Automotive News - February 4, 2008 - (Page 74) 74 • FEBRUARY 4, 2008 INSIGHT GO-REAHARD.COM Be sure and attend Ron’s workshop “F&I in an X & Y World” at NADA! Dealership execs will hit the books Babson College, NADA team up for intensive program Jenny King autonews@crain.com T he National Automobile Dealers Association is raising the skills bar with the launch next month of its Dealer Executive Education program at Babson College, near Boston. The intensive six-week program has been designed to offer dealers and dealership executives increased knowledge in management techniques, marketing and finance, and issues of particular concern to dealers, such as planned succession. “The Dealer Executive program will have 60 students a year, with 30 starting in the spring and another 30 in the fall,” says Allan Jones, director of the NADA Dealer Academy. The intense on- and off-campus program will be rigorous, Jones says. “It’s not a for-everyone type of program.” “We were looking for instructors with entrepreneurial expertise,” says Ciccolo, whose Village Automotive Group encompasses seven franchises in Massachusetts. “Babson teachers had that experience, and Babson was more willing than some to develop a curriculum with us.” Ciccolo’s own background includes an M.B.A. at Boston’s Northeastern University and a Harvard University program for owners and presidents. Babson has invited its 175-person faculty to provide input, including possible case studies, says Jones, who convened a focus group more than two years ago to consider training beyond that offered through NADA’s 28-year-old Dealer Academy. 16-month program The Dealer Executive Education program consists of six one-week residential sessions spaced about three months apart on the Babson College campus in Wellesley, Mass. There also will be some long-distance learning. The program spans 16 months. Costs include a $600 application fee; $20,500 for tuition; $1,500 a week room and board at Babson; plus individual travel expenses. Applicants must complete a 400- to 600-word essay on a selected topic, pass a phone interview and supply professional and personal references. ROSS TAYLOR Marcy Hnath Maguire says the program is “tailored for people who are actively working at dealerships.” people such as auto dealers. Boston-area dealer Ray Ciccolo was among the board members who visited some of the campuses, which included the Harvard Business School and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Babson carefully selected Jones worked with NADA’s executive director of dealership operations, Anna Arnone, plus NADA board members to define education goals, develop a curriculum and select a site with faculty best suited to working with independent business At the end of December, about 80 percent of the first class had been filled. Applicants tended to be midto senior-level dealership people — people “in positions to effect change,” Jones says. “This program is analogous to a master’s degree in a professional field,” says Marcy Hnath Maguire, co-CEO of Maguire Automotive Group in East Windsor, N.J., and a committee member. “It’s tailored for people who are actively working at dealerships and don’t have long periods of time to be away.” The Dealer Executive Education program’s scope is broader than that of the NADA Dealer Academy, Maguire says. In addition to leadership, ethics, marketing and accounting issues in the automotive business, it will focus on succession, which is “unique to automotive retailing,” she says. Maguire emphasizes that everyone at a dealership benefits from a welleducated dealer and managers. “Ours is an exciting and wonderful business,” she says. “We are professionals representing great products.” NADA’s Jones says the initial course will be carefully monitored by the dealers association; it can be tweaked and refined to some extent. But, he warns, “We don’t have the luxury of not doing it right” the first time. “There is no retail training like this.” c Green dealership leads way for GM Laura Clark Geist autonews@crain.com Factories push green stores ➤ 72 We’re entrepreneurs. The timing couldn’t be any better for us with oil at $100 a barrel. “If two more people look at a Cadillac versus a Lexus because we’re green, that’s ultimately good for us and good for General Motors,” he told Automotive News. G eneral Motors is encouraging its dealers to include environmental upgrades in their construction plans. GM cites LaFontaine Buick-Pontiac-GMC-Cadillac as the state of the green art. The dealership, scheduled to open in May in the Detroit suburb of Highland Township, Mich., will have pipes deep underground for heating and cooling. Its roof will reflect heat. It will have premium parking spaces for hybrid vehicles. Dealer Mike LaFontaine Sr. estimates that environmental features have added as much as $1.5 million to the dealership’s $15 million construction cost. But he says he expects to recover those expenses within eight to 10 years through reduced operating costs. Added Mike LaFontaine Jr., general manager of two of the LaFontaine group’s six dealerships: “We’re not dyed-in-the-wool environmentalists. Certified gold The new dealership has 63,000 square feet — more than twice the space of the 21-year-old store it is replacing. It will be the first GM dealership to win gold-level certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, program. All of the family-owned LaFontaine group’s dealerships are in Michigan. High energy bills at the group’s Honda dealership in Dearborn convinced Mike LaFontaine Jr. that it was time for his company to go green. When the family began planning the new GM dealership, he proposed a geothermal heating system that uses underground pipes. Although the system costs more than traditional heating and cooling technology, he said, it ultimately could save the dealership $10,000 a month in energy costs. The family took its environmental cues from automakers, says Ryan LaFontaine, another son of Mike LaFontaine Sr. and general manager of the Buick-Pontiac-GMC-Cadillac dealership. “We looked at what the manufacturers were doing with hybrids and flex-fuel vehicles,” he says. “After we decided on the geothermal, it just kind of spiraled from there.” Green house LaFontaine Buick-Pontiac-GMCCadillac’s new building includes these environmental features. Skylights to provide natural light in showroom and service areas Rainwater retention pond for landscape irrigation Service bay hoists lubricated with vegetable oil Special parking for hybrids and other alternative-fuel vehicles Employee bicycle racks and showers to encourage bike commuting Car wash that uses recycled water hicles will get special parking spots. Bill Stacy, GM’s director of strategic operations and special projects, says his company is taking cues from the LaFontaines’ effort as it develops environmental guidelines for its dealerships. “If a dealer is building a new store, we believe that facility should be as green as possible,” Stacy says. “We are looking at how we might incorporate certain environmental requirements in our facility image program. But we don’t want to grab a template and say, ‘Go do this.’ ” A display at the new LaFontaine dealership will aim to educate consumers and other dealers about environmentally friendly construction and business practices. Says Ryan LaFontaine: “If we could encourage one or two other dealerships to take this initiative, that’s when you make a difference.” c Light-sensitive The new dealership’s 68 skylights will provide natural lighting to the showroom and service department. The 108 outdoor light poles will have photo sensors and timers. The building uses recycled concrete blocks. A retention pond will capture rainwater to irrigate the dealership’s landscaping. The car wash will recycle all the water it uses. To improve indoor air quality, service department lifts will be lubricated with vegetable oil rather than toxic hydraulic fluid. The body shop will use water-soluble paints. Adhesives, sealants, paint and carpeting were selected for their low emissions. To encourage employees to bicycle to work, the dealership will offer bike storage racks and a shower room. Carpoolers and employees who drive low-emission and alternative-fuel ve- http://GO-REAHARD.COM http://autonews.com/classifieds http://autonews.com/classifieds
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