PHOTO PROVIDED / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
BRYAN ROTARY SPEAKER … Speaker Chip Wood with Rotarian Tom Voigt.
Chip Wood, former owner of Bryan Ford, spoke to the Bryan Rotary Club about his life in the auto business and how it has changed in retirement. Wood bought Bryan Ford 27 years ago from Tom Sheridan.
He spoke about how the auto industry has changed throughout the years. One of the biggest challenges is recruiting and retaining technicians. Cars today are more complex and require more skills to maintain. The old term “Grease Monkey” does not apply today.
Having good relationships with other dealers was very important to Wood. They were in competition, but they were the first to help when Bryan Ford had a fire 10 years ago. As a dealer in a small market, he especially valued having dealer friends in big markets.
Financing terms have changed. Around the year 2000, it was 48 months; now it’s 96 months. In the past, he relied very heavily on newspaper advertising. He also used radio and TV.
Serving and giving back to the community is very important to Wood. His college motto is “While we live, we serve.” He said Bryan is an easy community to get involved in and in retirement, he will continue to be active in Bryan. He ended with a quote from Winston Churchill, “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.”
— Press Release
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