee and talk. After a while, George became pretty comfortable with me and would refer to me as Sonny. George was pretty grounded and would often offer me advice. George had an interesting life story, to say the least, and his wisdom and influence have helped me many times throughout the years. 

One day, I was explaining to George that I was having trouble with another dealer in town. This dealer was going to the auto auction and buying damaged cars that were my product — Oldsmobile and Pontiac. Then, the dealer was selling the damaged cars for what I was paying for clean cars. They were picking up massive dollars, and I was having to compete. To make things worse, people would show up at my dealership as they were having problems with the cars as a result of the damage — one of which was covered under warranty. The other dealer was trying to label us as the bad guys because we wouldn’t honor the non-existent warranty. 

After I was finished explaining my frustrations, George leaned back and began to share some of his experiences with me, hoping to put the current situation in context. 

Now George was a smoker, and at the end of his story, he said, “Sonny, take it from someone who knows: He who shits big does not shit long.” He took his cigarette and sucked it all the way down, then put it out in the palm of his hand. Then he got up and left. I didn’t see George for two weeks. During that time, I thought a lot about what he had shared with me, and I realized what he was trying to say: Hard times will come and go. And he was right. The other dealership didn’t last long once the community realized what was happening. George was my good friend and mentor. 

What three things have you learned during your career that you would pass on to someone you are mentoring?

1. You can only control what you can, and you must let go of the rest. People tend to internalize things they can’t control, which will chew them up. There will be high-stress situations where you can’t make everybody happy. Deal the best with what you can and try for the best outcome, but in the end, sometimes you just have to let things go.
2. Don’t ever ask anybody to do something you wouldn’t do yourself. As an owner, I work alongside my people. Last year, we had a service advisor leave us. I ended up working as a service advisor for five and a half months. I didn’t want to hire a warm body. I wanted to hire the right person. It took that long to find someone who could operate as we wanted them to operate and had the same belief system and moral compass. As a leader, if your employees see you doing everything they do, especially the more menial jobs, they’ll realize that we are all equally important team members. Everybody has to work together to make things happen. 
3. Do the right thing, and money follows. If you take care of your customers, they will return, and you will continue earning a living. If you focus solely on the money, your customers can tell, and they will most likely not return. It’s that simple. 

What does the best day in this business look like for you?

Busy. When we’re busy, everybody’s happy. I can’t think of anything better. 

What is your favorite way to spend your free time? Do you have any hobbies?

My beautiful wife, Renee, and I have two sons: Jack, 19, and Gunner, 17. It’s important to me to spend quality time with them. Our favorite place to get away together is at our family cabin. I also enjoy the outdoors. I love to fish, hunt, hike, golf, snowmobile and ride motorcycles. 

What does earning the TIME Dealer of the Year nomination mean to you?

Without the help of MTADA and some of the things they have accomplished here in Montana, I wouldn’t exist. Because of the association’s efforts, Montana has some of the most productive laws and rules of any state. I am proud that I have been active in association efforts since I was 25, from testifying in front of the legislature to serving on the board. The association brings huge benefits to all dealers. 

It’s humbling to know that my efforts to help the industry, the association and our community have not gone unnoticed. It is a great honor to receive this award from my fellow dealers.