Luxury Life & Style

Those two are by no means mutually exclusive and, in fact, have even in some cases come to be synonymous. I understand you are actively involved with a number of nonprofit organizations in that arena as well. MS: We have a whole bunch of charities that we work with and a couple with which I am more deeply involved. Heal the Bay is one that I have been involved with for 20 years, and I am very proud of the work they do. Environmental Media Association is another that I’ve been working with for about five years. I sit on their business board of directors. They honor film and television productions that increase public awareness of environmental issues. The example I always give is The Simpsons. Lisa Simpson is always a little environmental advocate, so Matt Groening and those guys every few years win an EMA Award. They are really a great group. TK: Your dealerships, a number of which you have built or substantially renovated in recent years, all tend to be architecturally stunning. Is that an area of personal interest to you? MS: It is. And, also, my ego, pride and personality are all tied up in the stores. Like it or not, they are very much a reflection of me personally, so as I rebuild them I really want to make them as cool and current as possible. All the stores going forward will be LEED certified and environmentally designed all the way through. A great example: in the past we always tried to locate the stores for the most frontage impact. Now we’re actually arranging the stores on their lots so the natural sunlight is there in the morning to warm the store and blocked in the afternoon to keep it cool and reduce the need for air conditioning. It seems basic, and it should be, but it’s not done often enough. I think we’re really coming into a very exciting time for building, both residentially and commercially, over the next ten years. We’ll certainly be a part of it. awfully comfortable. This is where we live and surf and do the things we do. So, brands like Lexus, Porsche, Audi and Toyota with their hybrids just make sense. High end and environmental – that is how I lead my life so it is an easy fit. TK: It’s interesting that you mention those two categories together. We definitely see an increasing overlap between “green” and luxury. TK: And you’ll also continue to build your business it seems. Tell us about your newest venture. MS: I hope it’s a smart opportunity (laughing). We’ll be soon opening the Smart dealership for South Bay. It’s a division of Mercedes Benz. They’ve been incredibly popular in Europe for years and are just now coming to the states. They are going to launch in mid-January, and we’ll have the South Bay store open on March 1st. It will be my first venture with Mercedes. Smart is distributed in North America by an incredibly successful entrepreneur named Roger Penske. Being part of that team is every bit as exciting as joining Mercedes. Smart is an absolutely perfect fit for L.A., and I think its going to be a real hit. TK: I know you very much enjoy your time away from work too. Tell us about your love for surfing. MS: Surfing is a big part of my life and always has been. My kids are 28, 26 and 24 years old, and we’re all out in the water at Marine Street quite a bit. It’s one of those things that you can share with your family for the rest of your life. Even when I get older than I am now, they’ll be able to take me down to San Onofre to surf Old Man’s. They may laugh at me, but I’ll still be out there with them! TK: Yes, but will you still be on your motorcycles? MS: There is a reason that old guys like me don’t race motorcycles. For my 50th birthday, I raced a thing called a Speedway bike. It’s a 500cc two-cylinder bike that has no brakes. It has two gears and you control your slide around a dirt track. I raced one time on my birthday and immediately retired that son of a gun! I’m still recovering from that. Aside from that, we do a lot of motorcycle trips every year. Harley trips to British Columbia and the wine country, and occasionally off road in Mexico. All I know is this: no more speedway racing for this guy! TK: Mike, you are very involved with the South Bay community. What is it about this place that you love? MS: There is no place I’d rather be. We just love living the South Bay lifestyle. When I chose to have babies 28 years ago, I chose Manhattan Beach. I grew up in Malibu and there was just not the same level of community as there is here. In Manhattan Beach I have been able to coach basketball and surf and hang out with the kids. I was able to be deeply involved with their upbringing, and to this day, I’m surrounded by them and all the friends they grew up with. Living here is just a special way of life. Photo courtesy of Phil Earl. January/February 2008 Luxury Life & Style 65

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