Pub. 1 2021 Issue 2

My background has always been in the service business. I studied diesel technology at college, and then I went into road construction after that. I applied all of what I learned to the construction work I did. Now that we have the dealership, my background has really helped us with our shop.
We have a lot of trucks because we have a lot of construction customers. Many of them are people I’ve worked with. My uncle and I each own half of the dealership, but Marvin also has a large construction outfit.

Q: How did you become a car dealer? Did you always aspire to be part of the automotive industry?

A: I grew up in the automotive industry. My dad became a partner in a dealership in 1972, and later on, he owned his own dealership. I started washing cars when I was 10, and I worked my way up from there, but I didn’t necessarily aspire to be a dealer when I was that young. It was more like I had a clear pathway into the industry, and once I got started, continuing on that career path just happened naturally.

My company is brand-new, but I have dreamed about starting it for more than 10 years. It is set up specifically to work with the MTADA trust. In the recent past, I’ve supported MTADA from the carrier side. My work taught me the ins and outs of how the carrier industry runs. I have also worked for years with multiple employer welfare associations (MEWAs).

Bruce and I have worked together, off and on, since 2009. I respect everything he does. He approached me about the trust because I have worked in the insurance industry for 15 years, and I come with a strong background in the financial side. The trust gives me the perfect opportunity to support the MTADA dealers as an independent consultant.

Executive Order No. 1-2021 creates an advisory council to review the time and resources our citizens, farmers, ranchers and business owners are spending understanding and complying with the rules and regulations set forth in the Administrative Rules of Montana. In short, this executive order is looking at doing away with the burdens of excessive red tape.

Your association concluded another solid legislative session in May with the enactment of HB445 sponsored by Rep. Barry Usher. The law became effective upon signing by Gov. Gianforte on April 29, 2021. HB445 addresses the following subjects:

MTADA recently sponsored its 107th Annual Convention in Helena, Montana. It’s been a long time since we could do anything this big in person, and maybe that increased my appreciation for getting together. But pandemic or no pandemic, it was a great experience. MTADA dealers are a wonderful group, and the convention was a success. You could feel an enormous amount of positive energy in the room when we were all together. The board and executive board members were able to meet in person, we had two exceptionally good speakers to teach and entertain us, and everyone had many networking opportunities. Our 108th Annual Family Convention will be held June 9-11, 2022, in Billings, MT. We look forward to seeing you and your family there!