Randy Parks is the founder, owner, and CEO of Parks Motor Group, a family of car dealerships with locations throughout Central Florida. Randy obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami School of Business and received his MBA in business management from Rollins College, before going on to purchase his first auto dealership, Longwood Lincoln Mercury, in 1979. Randy then began the hard work of growing his business, and now Parks Motor Group encompasses eleven dealerships within the region. Randy is considered a prominent leader, both within the automotive industry as well as in his community.
What you will learn in this episode:
- Randy shares how he first got involved in the automotive industry during a financially difficult time in the challenging market of the early 1980s
- How Randy finds the careful balance between running a tight ship and inspiring his team to excel and improve
- Why Randy values personal development and maintaining a strong reputation, and why he believes car dealers have often struggled with a poor reputation as an industry
- How the dealerships under Parks Motor Group have adapted to social distancing needs while still offering exceptional service and a WOW experience to shoppers
- How the coronavirus pandemic has impacted business at Randy’s dealerships, and how Randy and his team have innovated new ways to serve their customers while keeping them safe
- How Randy and the team managed the challenge of pivoting their practices, and what long-term changes he feels may happen throughout the industry due to the pandemic
- Why a willingness to try new things and experiment is core to the automotive industry, and why Randy believes the industry will come out the other side stronger
- How Randy is planning to transition his son into leading the company, and how Randy has been working hard to get a Payroll Protection Plan loan to help sustain his staff
- What unique challenges the automotive industry is facing during the crisis, and how Randy and his team have prepared the business to survive
- How Parks Motor Group has been coordinating with local police and first responders to help support the community through this crisis
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