If you need a GREAT GM....HERE IS YOUR GUY!

MARK s.
OPERATING EXECUTIVE
General Manager, Operations
25 Years in Business

Senior Management Executive with extensive, diverse experience championing substantial sales growth for automobile dealerships. Background includes progressively increasing levels of responsibility in operations, finance, and corporate management. Strengths include strategic sales analysis and planning, general management and creating departmental operations, vision, leadership, and execution. Recognized for ability to incorporate innovative management techniques, systems, processes, and procedures to enhance business practices, increase productivity, and boost revenues. Specific expertise is in solving problems, making sound decisions, and increasing bottom-line profitability.

Professional Experience

Palmetto Motorsports, Fort Mill, SC 2007-Present

                Co-owner, operator for a multi-line dealer specializing mainly in luxury lines of automobiles. Responsible for total operation       turnaround and for the implementation and execution of all plans, budgets, and sales revenue forecasting associated with such.

When I arrived at Palmetto Motorsports in December 2007, losses were in excess of $225k and immediate change was necessary.

 Sold all existing inventory as Palmetto Motorsports was not in an equitable position with cost in comparison to volume.
 Built offices and restructured building making it departmental so proper sales processes, controls, and procedures could be implemented. This results in “turnover” of customers to each necessary department for easier flow and maximization of gross profit. This also allows the dealership to have the opportunity to finance each customer as everyone who buys a vehicle with us will speak with the finance department. It creates another segment of additional profit.
 Established “equity reporting” on all current inventories with comparisons from black book market values to Manheim market comparisons. This process allows us to know exactly where we stand in total existing inventory preventing in equity of our product.
 Managed a specific 45 day maximum time period for turnover of inventory to avoid unnecessary interest and depreciation.
 Itemized specific existing fixed expenses and made all variable expenses truly necessary including advertising budget and penetration ratios, payroll, and automobile service and upkeep.
 Created current relationships with “floor-plan” sources to maximize our inventory while still taking measures to alleviate fees and interest that exists but is sometimes avoidable. Implemented “aging” processes and movement of “aged” inventory specifically to minimize cost.
 Located banks that were mainly automotive loan driven and established relationships with each. This provides a necessary resource for expediting the payment process for the dealer while being a convenient source of financing for each qualifying customer.
 Created, perfected, and implemented each sales process from the initial customer meeting, presentation, closing, and titling of the sold automobile.
 Managed a qualified staff all of which are still employed and remain of a commissionable “per deal” pay scale to keep payroll lean and everyone exceptionally motivated. It is our culture here to avoid employee turnover and have our key employees striving for growth not only in business but on a personal level as well.

Hertz Corporation, Charlotte, NC 2004-2006

                Worked on Regional Staff [8 stores in 3 states] as a top-level retail and corporate manager. I have experience including multi-store                 retail, and wholesale experience.

    Purchased and maintained aging of inventory to avoid any excessive interest of depreciation.
    Worked specifically with each department head by making sure policies and procedures were followed through by company policy. Also used tracking reports to make sure each day we were always in the “profitable” status.
    Internal audits were necessary to make sure companies policies and procedures were done properly.
    Created a successful department with the sales and finance department responsible for capturing service drive business, which results in a greater gross profit monthly. Trained finance managers and sales managers with minimal experience to top performing income generators in the region.
    Managed advertising, marketing, and merchandising constantly looking for variations that were effective depending mainly upon current market conditions, therefore resulting in increased sales by 19% over the previous year.
    Maintained finance department to generate control of customer processing and brought a revenue steam to the company that hadn’t been seen before. This resulted in 22% increase on finance penetration.
    Increased gross profits in sales and finance by introducing new products and implementing new approaches to selling.
    Managed all contracts in transit and cash for each store ensuring efficient cash flow.

Reason for Leaving: Southeast region of company closed

Griffin Automall. Rock Hill, SC 2000-2004

General Manager, General Sales Manager responsible for sales and service departments for 6 franchises including all General Motors, Chrysler, Jeep, Mitsubishi, and pre-owned spread over 8 acres, featured 20 service bays and 3 buildings.

 Managed an average of 25 employees in the sales departments and over 28 in service, parts, and accounting. Evaluated each closely and maintained employee retention.
 Worked specifically with each department head on site daily with tracking reports to make sure each were always in profitable status while chipping away at the $350,000 in monthly expenses that were there when I began.
   Maintained a 250+ unit inventory average in new and pre-owned store wide.
 Directed purchasing and wholesaling inventory stock based on cost of unit and aging to avoid unnecessary fees, interest, and depreciation.
 Actively participated in sales, service and parts department training including product knowledge of all lines, on site seminars, service and parts certification requirements through each specific franchise. Oversaw step by step non confrontational sales approach to prepare each for high customer satisfaction maintenance.
 Managed marketing including direct mail, billboards, radio, and television campaigns.
 Developed relationships with indirect automotive lenders. Established finance opportunities for customers of all types of criteria.
 Generated over 200+ unit sales monthly averaging in excess of $450,000 monthly in gross profits.
 Opened, staffed, and maintained a “satellite” pre-owned store that generated 30-50 sales per month.

Reason for leaving: Better employment opportunity offered

Hendrick Auto Group, 1997-1999

General Sales Manager, Finance Director responsible for maintaining consistent sales and finance production to maximize revenues and profits in all departments.

 Established a finance department to generate control of customer processing and brought a revenue stream to the company that had never been there before.
 Developed a secondary finance department for full spectrum lending to customers of all types of backgrounds which led to another major profit source.
 Purchased and maintained aging of inventory to avoid any excessive interest of depreciation. A 45 day turn was necessary in this case as the bulk of our inventory was medium to high end and averaged approximately a $3,000,000 balance outstanding daily.
 Managed advertising, marketing, and merchandising constantly looking for variations that were effective depending mainly upon current market conditions.
 Generated 125+ sales monthly averaging $350,000 monthly in gross profits.
 Always actively involved in each transaction to maximize deal structure while making each acceptable to the necessary underwriter the contracts were passed on to.
 Monitored each outstanding bank portfolio and was always contacted in the event a customer went into “out of trust” status. As a licensed broker, my responsibility was also to see each contract through, the end result being strength through relationships and more approvals.
 Trained by banks and other finance sources on specific programs and legalities to always protect my company and my customer.

Reason for leaving: Opportunity for better employment

Education

            Southwestern University B.A. Business
                Graduated 1983

                Americus High School
                Graduated 1979

                A.D.P. Computer School
                Atlanta, GA 1993

                Reynolds & Reynolds Computer School
                Chicago, IL 1988

                Jim Moran/Associates F&I School and Sales Management
                Deerfield Beach, FL 1994

REFERENCES: Available Upon Request

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Permalink Reply by Charles R Obaugh on March 6, 2011 at 2:00pm

If you are still looking, Call me

Charlie Obaugh

540 885 8893 off

540 448 5555 cell

Obaugh Auto group

Virginia

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