Where does the time go?

In January of 1992, my wife spoke that life altering phrase that no man is prepared for…”I’m pregnant”.  I was 21 at the time; too young by most people’s standards to begin raising a family.But that didn’t matter to me…I was  ready. Let me re-phrase that…I THOUGHT I was ready. I was mistaken.

Not that I ever doubted my parenting skills. I was raised in a typical household with two parents who worked opposite shifts and odd jobs to make ends meet. I was raised with love, kindness, discipline, and caring. I knew that I could be a good father but the enormity of the task eluded me. I was in NO WAY prepared for the profound impact my children would have on my life as a man, husband, friend, and father.

My first daughter was born in October of 1992.  The following is an excerpt from my inner dialogue when she was born…

“She’s beautiful”

“Please help me”

“I can’t do this”

“I’m going to be the best Dad ever”

“I  hope she looks like my wife and not me”

Only those of you who are already Dad’s can truly understand the flood of emotions that take over when your first child is born.

Move ahead 3 years to the birth of my second daughter. In a million years I  never would have thought that I could share my heart with another child. WRONG AGAIN! The moment she was born that same flood of emotions and inner dialogue occurred right on cue. Even though I had been through this before, it was like the first time. Another beautiful daughter to claim me as her own. I was smitten for the third time in my life. I was 25 yrs old.

Fast forward 18 1/2 years later. I’m 41 now. I’ve been through diapers, rashes, broken bones, doctor visits, and grade school. I’ve coached T-ball, soccer, softball, and even cheerleading. I’ve been there through boyfriends and ex-boyfriends, through first cars and first accidents. I’ve seen countless cheerleading exhibitions and dance recitals. I have been the recipient of as much love as humanly possible and have given it back tenfold.

But none of this prepared me for this:  dropping my oldest off at college.

I knew the day would come, but it was always in the distance. As you go through  your day to day activities with your kids it seems as though time stands still. A recurring theme always played through my head…”I will always have this”.  Believe me, you won’t. There will come the day when  your child will leave and you’ll be left wondering what happened to all those days that never seemed to end.

I sat at my daughter’s desk the morning of her departure to write her a letter. I wanted to make sure she knew just how much she meant to me. As I wrote, my eyes began to well up. Believe me when I tell you that I a’m not an overly emotional person. But I was overcome sitting there and thinking back to all we had been through together. Hugs, tears, laughter, joy, heartache.

The whole family drove to Boston on September 6th. My truck was loaded to maximum capacity with everything my daughter should need to survive her first year of college. We laughed and joked. We unpacked and met her roommates. We re-arranged furniture. We enjoyed the day. It seemed like it would never end.

And even though it’s difficult not having her at home, I know she is where she belongs.

Kris McElroy

Manheim New England

A Summer Vacation

I remember packing up the old station wagon and traveling to Acadia National Park with Mom, Dad, and my two sisters…one of which was barely able to walk. We didn’t have iPods or iPads 30 years ago, so you can imagine what a 6 hour car ride was like for a 10 year old boy….BORING! I take that back…it wasn’t completely boring. Antagonizing my 6 year old sister with wet willy’s passed the time for a while. It also earned me an ear-shattering “IF I  HAVE TO PULL THIS CAR OVER,  YOU ARE IN FOR IT” from my father. Needless to say I stopped.

Growing up, my family took vacations when we could. My mother and father did the best they could with what they had, which at times wasn’t much. We usually camped, even if it was only 15 miles away from our house. It still felt like another world. We did break away from camping one year and took a road trip to Florida. We were the original Griswold’s, albeit without the woodgrain paneling on the car.

I’m much older now with kids of my own. Kids…one of them is off to college in the fall and the other is a junior in high school. Not really little anymore. But since my oldest daughter was barely a year old, we have been renting a cottage in Chatham, MA for 1 or 2 weeks. My youngest daughter was 6 weeks old when she was introduced to Chatham. And for 19 years, we haven’t missed a Chatham vacation.

Over the years, we have given our daughters the opportunity to vacation elsewhere and their answer is always the same…”We want to go to Chatham”. I struggled with their answer for a long time. I have always wanted to travel farther than Cape Cod with the family…go on adventurous road trips…but I have always given in to their request. I realized a few years ago what an impact our annual Chatham vacation has had on them. They have made memories there that will last a lifetime, as have my wife and I. It is our vacation…our family vacation! It’s what we do. It’s a tradition.

Some of my best memories come from these vacations and I know my wife and daughters feel the same way. Inevitably every fall, once the kids have returned to school, they will come home and tell me where some of their friends went during summer vacation…Texas, Hawaii, Florida….and how busy they were seeing this and that, going here and there. But they are never envious of their friends. My girls know they did something special. And when I look closely I can still see the ocean’s reflection in their eyes.

Kris McElroy

Manheim New England

A Weekend Journey

Tim Hoegler, the General Manager at Manheim New England, approached me late last week and asked if I would be available to attend the Maine Automobile Dealers Association’s 2011 convention from June 23rd to the 26th in Bar Harbor, Maine. After some calendar juggling with our kids schedules, my wife and I were able to commit to the trip, and we are both glad we did.

I have not visited Maine in over 25 years, not since I was a child and my parents took us camping in Acadia National Park. I was probably 11 yrs old at the time and my recollection of the trip is vague at best. My wife was born in Maine and visited almost every year as a child, so she jumped at the chance to visit once again.

We departed Thursday after our normal work day and arrived in Bar Harbor just before midnight. It is quite a long ride, but worth every mile. The Harborside Hotel and Marina hosted the convention. It is a beautiful hotel located in the heart of Bar Harbor, just down the road from Stewman’s where President Obama once ate.

The weekend’s events were a mixture of business and pleasure, with plenty of families attending. Governor Paul LePage spoke on current Maine affairs and legislation before introducing “The Tribute to Maine’s 100-Year Dealer Family”. The Hight family has been a fixture as a Maine auto dealer for 100 years. That is quite an accomplishment and even more impressive considering the Maine environment and population.

Secretary of State Charlie Summers also spoke on Maine’s current affairs and the current state of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, a subject near and dear to the MADA membership. The weekend also included a number of informative workshops including Health Care Reform, Daily Operations, and Legal & Regulatory Updates.

The weekend proved to be a great opportunity for me to re-connect with dealers, make some new friends, and gain valuable insight into being an auto dealer in Maine. Congratulations to the MADA for coordinating such a wonderful event. Everyone involved made this Massachusetts resident feel right at home in Maine.

Kris McElroy

Manheim New England

Salute to Dad

In October of 1992 I became a father for the first time.  Just two and a half short years later my second daughter was born. I have always found that being a father is fairly easy. FATHER is simply a title…you are the biological male counterpart to the mother.

Being a DAD is somewhat harder. A Dad is not just the biological counterpart to the mother. A Dad is a provider, caregiver, protector, and so much more. I believe one of the greatest teachers anyone can have is DAD.

My Dad is the greatest teacher I have ever had. He has taught me to be compassionate, trustworthy, respectful…the list goes on and on. He taught me how to be a man… how to be a DAD. He is still teaching me to this day.

My Dad has comforted me through terrible Little League games, through missed foul shots, through teen angst. His has been the most important opinion I seek out. He’s the one I share fishing stories with, stories of success and failure, stories of triumphant.

When I was a child, Dad was Superman. He was the World’s Greatest Fisherman.

Now that I’m 40, Dad is still Superman. He is still the World’s Greatest Fisherman…and he always will be!

 

Happy Father’s Day

Kris McElroy

Manheim New England

“I’m sorry, am I interrupting you”

I walked into a local convenience store today to buy a newspaper. As I entered the store a woman walked briskly past me exiting with her purchases, looking slightly perturbed. While I scanned the store for the newspaper display I heard the clerk’s phone conversation and realized it had been ongoing since I walked in. I wondered if this is what made the woman upset.

“Couldn’t be…the clerk would have the common courtesy to stop his phone conversation to help her” I thought to myself.

It turns out I was wrong. I walked up to the counter with my newspaper and the clerk scanned the paper, took my money, made change, and handed it to me all while cradling the phone in the crook of his neck and never missing one beat in the conversation. For a moment I was impressed with his multi-tasking ability, but those thoughts were fleeting.

“I can’t believe he didn’t stop what he was doing to help me, possibly say Hi or
Good Morning, and thank me for my purchase” I thought aloud as I hopped into my truck.

I acknowledge that in the grand scheme of things, my .75 cent purchase doesn’t amount to much. But couple my purchase with that of several other disgruntled customers who spent more and who will not shop at that store again and multiply that by 52 weeks…the loss could be staggering. All because someone couldn’t take the time to say “Hi” and “Thanks for coming in today”.

This is a good example that can be applied across any industry and any business, no matter what the size. Simple, pleasant greetings go a long way in relationships with customers. Every customer wants to feel as though they are valued…that their business matters…that they matter. I truly believe that is the best way to earn repeat business.

“Thank you for reading”

Kris McElroy

Manheim New England

2011 Quigley Scholarship Recipients

On the evening of May 16th, I was honored to be in attendance of a wonderful event; the 2011 Quigley Scholarship Awards Night at Lake Pearl Luciano’s in Wrentham, MA. The Massachusetts Independent Automobile Dealers Association and their scholarship committee logs countless  hours each year in an attempt to provide ten graduating high school seniors with $1,000 scholarships. This year was no exception.

Ten grateful seniors were presented scholarships by Dr. Lawrence Quigley, honorary chair for the event,  and Ben Donnarumma, president of the MIADA. These young men and women receiving scholarships represent the future of our industry and our communities. They come from different backgrounds but share a common goal…continuing their education at the college level.

The 2011 Quigley Scholarships were presented to:

Kayla Bessette, Mathew Carlman, Melissa Howland, Cassandra Karns, Stefany McCarthy, Kayleigh McElroy, Brooke Moschetto, Stephanie Phillips, Emily Quinlan, Courtney Smith.

I would like to congratulate each of these accomplished students. Your desire and dedication will take you to new heights as you enter the next stage of your lives.

Kris McElroy

Manheim New England

Fishing

Spring has finally emerged victorious over Old Man Winter  in New England.  The Old Man reminded us once again who is in charge by walloping some areas with brutal snowstorms, ice storms, and blizzard conditions.

With Old Man Winter now curled up with a good storm in another part of the world we can move on to my favorite season.

Spring…blooming trees, love in the air, garaged toys roaming snow free streets…the list goes on and on. But there is one reason in particular that gives Spring it’s special place in my heart; largemouth bass!

Now that my boat has been released from the ice encampment of the past four months I can once again begin my quest for the elusive largemouth bass. The hunt usually begins around this time every year and extends throughout the summer and fall, sometimes into November.

For me, it’s not about catching the biggest bass…although that’s always a plus. It’s about the hunt.  It’s about gathering information with each and every cast. It’s about filtering that information into specific patterns that the fish usually follow. It’s about following the pattern to catch bass. It’s about staying the course. It’s about making adjustments when necessary.

It’s about learning what the bass want!

Sound familiar?

Kris McElroy

Marketing

Manheim New England

What can’t your smartphone do?

Checking e-mail to booking airline tickets, more and more people are using smartphones to do just about anything.  According to e-marketer, there are currently 60.2 million smartphone users in the us (2010). That number is expected to grow to 109.5 million users by 2015. With numbers like that, many companies are investing more money into finding ways to utilize these devices to reach and engage their customers. Apple coined the phrase “there’s an app for that”, and it seems their right. There are apps to do your banking, apps for shopping, apps for checking the news, and apps to keep up with social media like twitter and Facebook. The automotive industry is starting to see this and are taking steps to capitalize.

Ford was one of the first auto makers to start incorporating apps with their vehicles with Ford Sync in 2009. GM has also begun to tap the smartphone market. GM has developed an app that can sync up with some of their 2011 models giving the customer detailed information about the vehicle like fuel level, oil level, and tire pressure. Users can even lock/unlock the doors from their phone. Manufactures are not the only ones developing apps. Apps from Autocheck, NADA, and Black Book to name a few are all geared to the wholesale auto market.

Manheim recently introduced an app for Iphone users. The app allows dealers to scan vin numbers to quickly display the current MMR values for that vehicle. Other functions are planned as well as availability for  android in a future release. With such easy access to mobility, when and where you should be using these devices can sometimes become a struggle.

Recently a woman was made famous when she walked into a water fountain at a mall while she was texting and walking. We see it everyday, people walking around with their head down and their eyes are glued to their smartphones. Another great example of when not to use your phone is texting while behind the wheel. Meanwhile many people seem to oblivious to what is going on around them when multitasking with their phones. As more people get these devices I hope that people will use common sense when using their phones.

So what will be the next big app to come out for the Auto Industry? Will they look to other mobile opportunities to engage their customers? How much should they be investing in mobile? Anyway to look at it mobile is here to stay and will only get bigger as time goes on. Companies that understand this now will be positioned for greater exposure in the future. How their customers use the apps they develop, well…we’ll just have wait and see.

Chris Moulding

Marketing Manager

Manheim New England

To download Manheim’s App go to: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/manheim-com/id400320197?mt=8

Snow, Snow, and more Snow

The demand for warm sunny skies and tropical breezes are up here in New England and I can see why. Snow, Snow and more Snow! Another major storm is about to head up the coast and dump another foot of snow on New England. So here we go again. Like we need more snow. I’ve lived in New England my whole life and enjoy the winter…to a point. Every where you look there’s 6′ – 10′ snow banks on every corner, roofs are collapsing , and business just don’t have the room to pile it up.

Here at Manheim New England we have a “few” snow piles. The biggest  “Mount Manheim” is 40′ – 50′ high! We could install a ski lift and charge for sledding at this point it so big! Of course we’re not, but what do you do with all the snow.

The cost of snow removal can become costly for local businesses. Most cities and towns have already blown through their snow removal budgets for 2011 and we still have plenty of winter left.  So what to do? You can rent equipment that can melt tons of snow in a matter of minutes. You can build your own “Mount Manheim” or truck it out to snow farms.

So what have you been doing  with all the snow?  For all of our dealers, how have your sales been with all this snow? Are you getting any foot traffic? Are you using online tools like OVE.com to help move your vehicles?

So once again we’ll ready our shovels, gas up the plow trucks, and get the snow blower ready for another fun-filled week in New England while we dream about  palm trees and sandy beaches.

Chris Moulding

Marketing Manager

Manheim New England

Holiday Service Nightmares

     We’ve all seen it. A customer at the store during the super busy holiday shopping season, having an unpleasant experience during check out. The customer is explaining that the price was marked X but it’s ringing up Y. Or they’re upset that the one must have toy their child wants is out of stock. We all have a holiday service nightmare story. Hearing and seeing stories like this unfold reminds me why customer service is such a priority here at Manheim New England.

     Good customer service within a company should be part of the overall culture. It needs to happen without trying, without even knowing you’re doing it. It could be a simple smile with a “Good Morning”, or it could be taking the time to listen to a customers’ problem and solving it on the spot and not 3 days later. These are the types of things I see happen here at the auction day after day after day. Providing great customer service gives our customers an experience they’ve come to expect and deserve at the auction.

     As the holiday season moves on I hope you all experience great customer service while you grab those last minute gifts. If not, remember that you’ll always have a great experience when you visit with us.

     If you have a service nightmare that you would like to share, feel free to post a comment here or to our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/manheimne).

Have a safe and happy holiday season and I hope to see you all in lanes soon.

Chris Moulding

Marketing Manager

Manheim New England