Terry Gilmore is a first-generation dealer who has been nominated as California’s nominee for the 2022 TIME Dealer of the Year in partnership with Ally. CNCDA recently talked with Terry about his life, work and nomination.
Please tell us about growing up in St. Louis, Missouri.
I was born in 1947, a couple of years after World War II ended, and I was the oldest of three brothers. St. Louis was one of the largest cities in the U.S. at that time, but I do not think it is now. McDonnell Douglas and Anheuser Busch were the biggest employers.
My biological father was a World War II veteran. He died of a heart attack when he was 41. I was 12. My mother remarried, and we moved to the suburbs. My stepdad was a World War II veteran also. We lived a simple life. My mom’s mom lived with us, both of my parents worked, and our activities were on the weekend. It was a fun time to grow up.
What impact did your service in the U.S. Army have on your life?
I was 19 when I was drafted, 20 when I went to Vietnam, and 21 when I came home. I didn’t realize it at the time, but at some point in my career, I realized the Army was by far the greatest team I had ever been a part of. My military experience helped me realize the importance of every employee on the team. We often do not recognize the importance of all the players to the team, but if everyone does their job right, the team succeeds. That is what the Army taught me during those quick two years.
Going to Vietnam was very tough. Sometimes I think about why things happen or do not happen. For me, the hardest part was at the mail call. Being 12,000 miles away from home and with a letter being the only way to communicate, it was disappointing when my name wasn’t called for mail. I learned to save letters so I could reread them when I didn’t have a new one. The little things make you the happiest, not the big things.
You wanted to be a professional bowler at one point. Please tell us about that.
Bowling was a big indoor sport during the winter in St. Louis, and my stepdad and my mom were both bowlers. We had a bowling center in our subdivision owned by the five greatest bowlers of all time. I was around bowling icons. I got a job picking up bottles, and they would pay me three free games an hour, which allowed me to bowl all day if I wanted. I thought bowling was what I wanted as a career. I worked at that bowling center until I went to Vietnam.
Even though I was a good amateur bowler, I wasn’t good enough to compete professionally. Bowling taught me the importance of practice and that if you want to do something well, you must be 100% committed. Knowing this has helped me succeed.
You moved from St. Louis, Missouri, to Scottsdale, Arizona, and began to sell automobiles. Why did you fall in love with Scottsdale?
We had seasonal weather in St. Louis: snow, rain and 100% humidity. In 1975, I took a vacation to the Camelback Ranch, and I fell in love with Scottsdale’s weather.
When I moved in 1977, my stepdad had just retired from Standard Oil, and we drove out to Scottsdale. There were less than 500,000 people then. Although bowling had been my life, I knew I wouldn’t be able to afford to live there through bowling. I searched the want ads and was hired to sell cars at Scottsdale Dodge. One career was ending, and another one was beginning.
Why did you and Cindy decide to move to Ventura, California?
Before moving to Ventura, I met Bob Gregory, the general manager at Courtesy Chevrolet. While working at different dealerships, we competed to see who could sell more cars. Mr. Fitzgerald (the owner of Courtesy) helped Bob buy Paradise Chevrolet in Ventura. When my family took a vacation in Ventura at a beach house, I looked Bob up, and he said, “You should come over here and come to work for me.” I was hired as his used car manager. My first day was July 1, 1983. Over the next 30 years, we became best friends and partners, and with Bob’s help, Cindy and I could buy Paradise Temecula. Bob passed away in 2018 and is survived by his wife Nancy, who also to this day is a great friend and Katelyn’s godmother.
Bob Gregory was a tremendous mentor for you. Please tell us about him.
Bob grew up on a farm in Alabama and had little Alabama quirks. He was an incredible man in so many ways. He was from the generation that believed a handshake was more important than words on a piece of paper and always to keep my word.
Bob was old school: work hard, believe in yourself, believe in people. All the years I was here, and he was in Ventura, I would be out doing community work, and he never said, “I think you need to stick around and work a little more.” He realized the value of being part of something bigger than yourself.
Your wife, Cindy, has worked with you at the dealership from the beginning. Please tell us more about Cindy.
Cindy is from Michigan. She moved to Scottsdale after graduating from Eastern Michigan State. She wanted to work in parks and recreation, but couldn’t find a position in that field, so she answered an ad to sell cars at Scottsdale Dodge, too, which is where we met. We have always enjoyed working together. We were married in April 1980 and will celebrate our 42nd wedding anniversary in April 2022.
We built the dealership in 1991 and opened for business in 1992. Cindy was our first general sales manager. Katelyn was born in 1993. We came home to have lunch with Katelyn every day. When Katelyn was three years old going on four, we were driving back to work after lunch one day, and Cindy said, “Did you hear Katelyn laugh? She sounds just like our nanny.” At that moment, Cindy said, “Today is my last day. It’s time I start spending time with her.” And that’s what she did.
Your daughter Katelyn was the dealership’s top salesperson. She is a successful finance manager and will take over the business when you retire. Please tell us about Katelyn.
Katelyn graduated with an English degree from San Diego State and earned a master’s degree in English. One of her best assets when selling cars was her ability to communicate with people of all educational levels. Katelyn also speaks Spanish, which is an asset.
Katelyn has excelled in everything in the organization so far. As she moves up, she will have to find that balance between career and family, especially now that she is a new mom. We all know that is a pretty tough thing to master.
Are there any other people who have had a significant impact on your life that you would like to tell us about?
Yes, there was. In recent years, many of my closest friends have passed away. A funeral service is always a time of great reflection. Most times, that is when we realize the impact that their friendship has had on your life and success.
Ally donates $1,000 from each nominee to a 501(c)(3) charity you select. The charitable donations for finalists are $5,000, and the winner’s donation is $10,000. You already support many charities. Which charity did you select for this honor? Why?
The Boys & Girls Club has been my passion for 30 years. We now have four clubs, and I helped build all of them. The Boys & Girls Club Southwest County will be the beneficiary.
Why should CNCDA dealers join the association? How does membership benefit its members?
It has been more apparent these past two years going through the pandemic. I suspect the association has grown in the last two years because dealers have needed help to ensure they comply with state and federal law during the pandemic.
The law is constantly being changed or modified. Dealers rely on the association to guide them on the legal and legislative issues surrounding vaccinations and other issues such as wage and hour lawsuits, to name a few.
What is the biggest issue facing California dealerships in the next 3-5 years?
Wage and hour lawsuits are my biggest concern. The law is complicated for the employee and employer.
The electrification mandate that manufacturers are requiring is also of concern. The cost to do the modifications to sell electric vehicles is extremely expensive. Some dealers will be forced to opt out of selling electric cars due to the expense of this mandate.
The association has protected the interests of the dealers for so long, and it will continue to play an important part in resolving problems like these.
Tell us about “See the need, do the deed.” Where is that from? How has it shaped your life and your dealership’s culture?
We opened in February 1992, and in June 1992, the Border Patrol was chasing a Suburban through Temecula, and several people in front of a high school were killed. The dealership had been open only three months. One of our employees, Denny Mighell, asked how we could help. We didn’t have a lot of resources at the time, so we got a group of business owners together and did what we could to fill the needs of the families affected.
After that terrible incident, it showed me that “If we see the need, we need to do the deed.” That attitude has been part of who we are ever since. We never do the wrong thing for the wrong reason. Even now, we have 25 managers and 205 employees, and “see the need, do the deed” is part of the culture of every employee who works here.
You find a way to solve problems when you get committed, good people together. We have applied that to our business. Since that time, we have come together when a crisis occurs in our community.
What are three pieces of advice you would give someone if you were mentoring them?
- Find that balance between life and career. I don’t know why previous generations thought we couldn’t have both, but times have changed. Success depends on having both, and not having them causes you to fail.
- Just sit down and figure out what to do when you have a problem. If you fail, you can learn from that. I have failed as many times as I have succeeded.
- You have to be a good team player to be a good boss. The team is everything, and your most important asset is the people who work with you. But if a portion of your team does not do their job, it becomes tougher for everyone else.
What is your favorite car?
My favorite cars are the old muscle cars, especially the SS396 Nova.
What are you currently driving?
Due to the lack of new car inventory at this time, I am driving a certified 2020 Cadillac Escalade from our used car department.
Please tell us about your family.
I am fortunate to have a great family. My oldest daughter, Tina, lives in Highland, Illinois. She has two children. CJ works at a bank, and Samantha is a sophomore at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Katelyn has a five-month-old son, Sawyer. Cindy and I have two golden retrievers, Belle and Charlie, rounding out our family.
What do you like to do for fun?
Until Katelyn had Sawyer, I would have told you golf. I also have a plane, and I like to take trips. Now that we have Sawyer, I am learning to be the best babysitter. I have been having fun by spending my early mornings at Katelyn’s house while she works out.
Do you have any last words?
You never know where life is going to take you. I grew up with bowlers, and bowling was my whole life. Who would have ever thought someone that wanted to be a bowler would have success in life in the car business?
