Miracle CDJR Podcast

Welcome to episode 21 of the Miracle CDJR podcast! In this podcast, John Haggard talks with Joe Smith, who is in the commercial and retail sales division. This podcast is all about the all-new 2020 Jeep Wrangler and the amazing features that are in this vehicle. They also talk about the following topics: What Brought Joe Into the Automotive Business?What Are Some of the New Jeep Wrangler Features?An App That Turns Your Car on For YouHow Has the Jeep Become So Popular?Referral Program, VIP Program, and so much more! Transcript John Haggard 0:03 Welcome to the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram podcast where you know that you’ll be able to learn about the best ways to purchase or lease, service, maintain, and accessorize your vehicle. How to sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible when you are ready to do it. Also, the really cool features about the new Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram lineup at Miracle and that’s what we’re going to be talking about today, some really cool features! I’m your host, John Haggard and throughout each month right here, we do have different team members join us from Miracle to bring you tips that you can use and some great information. By the way, we do post a transcript of each podcast so that you can easily refer to it for information especially if you are a first-time listener. You can have it right there at your fingertips. On today’s podcast, we’re talking with Joe Smith. Joe is in the commercial and retail sales division at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram and we’re featuring the all-new 2020 Jeep Wrangler and the cool technology that’s in that Jeep. Hey, Joe, welcome to the podcast! Joe Smith 1:07 Hey, John, thanks for having me back! John Haggard 1:09 Well, it’s good to have you back. It’s been a little bit of time since we spoke before. Anything exciting that’s happened in your life since we last spoke? Joe Smith 1:17 I recently bought a house here a couple of months ago! I think the biggest thing that everybody’s kind of recovering from is the tornadoes that hit through here earlier this morning. So everybody’s kind of recovering from that, but, we’re all just doing it one day at a time. John Haggard 1:31 Absolutely, yeah. What a tragedy really, of course, I guess back in 1999 that we had a similar type of tornado? Joe Smith 1:42 Yeah, I think it took almost the exact same path as that one too from what I’ve seen. John Haggard 1:46 Yeah. Hey, before we get started since we last spoke, remind the folks a little bit about you. Are you from Gallatin, or how did you get to Gallatin? Joe Smith 1:55 I am originally from Maryland. I actually moved here when I left the Military Service. My father moved here about 10 years ago and he made the jump. So I figured I’d do the same thing and I’ve been loving it ever since. John Haggard 2:07 Alright, so military. Tell us a little bit about that again, remind us what you were doing. Joe Smith 2:11 I was in the Air Force for eight years. I was a construction civil engineer. So I basically did all the base projects when we went somewhere. I mean, I have a handful of jobs from welding fabrication, carpentry to pretty much just fixing your everyday door closer. John Haggard 2:26 Alright, just keep the base in shape. Gotcha, gotcha. All right, so how did you wind up? Remind the folks again, how did you actually get into the car business, the automotive business? That’s a long way from base repair and base maintenance. Joe Smith 2:41 It’s a little different. I was actually coming back from overseas while I was in Japan, and I had actually bought my first vehicle from here before I moved to my next station. When I moved back here to start my life over, I saw they had an opening. I really enjoyed the experience that I had when I purchased my vehicle here, so I thought I would give it a shot. I’ve been thankful ever since! John Haggard 3:02 All right! Hey, one thing before we get started that people don’t know about you and would be surprised to know about you, Joe. Joe Smith 3:11 Something that they would be surprised to know about me is I’ve actually got quite a good sense of humor. I mean, I usually stay kind of quiet here because I’m usually work focused, but I’m actually one of the funny guys around here. John Haggard 3:25 Oh, so are you one of the stand-up comics? Joe Smith 3:28 Not stand up. I mean, I guess you could say my comments are very literal. When somebody asks for something like another salesman asked me to “land him a hand,” he needed help moving vehicles. So I just started clapping for him! Yeah, it’s pretty literal. John Haggard 3:44 Hey, you know, technology is everywhere today, Joe. Making our lives easier, faster, keeping us more connected to our friends and family, really at a lightning-fast speed these days. If we look at technology in the new 2020 Jeep Wrangler, I understand that Alexa has arrived. Tell us about Alexa and what she or he will do inside a 2020 Jeep Wrangler. Joe Smith 4:09 So what’s nice with Alexa is once you have it programmed, you can actually set it up, you can ask for it to send destinations. So when you get inside the vehicle, it’s already ready to load and go. You can use Alexa to check your fuel, It’ll tell you what percent it’s at. You can actually use Alexa again to start the vehicle if you have the remote start option. John Haggard 4:29 Alright, and I know that if you look at the dash on the Wrangler, you see this copilot screen as well as the drivers screen. When those things first came out, you saw one screen now two. Tell us about that feature. Joe Smith 4:42 Yeah, so basically it allows you to do a small version of your GPS which is basically the copilot but it allows you to do your other functions as well so you can have your navigation up and your radio. That way you kind of know what you’re listening to if you want to keep track of that with your radio, your auxiliary or whatever kind of Media system that you’re using. John Haggard 5:01 Is it sort of like the driver can be doing one thing and the passenger another? Joe Smith 5:06 Yes! So that way you can focus on driving and your passenger can do all the other stuff for you that way you keep your eyes on the road. John Haggard 5:12 Joe, tell us about security features, I’m sure there must be some of those on the new Wrangler. Joe Smith 5:17 So with the new body style definitely brought it back to modern technology so it’s incorporated your things like your blind spot. The most important thing though is that it did bring in the backup camera. On the old body style, the only way you can get a backup camera was to have an aftermarket try and get put on there for you. But now, you have a backup camera standard, so whether you get a small 5-inch screen or the 8.4-inch screen the camera is going to be on that whole screen so you’re not stuck looking through a rearview mirror. Some other features that are very important to it are your driving adaptability so you have like lane sense departure and adaptive cruise control. They did add in a few different features for creature comforts, your heated seat and steering wheel. They made that more options now it’s not high or low. It’s high, medium, and low. They just made a lot more options for the everyday buyer. John Haggard 6:05 Now what about the output display screen I see for pitch and roll because Wranglers are involved in a lot of rock and roll, I guess you would say. Joe Smith 6:13 Yes, sir. So if you’re planning on taking it off-road, going on any trails, anything like that, you have your instrument cluster panel, which is a seven-inch screen right behind the steering wheel, You have an option for your pitch and roll and basically, for doing on the off-roading, it’s going to allow you to see what the vehicle is doing. Basically, the articulation, what degrees it’s at. So that way you’re not going to be prone to rollover or anything like that. John Haggard 6:37 Well, one of the things I also see is that there’s an available “send and go” feature, they call it, lets you decide on your mobile phone where you want to go and then that just seamlessly transfers to your Jeep so you don’t have to do double duty and re-input the data again. How does that work? Joe Smith 6:53 Yeah, so once you have your phone paired, you can either do it with that or your Apple CarPlay Android Auto. But once you find a location on your phone and you start to navigate, and it’s going to automatically pair with your touchscreen, and it’s going to have everything ready to go for you. That way you’re not stuck trying to find the location on your phone and then re-inputting it back on the screen that’s just all simultaneous and it makes it a lot easier for you. John Haggard 7:16 Joe, we hear a lot about remote vehicle starts these days does the Jeep Wrangler have that as well? Joe Smith 7:22 The Jeep Wrangler with new body style does have that and it is a saving grace especially when we’re getting out of the winter now, but one of my favorite features with it is if you have the heated seat heated steering wheel option, anytime you use the remote start and it’s under 40 degrees, it’s automatically going to start the driver side for you that way it’s already nice and warm. There’s another available UConnect app, not all of them have it, you have to have the Sirius XM Guardian. But that will actually allow you to do the remote start from your phone, and you can do that from a different state because what the key fobs you only have about a 50-yard range. But again with the phone, you can do it anywhere. John Haggard 7:59 Wow, now that’s a cool thing. Now is that a type of feature, for example, if you were in another state, and you wanted to give someone access to your Jeep unlock the door for you, is that what you’re saying? Joe Smith 8:09 Yes, so with that app, you can lock, unlock and start your vehicle. I’ve actually had a guy do it from a different country just because he was on tour for a while he wanted to get his vehicle running to keep it from just sitting just to make sure everything was still running well on it. John Haggard 8:24 Neat idea that is! I guess, rather than bringing around and holding keys in your pocket and so forth, you can just remote, say you’ve got access to the vehicle, “Here you go. No key, but I’ll let you in!” Joe Smith 8:36 Yes, sir. John Haggard 8:37 Now, the Wrangler I understand also has a report card, a vehicle health report, I guess much like you would get in school for vital statistics to check on or maybe what a doctor would tell you. Tell us about that report card. Joe Smith 8:49 Yeah, so you would get that monthly. It just basically gives you a performance report on how the vehicle is operating. If there’s anything wrong with it, how the tire pressure is looking or oil life. As I said, you do get that monthly. But if anything were to happen, of course, you don’t wait until the end of the month to get that it does let you know right away. It’s a very nice tool to have because it basically helps you know what’s going on with the vehicle at all times. John Haggard 9:13 Gotcha. Now, I assume that the Jeep Wrangler will self-park when you’re tried to do some parallel parking as well. Joe Smith 9:20 Yes, sir. Yep. John Haggard 9:21 How does that really work? You know, the first time I can imagine someone doing that It’s like, “Wow, do I trust all this technology? Take my hands off the wheel?” I mean, what if something happens and it hits some guy’s car or some lady’s car? How does it work exactly? Joe Smith 9:37 It’s similar to some of our other products that have the parallel perpendicular Park Assist, but you get the vehicle setup where it asks you to position and the vehicle doesn’t do everything. It’ll do all the steering for you, but the driver will still control the gear and the gas and the brake so you’re controlling where it’s going, but the vehicle will do all the terms for you. John Haggard 9:58 All right. Now see this award, the tour 2020 Jeep Wrangler winning Off-Road SUV of Texas by the Texas Auto Writers Association for I’m seeing here the 10th consecutive year, 10 years in a row! Joe Smith 10:12 Yes, sir. We’re very proud of the Wrangler it’s one of the strongest out there. If anybody’s never been in one before I’d always recommend coming to your local dealership and driving one to kind of understand the experience and see why it’s been winning the awards consecutively. John Haggard 10:25 What do you think it is about Jeep, Joe? I mean, what is it about Jeep that really just electrifies people? Joe Smith 10:33 Probably just that feeling of the open air, If you have the hardtop or soft top you can take the top off. In my eyes, it’s like a mini gadget you can literally do anything you want to that thing and there are hundreds of options of customizing so you can truly make it your own type of vehicle. It’s not like you’re gonna be driving down the road and seeing your exact model if you have it set up that way. John Haggard 10:57 Gotcha! There’s also this trail-rated badge that’s on every 2020 Jeep Wrangler. Tell us a little bit about that. Joe Smith 11:05 So the trail-rating badge is something that the only Jeep actually goes through. It’s just to prove its offer capability. There are a few different tests for it. You’ve got your traction, basically how well the vehicle can move for you, your water forwarding, basically, if it goes through the pond or streams, it just sees how grueling it can be offered through the water. Maneuverability, how well it performs and tight turns are situations like that if you were going through the woods or anything. You have the articulation, and basically that’s just the flex of the vehicle how well it can handle on different level surfaces by keeping all four points of contact on the ground with the wheels. Then the last one is your ground clearance and is kind of pointless to go off-roading if you don’t have much ground clearance. You’re going to be hitting everything. John Haggard 11:51 Yes, exactly. What would you say, Joe? Of all the features on the new 2020 Jeep Wrangler. What do you think are the coolest features that get most people excited about? Joe Smith 12:04 One of the coolest things is the fact that they brought it today’s technology. So with the new screens, again, you can get the Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, your Siri talks to text or Send and Go. But the nicest thing for me too, because I’ve had a Wrangler in the past is having that backup camera with the blind-spot monitoring because you can never really know who’s driving around you nowadays and that really just brings that confidence in while you’re driving the vehicle. John Haggard 12:30 Very true. What would you tell people Joe, about Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in terms of why somebody should buy at Miracle. There are lots of places. Every dealer is going to say, “We’re friendly, we’re this, we’re that.” But what is it? What is the Miracle difference? Joe Smith 12:44 The Miracle difference is that we always put the customer first. I mean, at the end of the day we are business but more so we want to have that continued relationship. Whether you buy a vehicle, whether you’re ready to purchase or just getting information, with any one of our salesmen you’re going to get treated the same way with the utmost respect. We just want to make sure that you’ve taken care of with your wants and needs. With our VIP program, we definitely offer that after the sale with your Lifetime Warranty that we offer for your power train. Concierge service where we’ll actually pick the vehicle up from you if you’re at work or at home. Referral programs, not many dealers are going to be giving you $250 each time that you send somebody to get a vehicle from you. John Haggard 13:28 Well, that’s true, 250 bucks! Yeah, if they want. Joe Smith 13:32 It doesn’t have to be new. It can be a $5,000 used vehicle, but as long as they purchase, then we send you a check for $250. I mean, that’s not a one-time thing. So you send four people in a year you just made $1,000. John Haggard 13:44 Yeah, and do that five years in a row and you got your $5,000 car-free, I guess. Joe Smith 13:49 There you go! John Haggard 13:51 Is there anything I didn’t ask you, Joe, that you would want folks to know about Miracle? Joe Smith 13:57 I think you’ve hit everything. I’m very grateful to have this conversation with you and I definitely appreciate your time. John Haggard 14:03 Well, hey, if you were gonna say to somebody who’s never been in a Jeep, who maybe they’re considering a Jeep, or maybe they’re going through a lifestyle change. People do change over the years sometimes. If you’re going to say, “Look, here’s the one reason, here’s the one thing you oughtta keep in mind why you want to consider a Jeep for your life.” What would you say? Joe Smith 14:23 It’s just a completely different lifestyle from any other vehicle out there. It’s kind of hard to say it without actually trying it. So like I said, if nobody’s ever been in a Wrangler before, come try, it may change your life. We’ve got different Jeep events that go on here. We’ve hosted a few of them, and we literally clear out the parking lot and there are hundreds of Wranglers out here. It’s just a good gathering, a bunch of good people, and it’s just a great community to be in. John Haggard 14:49 Joe Smith everybody! Commercial and retail sales at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram and Gallatin. Thanks, Joe we appreciate your spending more time with us today. Joe Smith 14:58 Thank you, John! John Haggard 14:59 Folks, join us again right here for another special edition of the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram podcast. You can learn more on Automotive topics for the best way to purchase, lease, service, maintain, or accessorize your vehicle, here’s the key, how to sell your vehicle when you’re ready to for the highest resale value possible when you’re ready to do it. Don’t forget the transcript of each podcast, it’s right here on the website. So you can easily refer to it for information at your fingertips. Be sure to like, share and or subscribe to iTunes, Google Play or Spotify. While you’re at it, if you will leave us a review it really helps us get the word out. I’m your host, John Haggard and we will see you next time!

Welcome to episode 20 of the Miracle CDJR Podcast! In this short podcast, John Haggard talks with Drew Fulcher who is the Service Manager at Miracle CDJR in Gallatin. Have you ever wondered how to keep your car running smoothly? You do not want to miss this podcast! They also talk about: Drew’s Interesting Job’s before Miracle The Importance of Fuel System Cleanup Is Synthetic Oil Better For Your Car?Why You Should Service with Miracle CDJRThe Difference Between Factory Parts Or Aftermarket PartsPowertrain Warranty and The Miracle VIP Program Transcript John Haggard 0:02 Welcome to the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram podcast, where you will be able to learn about the best ways to purchase or lease, service, maintain and accessorize your vehicle and how to sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible when you’re ready to do it. You know the really cool features about the new Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram lineup, we’ve got them at Miracle and you’ll be hearing that also, on podcasts upcoming. I’m your host, John Haggard, and throughout each month right here, we’ll have different team members join us from Miracle to bring you tips you can use. By the way, we also post a transcript of each podcast so you can easily refer to it for information that you would like to have at your fingertips. On today’s podcast, we’re talking to Drew Fulcher. He’s the Service Manager at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Gallatin. Hey, Drew, welcome to the podcast! Drew Fulcher 0:52 Hey, how you doing? John Haggard 0:53 I am doing good. The question is, how are you doing? I know guys and ladies who are in the service department business. Doesn’t matter what it is, sometimes you’re just so slammed, you don’t see any daylight until it’s time to get off. Does that ever happen to you? Drew Fulcher 1:06 Basically all the time. John Haggard 1:09 Hey, before we get to know a little bit about you and what you do at Miracle there Drew, tell us the line of work that you’ve been in your past? Have you always been in automotive? Drew Fulcher 1:18 I’ve worked just about everywhere. I got in the car business about six years ago, I started changing oil. Before then, I’ve done anything from working with the Titans on the Grounds Crew to factory work. So I’ve basically done anything where the money’s at, and now I’m in the car business, and I probably won’t ever get out of it. John Haggard 1:36 Wow. So tell us about what it was like with the Titans. When was that? Drew Fulcher 1:40 The Titans were in 2013. I basically, cut the grass back for the practice fields and for the main field at Nissan Stadium. We painted it and took care of the field and I was around the players during practice. I mean, it was really cool experience. John Haggard 1:56 Yeah, was there something special about that grass? Because the NFL is always concerned about having the least amount of injuries. So I guess it’s special grass or special padding maybe or something? How does that work? Drew Fulcher 2:11 Well, it’s like normal grass and normal dirt. The thing is, actually before each game, you have to test the soil to make sure it is not that hard. If you have to water it or do whatever you have to do to make sure it’s not too hard for the players, obviously, because that can cause injuries. John Haggard 2:27 Gotcha. Okay. You also said you were in factory work at one point too. Tell us about that? Drew Fulcher 2:32 I’ve worked at Macy’s and Amazon a little bit. I wasn’t a big fan of going in at night time and getting off at night time. So I needed some sunlight in me. John Haggard 2:41 All right, and you got plenty of that now, right? Drew Fulcher 2:44 That’s right! John Haggard 2:45 What do you like to do on your time off, Drew, just hobbies, recreation, things you’d like to do away from work? Drew Fulcher 2:50 Now that I’m older I play a little slow pitch softball. I’m into sports so I’ll play a little basketball, some golf, things like that. I’ve always played baseball my whole life so I do like it in that old man softball league. I’ll tell you that. John Haggard 3:05 There you go. So how did you wind up at Miracle in Gallatin? Drew Fulcher 3:10 Miss Kathleen, our controller was at one of my sister’s softball games, actually. I was changing oil at a different dealership. She needed an Express Lane Advisor over here at Miracle. I went in for an interview, they hired me, I took the job. That’ll be five years in April. Now you know where I’m at today/ John Haggard 3:30 You’re a Service Manager. So you have obviously worked your way up those ranks. Drew Fulcher 3:35 Yeah, yes, sir. I have done everything I could to get better and Robert Fleet has really helped me out getting me to where I needed to be, customer service wise as well. John Haggard 3:46 So, Drew, one thing before we go into what your typical day is like. What is one thing about you that people would be really surprised to know about you if they knew you? Drew Fulcher 3:57 Oh, man. I like reality TV shows If that’s weird. John Haggard 4:03 Okay! Got a favorite one? Drew Fulcher 4:05 Not really. I watch them with my wife a lot. We’ve been into “Shameless” and other shows like that. Yeah, I mean, we’re big Netflix people. I don’t think a lot of people would know I watch a lot of Netflix I’d say. John Haggard 4:17 When people need service for their vehicles, Drew, sometimes that can be a very irritating thing for them. Sometimes like going to a restaurant right before you eat, you’re hungry, and people can be irritated. If you were just going to give people some tips, what’s the best way to avoid needing service whenever possible, and if you do need service, the best ways to approach it? Drew Fulcher 4:42 Basically, what I would say about that is just stay on top of your normal maintenance. If you do your oil changes when you’re supposed to, every 5,000 miles, and rotate your tires every time with your oil change, your motor is not going to lock up at 30,000 miles or your tires aren’t going to be worn out at 20. It’s really just staying on top of the maintenance and so you don’t have to come in for a big service job. A big thing is with the fuel system and the gas that we’re putting in nowadays really on the owner’s manual, It will never tell you to do anything with your fuel system. But, all the carbon buildup with this gas and we’re using is basically like cars running around with stuffy noses. You’ve got to really clean out that system to where the car is breathing properly. John Haggard 5:27 I remember back in the day you would hear about, “STP the Racer’s Edge,” and they would always talk about putting this stuff in your gas tank to clean out the fuel system. Is that sort of thing done today or recommended to do? How do you keep it clean? Drew Fulcher 5:42 We do an additive but we also clean out the throttle body by hand. Then we actually run in a fuel injector cleaner as well with the car running so it’s trying to get all the gunk out of the fuel injectors. Basically, anything the fuel is touching, we try to clean. Usually, that service is done about every 15,000 miles just to keep it, breathing well. John Haggard 6:05 All right. Some people wonder, about oil changes. They say, “Well, you don’t need to do it at 5,000” or whatever the manufacturer says. If you miss it by 1,000 if you go over or is there any tolerance there? Is it better to stay on the plan? Drew Fulcher 6:22 Well, there’s usually about 1,000-mile leeway, obviously, if you go 6,000 miles that’s okay. Nowadays they’re made to have a little leeway with it. Now, if you’re going 2,500 miles and over that limit, we kind of like to talk to you and we will even come and pick your car up if you’re local. If you don’t have time, if you work around Gallatin or Hendersonville we’ll come to pick it up to change your oil. So there’s always a way to fix that. John Haggard 6:50 Speaking of oil, I’ve heard about synthetic oil, which is more expensive and I guess you just call it “traditional everyday oil.” Do you use both? What’s the difference? Or what would you recommend there? Drew Fulcher 7:02 Some cars call for synthetical oil now and a lot of the newer ones are going to just full synthetic. That can give you up to about 7,500 miles in between oil changes. From the traditional Hemi engine, that’s a great motor so they’re not changing the oil in that motor yet, so they’re sticking with conventional. But, the new Cherokees, Renegades, and things like that are definitely going to the full synthetic. Which again, gives you a little bit more mileage in between your oil changes if you can’t come through. John Haggard 7:32 Is it really just the difference between synthetic and what I would call regular oil? It just lasts longer? Drew Fulcher 7:41 The synthetic does last longer. I believe it’s a little thinner as well if I’m not mistaken. Yeah, It does go to 7,500 miles. The conventional is the one that goes every 5000 miles, usually on older vehicles and again the Hemi still sticks with the conventional. John Haggard 7:57 What would you tell people, Drew, about Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in terms of why someone should service with you versus other dealers? There are lots of places they can go even if they did not buy their vehicle there. Why Miracle and not somewhere else? Drew Fulcher 8:15 Well first off, the pricing is very competitive with our pricing here. There’s not a lot of people that are cheaper on old changes than us. All of my technicians are committed to being the best, they all go to school, they’re certified, we are still a family-owned business. So when you come in, you get that family feel, and not so much of the corporate feeling when you come in. We’re very nice to everybody, we’re committed to customer service as well. Again, If you come in on Chevrolet, I can go get that filter in 10 minutes so you’re not really waiting around for a long time to get other products to the dealership. John Haggard 8:52 Now you said Chevrolet, so I’m assuming you can service other brands of vehicles other than Chrysler Dodge Jeep or RAM. Drew Fulcher 9:01 Yes, sir. We can service anything. Obviously, we’re not going to take in a Lamborghini or anything like that. But we have BMWs coming here everyday customers, Cadillacs, brake jobs, any maintenance stuff on the vehicle, we definitely can do that here. Our shop foreman can work on any model car, I don’t care what it is. He’s probably one of the smartest technicians I’ve ever met. John Haggard 9:24 Drew, what would you say are some of the questions that customers will ask you when it comes time to get their vehicle serviced? What are they concerned about? What do they want to know? Drew Fulcher 9:36 A lot of them are just worried about how long and when they can get it back. Because as everybody knows, time is money. So the biggest question is probably how long? How much? Why do I need to get it serviced? A lot of times we hear, “Do I have a warranty on the car?” and things like that. I’d say those are probably the biggest questions that we get asked here. John Haggard 10:04 Drew, everybody, of course, wants to save money on vehicle service, any tips there? Drew Fulcher 10:10 Man, we always have coupons online at MiracleCDJ.com. They’re always sending coupons in the mail. So I just bought a Chrysler 300 from this dealership, brand new, and I think I’ve already gotten two coupons for oil changes. We’re always sending all kinds of coupons online and through the mail every month. There there are always ways to save money when you come here. John Haggard 10:32 Just look online or go there MiracleCDJ.com. We hear a lot about factory parts for service and repair. We also hear a lot about aftermarket parts. What’s the real difference? There’s obviously a price difference, what are the options there or does it make any difference what part you put on? Drew Fulcher 10:52 The biggest thing with factory parts I would say is it comes with a pretty great warranty. Chrysler offers on all factory Mopar parts two years unlimited mile warranty, you cannot get that on an aftermarket part. They do have warranty don’t get me wrong, again, factory parts are always, in my opinion, better than the aftermarket part. If you buy a Mopar ball joint, that ball joint is probably going to last longer than you know an O’Reilly’s ball joint. Again, it doesn’t matter if you drive 100,000 miles in a year if that ball joint goes bad I’ll replace it within two years for free no charge for you. I believe with the aftermarket parts, they’ll warranty the part but you are still responsible for the labor so that’s probably the biggest thing on the warranty side. John Haggard 11:36 So you’re saying again just to understand that parts and labor on factory warranty? Drew Fulcher 11:42 Yes, sir. All factory parts cover parts and labor. You owe me nothing. John Haggard 11:46 All right. So yes, zero out of pocket in other words there. Drew Fulcher 11:49 Exactly. Yes, sir. John Haggard 11:50 Yeah, well also understand from the notes through that you have a VIP Program. Can you tell us a little bit about what that is? Drew Fulcher 11:57 The VIP program is basically a rewards program. Every time you come in and every dollar that you spend, you get points. Those points do add up, and you can end up coming in for a free oil change because you have points. That program is actually pretty awesome. The best thing about that is if you buy a car here, you do get that and it gets the Powertrain Warranty for as long as you own the vehicle. On my Chrysler 300, again, I have a Powertrain Warranty for as long as I own it and as long as I do my maintenance by the owner’s manual. I’ll do model change every 5000 and tire rotation. I’ll have basically a lifetime Powertrain Warranty for as long as I own the car. John Haggard 12:38 So if you had that car 10 years, as an example, and you had 300,000 miles on it, it would be covered? Drew Fulcher 12:47 Absolutely. As long as it’s a Powertrain Repair. John Haggard 12:50 Is there anything I didn’t ask you today, Drew, that you’d like folks to know about the Service Department. at Miracle? Drew Fulcher 12:57 We go above and beyond for the customer. We do nothing but want to satisfy everybody that comes in. Everybody out in the service department is focusing on Customer Service. The customer comes first. That’s the biggest thing that I want to push there that you know, our Service Department wants to make you happy whenever you’re leaving. John Haggard 13:16 Drew Fulcher, everybody. He’s the Service Manager on the Miracle Podcast today. Drew, thanks for visiting with us. Drew Fulcher 13:23 Yes, sir. Thank you. John Haggard 13:24 So join us again right here, folks for another special edition of the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram podcasts. Learn more on automotive topics for the best ways to purchase or lease, service, maintain and accessorize your vehicle and how to sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible when you’re ready to do it. Don’t forget the transcript, we’ve got it posted right here on the website so you can easily refer to it for information at your fingertips. Be sure to like, share and or subscribe to iTunes, Google Play or Spotify. While you’re at it, please leave us a review, It really helps us get the word out. I’m your host, John Haggard and we will see you next time!

You will be entertained with this episode of the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram podcast. Host John Haggard talks to Brad Billingsley about the new and award-winning 2020 Jeep Gladiator. In this episode: Brad’s Foolproof Hunting TipsJeep Gladiator AwardsWhat Sets the 2020 Jeep Gladiator Apart From Its CompetitionThe “Jeepers”, “Jeople”, and the Jeep LifestyleThe Jeep Owners Club in TennesseeUpcoming EventsHow to Reach Brad Transcript John Haggard 0:02 Welcome to the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Podcast where in each episode, you’ll be able to learn the best ways to purchase, lease, service, maintain, accessorize, and sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible when you’re ready to do that. We do also discuss vehicle model details, also the latest technology. The cool things that you would want to know that make driving a new vehicle, just a great experience compared to just a few years ago. I’m your host, John Haggard. As always, you can find show notes and a transcript along with the links to content that we talked about right on our website MiracleCDJ.com, and also on Apple Podcast, Google Play Podcast and on Spotify. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review on any of those platforms and share we would really appreciate that. Alright, today’s episode we have the honor of bringing back Brandon Billingsley with us. Brad is from Miracle CDJR commercial and fleet sales department. Brad, excited to have you back. Brad Billingsley 1:04 Absolutely. I’m glad to be back on. John Haggard 1:06 When we talked late last year, I know that you do love to hunt, so assuming you got some hunting done in December? Brad Billingsley 1:14 I definitely went out in the field quite a bit, but more on the guide role. I did not personally take any animals this year but I was on successful hunts, one with my cousin and another with a niece, another first time honors. So that was a bunch of fun. John Haggard 1:32 Alright, so you are a trainer as well then? Brad Billingsley 1:35 Yes, absolutely. John Haggard 1:37 So if you were going to give a hunting tip to someone who’s always wanted to hunt, but has never really had a guide like you, would there be one or two things you would say “Hey, if you don’t get anything else, right and you want to hunt, you need to know this.” Brad Billingsley 1:52 Yeah, play the wind right. Always keep the wind in your face. John Haggard 1:56 Always keep the wind in your face. That’s interesting. So for a non-hunter, why is that? Brad Billingsley 2:04 The human scent. So it’s tough to eliminate human scent and a lot of game animals will spook if they smell humans, keeping the wind in your face allows you not to spook animals as easily by them smelling you. Keep them upwind up here. John Haggard 2:23 That makes total sense. That makes total sense. So today we’d like to talk about the Jeep Gladiator, the new 2020 Jeep Gladiator. A brand new vehicle for Jeep and believe it came out last year, is that right? Brad Billingsley 2:36 It did. They took what they called the launch edition orders early spring, early summer, and then they started rolling in for inventory towards the fall, winter month of last year. John Haggard 2:52 Okay, and I do see that the Gladiator has been making a lot of news recently. Several awards, like Four Wheeler awarded it Truck of the Year and something. Tell us a little bit about the awards and what people were excited about? Brad Billingsley 3:06 Yeah, definitely. So Four Wheeler, in particular, did many, many hours, different tests, from zero to 60. But they focused a lot on the off-road capabilities of this Jeep Gladiator. And compared it to several other models. I don’t have a list of all of those in front of me but I know like the Silverado, the F150 even some full-size trucks of ours were even in the running for that. And the Jeep Gladiator did prevail. It did come out on top as well with the North American Truck of the Year award this year also. So both of those are really huge for the Jeep Gladiator. John Haggard 3:51 Alright, so 2020 North American Truck of the Year. And these people are they call themselves as I understand it, they’re about 50 Expert jurors from print media, television, digital outlets, and radio across the United States and Canada. Right. So how did that come about? Any idea? It’s interesting that those people would say, “Hey, here’s the deal!” Brad Billingsley 4:13 Yeah, it’s you know, they’ve reported coming out, especially within the last few years. All of these third party, these are individuals that are coming out and just doing peer reviews on particular vehicles, which is great, especially when we’re on the winning end of that. But yes, that’s another one that did many, many, many hours test drives in different roles, different anything from off-road to everyday driving, all of that is taking into account with these awards. So it’s a big thing that Jeep Gladiators came out on top, not just once but on two separate occasions. John Haggard 4:57 Now would this be the biggest news for Jeep in, you know, the last three or four years, the Gladiator? Brad Billingsley 5:03 Yeah, the Gladiator is created a lot of hype. It has been longly anticipated. They have waited for this for many years, they had to aftermarket kits that you could do for previous models but that was very pensive. So now coming from the factory-built this way, it is definitely still got quite a bit of hype behind it with these awards being put out that that this is icing on the cake for sure. John Haggard 5:34 All right, so could you give us just an overview of exactly what the Gladiator is, and you know what other vehicles might be similar to it just for people who are not really sure? Brad Billingsley 5:47 Yeah, absolutely. So, obviously, it’s got a lot of similarities to our Wrangler. And a lot of people are mistaken by calling it a Wrangler truck. It is actually a truck, it is on the ramp chassis or the ramp brain. And it does you know, aesthetically it does look a lot like the Wrangler, the doors come off, tops come off, windshield lays flat, gives you that open-air driving experience the Jeep is known for. But in addition to that, in the mid-size truck category, we’re best in class but thought tow capabilities with our max tow package. Of course, all the Gladiators rated, it’s hard to overlook, you know the removable doors removable top. That is something that definitely sets us apart from the others involved in these third party testings as well. John Haggard 6:46 So you don’t find other brands, or do you, wear side doors come off tops come off. Brad Billingsley 6:52 Not any longer, no. We own the market on that. Used to be you know, you had your older internationals scout that, you know, some can take their tops off. The Broncos used to incorporate that as well but again the Broncos not out any longer. But the Wrangler has always been that open-air driving experience. We have not gone anywhere. And it is still very much a Wrangler like the old wheel is used to be, windshields lay flat, doors will come off, tops come off, making sure to have a very fun driving experience. John Haggard 7:33 Pretty cool, really. And do you find it when people come in and they see the Jeep Gladiator are they saying to you, “Well, you know, I’m looking at maybe something over here that Chevrolet’s got.” Or is it so different? I guess so distinct that there’s really I don’t want to say there’s no competition because there’s always competition to something but do people generally if they’re looking at a Gladiator is either that or nothing else? Brad Billingsley 7:57 Yeah, it’s actually pretty much 50/50. It’s got a lot of attention for having the highest rating in the mid-size truck category. But at the same time, it is so different from other trucks in that category, the Tacoma, the Canyon, the Colorado, Rangers, all of those are just your typical you know midsize trucks. But with the Gladiator you can tow 7,600 pounds and have no roof and no doors on headed to you know, a camping trip or to the beach or wherever you may be. So that just again adds to the driving experience as well. John Haggard 8:39 And if we talk about the Jeep brand, itself, the lifestyle, how could you – what about that lifestyle? What is it about the Jeep buyer, the Jeep owner that’s different from people who own trucks other you know, that aren’t that. Brad Billingsley 8:55 Yeah, yeah, we actually call those people Jeepers or Jeople. John Haggard 8:59 Jeepers, did you say Jeepers? Brad Billingsley 9:00 Yeah, Jeepers or Jeople. Yeah, it is definitely a lifestyle you know you got the tradition of the Jeep Wave, anybody in a Wrangler waves to all other Wranglers you know. That’s a big tradition. I mean you’ve got you know, your seven-slot grill lifestyle, the circle lights with the seven-slot grill that Jeep is known for, you know. But Jeepers are a vast community. There’s the off-roaders, there’s the overlanders, and there’s the people that just like to ride on the beach with the doors off, tops off. These jeeps are it gotta fits for just about any type of lifestyle. So the Jeep lifestyle is definitely a real thing for sure. John Haggard 9:47 Brad, we heard a few months ago that Apple Corporation removed the Jeep emoji from its emojis and the Jeep owners seem to be really happy about that. Jeep celebrated they put out the hashtag #ThisIsNotJeep. What was all that about? Brad Billingsley 10:03 Yeah, yeah. So when you would type in Jeep on your iPhone or your Android and then emojis pop up in your predicted there, it would pop up with with a I think the best way to describe that would be like a minivan or something along the lines of a regular SUV which the Jeep, in most cases is the Wrangler, is not that at all, you know? If it was going to pop up with an emoji, Jeep owners want to see that seven-slot grill I was talking about and those circle headlights or even the square headlights, from a Jeep YJ owners for the older body styles there. But that that is kind of the Jeep thing. You know, they don’t want to… they want to save the Jeep brand or the seven-slot grill when you type in an emoji for Jeep. Or at least have it look more like a Jeep Wrangler, rather than a minivan. John Haggard 11:02 I hear you, yes! Is there anything I didn’t ask you about the Jeep Gladiator that you would want people to know? Brad Billingsley 11:11 Hey, you know, definitely just come in get your hands on one out there. Here’s the keys, we can do a test drive, you know? The Jeeps, anything from the Sport S with the max tow, or if you want something fully functional in an off-road setting, the Rubicon is a great fit. If you want something just that looks good and it’s comfortable going down the road then we have Overland. They are very popular and for good reason. You know, every month we’re selling multiple Gladiators every month. The hype has not died on those. People are loving and getting great feedback from Gladiator owners. And that would be my biggest thing. If you’re questioning or looking at that mid-size truck category or just looking for something new and fun in general, then definitely come see me and let’s talk about the Gladiator. John Haggard 12:11 So what would you say as you look out to 2020? What are you most excited about Brad? Brad Billingsley 12:17 I’m excited about the growth of Miracle Chrysler as a whole. We’ve got a lot of exciting things coming up before this year. I’m going to be posting some more Jeep events once the weather gets a little better. I’m going to host our second Mopar event. And we’re talking now about possibly hosting even a Miracle Chrysler trade show this year. So a lot of big things are happening incoming that I can’t wait for that. I’ve got to be patient. We got to make this – make everything fit just right. So definitely be on the lookout for those things. And like I said, we’ve had several of the Jeep events. We have a massive turnout for that with our Jeeps and Wrenches Jeep club that we sponsor as well as other Jeep clubs that kind of come on board with that as well let’s open that up and everybody, donors or not. So that is definitely something I’m going to hammer out and getting, getting a bunch of hype created about for this spring. John Haggard 13:23 Now if somebody wants to connect with Jeep owners, maybe someone who does not yet own a Jeep, are there some websites, user groups, friend groups where people can go? Brad Billingsley 13:36 Yeah! We sponsored a Jeep club called Jeeps and Wrenches and they are on Facebook. They have a Jeeps and Wrenches fan page, where anybody is welcome. I think they’ve got over 5,000 or 6,000 followers on that page, but some lifelong Jeepers as well as some newcomers. And it’s just a large community all through Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, Kentucky. Other states as well have Jeeps and Wrenches, but they are very happy with newcomers. They are happy to answer questions, there’s no judgment there. They just like seeing more and more people getting involved with the Jeep lifestyle. So I would highly recommend Jeeps and Wrenches. John Haggard 14:25 And spell that out, if you will, for the folks just so they can get it. Brad Billingsley 14:28 Yeah, it’s Jeep, J-E-E-P, and Wrenches, W-R-E-N-C-H-E-S. And that is on Facebook. They also have jeepsandwrenches.com, which is their official website. They do have memberships available which gives you some discount here at the dealership as well, as well as other third party companies but they are an absolute God’s standard of a Jeep club that we’ve had the pleasure of doing business with for many years now. John Haggard 15:06 So Brad, if somebody wants to get ahold of you to find out more or, you know, come drive a Gladiator, whatever it might be, what’s the best way to get in touch with you? Brad Billingsley 15:17 So I am very active on Facebook. I have a Facebook market page marketplace page of my own. That is brad@miraclescdj. Also, you can find me on Facebook Brad Billingsley. I’m on Instagram, it’s b_billingsley615. I basically live here at Miracle Chrysler. You can always just swing by and most of the time you can catch me. If I’m not here, they can definitely get you in touch with me without a problem. John Haggard 15:52 Right, man. Great to talk to you again will be looking forward to the Mopar event and the trade show that you said it’s coming up a little bit later on this year. We’ll talk to you some more about that. Brad Billingsley, everybody. He’s the commercial and fleet sales at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Gallatin. So, remember you can find show notes and a transcript along with links to content that we talked about right on our website. Here it is miraclecdj.com. We’re also on Apple Podcast, Google Play Podcast and on Spotify. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review on any of those platforms and share. I’m your host John Haggard, and we will see you next time!

Welcome to the first episode of the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Podcast for the new decade. In this episode, host John Haggard chats with Kathleen Barrett, the controller at Miracle Auto Group. So what does a controller do in the company? You’ll find out here along with these other topics: Welcome to the first episode of the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Podcast of the new decade. In this episode, host John Haggard chats with Kathleen Barrett, the controller at Miracle Auto Group. So what does a controller do in the company? You’ll find out here along with these other topics: Kathleen’s High School Days as a Basketball Player in KentuckyHer Activities During Her Time OffChanges in the Gallatin AreaKathleen’s History at MiracleChanges in the Auto IndustryWorking With the Miracle Family Transcript John Haggard 0:02Welcome to the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Podcast where each week, you will learn the best ways to purchase, lease, service and maintain, accessorize, and sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible, when you’re ready. I’m your host, John Haggard. And you know, throughout each month we do have different team members join us from Miracle. They help you consider why you’d want to consider your next vehicle purchase or service repair at Miracle. And we also interview Summer County leaders to find out what’s going on in the community for events that you might be interested in as well. So on today’s podcast, we’re talking with Kathleen Barrett at Miracle Auto Group. Kathleen is the controller at Miracle. Hey, Kathleen, welcome to the podcast. Kathleen Barrett 0:45Thank you, John. Glad to be here. John Haggard 0:46Well, we’re glad you’re here and before we actually delve into finding out what is a controller and what does a controller do, tell us a little about you. Are you from this area, from the Gallatin area? Kathleen Barrett 0:59Not originally. I’m from Kentucky, but I’ve lived here for over 40 years. So I feel like I’m from here. I’m from Gallatin. John Haggard 1:07Okay. So in Kentucky, what part of Kentucky? Kathleen Barrett 1:11Henderson and Madisonville. John Haggard 1:12So when you were in high school just looking back when things were going that way, what was the most fun thing you did as a high schooler? Kathleen Barrett 1:21Played basketball. John Haggard 1:22A basketball star. All right. So you are 6’3″ or are you tall? What position did you play? Kathleen Barrett 1:33I played center. John Haggard 1:34All right. All right. So do you make a lot of a lot of scores, a lot of baskets? Kathleen Barrett 1:38I gave it all I could, that’s for sure. John Haggard 1:41All right. So you had a winning team? Kathleen Barrett 1:43Yeah, we won quite a bit. John Haggard 1:45Okay. What do you like to do on your time off? Kathleen Barrett 1:48Oh, I love to go wherever my grandchildren go. They’re either playing softball or singing, whatever event they’re doing, I’m there. John Haggard 1:56You’re there. Yeah, you know the Gallatin area is just exploding. It’s one of the big fast-growth areas. What do you see as you look around Gallatin that makes it an exciting place? If somebody says, you know, I’m trying to figure out sort of like where to relocate? Kathleen Barrett 2:12It is really growing. When I do get out in and drive around a little I’m thinking my goodness, it is really growing in this town. John Haggard 2:20Any favorite restaurant that you like to go to? Kathleen Barrett 2:23Oh, I love to go to LongHorn‘s. John Haggard 2:25All right. Are you a big steak eater? Kathleen Barrett 2:28Yeah, like steak and ribs. The ribs are awesome. John Haggard 2:31So let’s talk about Kathleen, how did you get into the car business? Kathleen Barrett 2:37Well, I applied for a job at Miracle Ford over 30 years ago, and I was hired and worked there for several years. And that’s where it all started. John Haggard 2:48Okay, so what were you doing then? Kathleen Barrett 2:50I was the title clerk. John Haggard 2:52Okay. All right. And for folks that don’t understand what a title clerk is exactly, what is that? Kathleen Barrett 2:57When you purchase a vehicle you Sign your documents and in the finance office and then it goes to the accounting office. And we have to process the paperwork and get your tags and that’s what the title clerk does. John Haggard 3:11Alright, so your job is controller now at Miracle Auto Group. When you hear that word, controller, you almost think, do you take a whip around there and, you know, sort of whip people in the shape or what does a controller really do? Kathleen Barrett 3:26Well, we do a number of things. You know, we’re kind of a jack of all trades. We oversee the financial operations of the dealership from, you know, beginning to end. We take care of the money, we take care of just whatever needs to be. John Haggard 3:42And before you got into the automotive business, what did you do before? Kathleen Barrett 3:47I worked at the Sumner County Highway Department for a number of years. John Haggard 3:51Okay! Kathleen Barrett 3:52And then, I was a stay at home mom after that for a while. John Haggard 3:56Okay, now at Sumner County. What were you doing? Kathleen Barrett 4:00I was in the accounting office. John Haggard 4:02Okay. All right. And you said that you applied for a job at Miracle Ford. And I guess they liked the application. And so they hired you. They brought you in. And how long have you been controller at Miracle Auto Group? Kathleen Barrett 4:18For 15 years. John Haggard 4:19Okay. And as controller does that mean you are over both stores? There’s Miracle Ford and Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram? Kathleen Barrett 4:27Yes, I’m over both stores. I’ve actually been here 19 years that I’ve been the controller for 15. John Haggard 4:34Okay. Well, you’ve been around the car business for a pretty good while and you’ve probably seen some changes in the purchase of cars and the lease of cars. What would you – what’s different about the industry today versus say, maybe five or 10 years ago? Kathleen Barrett 4:49Yeah, there’s a lot of differences. Places have changed quite a bit. It’s hard to get into as they once were. Things like, you know, vehicles obviously have changed a lot. You just look at some of our new products we have now and you think good night, you know, these are just awesome vehicles. John Haggard 5:08Yeah. And as you look around, and if you were going to give someone advice on the best way to search to buy a new car or a Pre Owned vehicle, if you were saying, look, if you’re in the market, you know, here are the two or three things or four things, maybe five things you want to consider before you do anything. What would you tell them? Kathleen Barrett 5:30Well, the first thing I’d tell them is to come and join the Miracle family. We strive really hard to make people happy with their vehicle purchase. If you don’t see the vehicle on our lot, that does not mean that we can’t locate it for you. All you need to do is come in and talk to us. Let us know what you’re looking for. And we will certainly do our best to put your dreams in your driveways. You don’t just come and buy a car and that’s it. We take care of you. We do the service you need on your vehicle. We go the extra mile for our customers. John Haggard 6:06Miracle is a family business. Some dealerships are owned by large corporations How would you describe the atmosphere at Miracle? Kathleen Barrett 6:17Miracle is a family-owned and operated dealership we take pride in taking care of our customers. We’re all one big family whereas everybody is, you’re with your team more than your at your home a lot of times and we’re all one big family. We take care of each other. We look out for each other. We take care of our, you know, our number one priority is taking care of our customers. John Haggard 6:41What do you see that’s going on in Gallatin in the next maybe 1 to 3 years that people would want to know about? Kathleen Barrett 6:49I’m sure I mean, I don’t know, but I would speculate that they’ll be another high school before long in the area. There has to be, there’s so much growth John Haggard 6:58And as you look around and the tenure, how long people have worked at Miracle, what do you see as you kind of look in the departments? How long do people or how long have people been working there? Kathleen Barrett 7:10Oh, we have people that have been here from day one. You know, we, I think the lowest person in my accounting office has been there, other than the person I just hired, they’ve been there pretty much six years or longer. John Haggard 7:26And that must say a lot then. You got to have a good working environment where people want to stay. Kathleen Barrett 7:31Yes, that actually might be an inaccurate number. I believe it’s eight years, now that I think about it. But yeah, we don’t have a big turnover, not in our accounting department at all. We don’t really anywhere, our people are they like where they work. And the Galvin’s are good to work for, so we are lucky. John Haggard 7:54Yeah. So tell us about the Galvin’s, those who are behind you and behind the dealerships. Kathleen Barrett 8:00They’re just an awesome family, I’ve known them for over 30 years and, you know, they want what’s best for their employees and their customers and right in here working right along beside us every day. John Haggard 8:15So they actually do work? Kathleen Barrett 8:17Absolutely. John Haggard 8:19Right. That’s good. That’s good. Thanks, Kathleen! Kathleen Barrett, everybody the controller at Miracle Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, and Ford. Join us again right here for other topics on the podcast throughout each month. Our goal right here is to show you the best ways to purchase, lease, service and maintain, accessorize, and sell your vehicle for the highest resale value when you’re ready to do it. And you’ll also hear our podcast with Sumner County leaders and shakers to find out what’s going on in the Gallatin-Sumner County area for events that you might be interested in. And don’t forget this part here, transcripts of each podcast right here on the website so you can easily refer to it we’re information right there at your fingertips. I’m your host, John Haggard, and we will see you next time.

You are truly in for a treat, folks. In episode #17 of the Miracle Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep Ram Podcast, we have special guest, Kenneth Thomson, Sumner County Historian visit us to share about his lifelong passion for Sumner County and Gallatin TN history. This episode is full of so much amazing history and information… whether you are from the area or not. It makes you love and understand the importance of history and learning each and every one of our own personal backgrounds and heritage. Topics Discussed: Kenneth’s long list of accolades and work.Kenneth’s personal history in Sumner County and Middle TennesseeWhy Gallatin is built where it isHow the Revolutionary War veterans ended up in Sumner County through land grantsHow Kenneth became interested in historyProjects that Kenneth is currently working onAmazing fact – Kenneth knows more dead people in Sumner County than anyone elseWhy knowing your genealogy is so importantThe importance of forgivenessKenneth has over 100 lines personally back to the Revolutionary WarGallatin was named Reader’s Digest America’s Friendliest citiesThe Sumner County Historical SocietyThe Candlelight Cemetery TourEliza Allen – the First Lady of Tennessee, First Lady of the Republic of Texas and first wife of Sam HoustonSumner County’s history with Horse-racingAnnual Events that you should not miss in Sumner CountyThe Sumner County ArchivesHow to get in touch with KennethHow important your heredity is in your life, even more so than the environment in which you grew up.Finding your heritage through DNA testing Transcript John Haggard 0:02 Welcome to the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Special Edition podcast where we also talk with community leaders, and movers and shakers. And before we get into the interview, just a reminder that you can find show notes and a transcript along with the links to content that we talked about right here right now on our website miraclecdj.com, and also on Apple Podcasts, Google Play podcasts and on Spotify and don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review on any of those platforms, and share! I’m your host John Haggard On today’s episode, we’re really excited to have special guest Kenneth Thomson with us. Kenneth has a long history in Gallatin. Some people would say, he is the historian of Sumner County, and we’re going to find out about that. And as I understand it, he has dedicated most of his life studying and preserving local history. And if I just mentioned a few of his accolades, board chairman of the Gallatin City Historic District Commission, the Board of directors on the Sumner County Museum, and on the public records commission, the archives board, also a member of the Sons of the American Revolution due to your father-in-law Colonel John Donaldson having served in the Revolutionary War so welcome to the podcast Ken. Kenneth Thomson 1:14 He’s my ancestor and I joined the Andrew Jackson Chapter, and Andrew Jackson was his son-in-law. John Haggard 1:22 Let’s get that. Andrew Jackson was… Kenneth Thomson 1:24 He was John Donaldson’s son in law. John Haggard 1:26 Wow. Kenneth Thomson 1:27 And I joined the Andrew Jackson Chapter in 1964. John Haggard 1:31 You’re also one of the original 15 members of the board of the Bledsoe’s Lick Historical Association. Did I get that right? Kenneth Thomson 1:38 Yes, that maintains Wynnewood and Bledsoe Park. And there are only two of us left, Nathan Harsh, and me. John Haggard 1:44 Wow. And you’re also a life member of the Andrew Jackson foundation that maintains the Hermitage. Kenneth Thomson 1:51 60 years John Haggard 1:52 60 years so what’s that like… I was there years ago just walking through and… Kenneth Thomson 1:56 Oh. it’s wonderful. they’ve really done a lot 60 years down there. And they established, of course, the Andrew Jackson Foundation and they are constantly upgrading everything. and they are fixing to build a new $15 million center down there. So they’re on top of everything. John Haggard 2:14 Now you also have a very long background in the Gallatin area. I understand that your mother’s family has been in the area since 1780. Kenneth Thomson 2:23 80, yes. My father’s been in Davidson County the same length of time, but the Donaldson’s, of course, came down the river. And a lot of families, my mother’s family’s ancestors came with the Donaldson’s on the [inaudible], you know, to Nashville in 1780. So, one of my ancestors here was James Franklin, and his house is still standing down near Station Camp High School. And William Lee Golden lives in it, one of the Oak Ridge Boys. John Haggard 2:53 Wow. So what is the oldest picture you have by year? Kenneth Thomson 2:59 Oldest picture I have? Oh, gosh, we’re going back several hundred years. The fact that we went back to Europe, I have pictures of ancestors in Europe. But I have pictures, as far as Sumner County is concerned, I have pictures of several of my Revolutionary War ancestors. That’s pretty early. John Haggard 3:20 That is very early. And if you were going to give advice on how to preserve pictures that are that old Ken, is there a special process? Kenneth Thomson 3:30 That depends on what medium you’re talking about? Most of those pictures from that time period are either oil paintings, or silhouettes are sketches. And there’s a variety way of preserving those, you know, the portrait conservatory in Nashville can restore an old portrait for you, it needs to be realigned or cleaned or whatever, you know John Haggard 3:52 Yeah. Kenneth Thomson 3:52 And she does all the State Museum work and all the museums in the state and she’s done work for me. So she’s Excellent. John Haggard 4:01 Yeah. So let’s pick it up from 1780. Your mother’s family here in Gallatin. So walk us through the history. What’s gone on since 1780? Kenneth Thomson 4:11 Well, in the 1780s, of course, the revolutionary soldiers from North Carolina came here, the state of North Carolina couldn’t pay them with money for serving in the Revolutionary War. So they gave them land, this was a land grant area. So everybody got a land grant and the smallest amount you can get was 640 acres if you were a private, and it went up with your rank. Generals got 2,000 acres usually. That’s what brought people here, and the waterways, the Cumberland River which feeds this area, and all the tributaries. And station camp Creek has many tributaries off of it. So underground water, Gallatin is built where it is because of the everlasting spring, that’s now under the jail. That land was bought from James Trousdale because of the everlasting spring, John Haggard 4:59 And Ken, you’ve dedicated most of your life to local history. So what was it that got you interested in history when you were so young? Kenneth Thomson 5:07 I lost my mind. I lost my mind when I was about 4 1/2. John Haggard 5:09 Ha, gotcha. Kenneth Thomson 5:11 And it all started when I was four and a half. And we lived on a farm where we had a house here in town, but we also had ancestral land and my grandmother on [inaudible] Road. And this [inaudible] came one day and went to the barn. And I followed my grandmother and the man that worked for us to the barn. And this guy got out of a truck and pull the [inaudible] out of the stall. And I was standing there looking at it, I can remember it like it was yesterday. That’s the worst looking thing I ever saw in my life. And they loaded it on the truck when it came back. It was all redone and everything and I’m sitting here looking at it right now. That was in 1945. John Haggard 5:50 So as you look ahead, now, at this moment in time, what are the projects you are working on that I would say excites you the most? Kenneth Thomson 6:00 Well, probably the museum because we’ve been gifted several pieces of property and I’m working on the house that was gifted to us by John Garrett called Stonewall. And I’m completing the fourth bedroom right now. In fact, I’m going over there when I get through talking to you and painting some pictures in there, and we’ve recently been gifted a big [inaudible] bed and some other things to go in that fourth bedroom. And we’ve been working on this house for a couple of years trying to get it completely furnished. The family left just a number of pieces of furniture, but we’ve had to sort of supplement a little bit and add to it. So that is the project right now, and the project of fixing the house next door to John Garrett’s house that he came up with the money from gift donors to purchase and give it to the museum and it is called the carriage house. But on the register, it shows as a Carriage Factory. It was never a carriage factory. The carriage factory was behind that house, and that house is a big project. It’s going to cost about a million dollars to get it up to snuff and up to code. And that’s our project right now. We’re in the planning for that. So that’s the exciting thing we’re working on right now. If I live…. ha. I hope to see it processed! John Haggard 7:20 Do you mind me asking you since you are the… I would call you the Sumner County Historian. How old are you now? Kenneth Thomson 7:27 79 John Haggard 7:28 79, alright. 79! Kenneth Thomson 7:31 I was elected the Historian of Sumner County in the 70s. And then I moved to Kentucky for a while and they gave it to John Garrett. And he held that title, even though I was back here. He held it until he died two years ago. And then I was reelected by the county court. And they asked me to make a speech when they gave me the award and they made me the citizen of the year too! And I said I know why I got that award because I know the most dead people in Sumner County. John Haggard 7:59 Wow! The most dead people! So tell us about that. The most dead people, you know more dead people in Sumner County than some people know alive people, I guess. Right? Kenneth Thomson 8:09 That’s right. John Haggard 8:10 So tell us about that. Kenneth Thomson 8:12 It all started with my grandmother. And I told you about the [inaudible] when I was 13. She had all these pictures hanging on the wall. And by the way, I have 517 pictures hanging on the wall at my house. John Haggard 8:22 Wow. Kenneth Thomson 8:23 And she had all these old family pictures, portraits and smaller pictures around and I wanted to know who they were and how they were connected with me when I was 13. That’s what got me started. John Haggard 8:35 Wow, okay Kenneth Thomson 8:35 On the genealogy. John Haggard 8:37 Yeah Kenneth Thomson 8:38 Most Americans don’t know who they are. They don’t have a clue. They think they were dropped out of the sky. From their first memory. They think that’s the way the world’s always been, you know, and they don’t seem to realize that it took thousands of people to get them here. Thousands of their ancestors to make them. So you know, it’s fascinating to find out what those people contributed to your being, and your welfare. I’m amused at people who get a divorce, and one of the parents most of the time, the father’s estranged from the children, at least for a while. And they resent him and I said, Well, I’ll tell you one thing, he gave you something that nobody else could give you. And they said, “What’s that?” I said “life”. John Haggard 9:18 Yeah, yeah. Kenneth Thomson 9:20 And you’ve got to forgive. And I know one lady. In her old age, her niece told me.. she said, “my aunt will never die until she forgives her parents for having her”. And you know, she lived to 111. So she finally forgave them at 111 and went on. I can tell you a lot of stories like that. John Haggard 9:40 Wow. Yeah, that is… now if you look at your genealogy tree, yours. What year does it start? And I assume you’ve got this big chart. Kenneth Thomson 9:51 It starts with the Adam lineages. We got you going back to Adam. Now, it depends. I’m more interested in American history, and I have 100 lines personally back to the Revolutionary War. That was my goal when I started when I was 13, and I have 100 lines and I have 70… well, it’s more than that now because the DAR and SAR are letting you use females in patriotic service. But I have 70 males that served, that I have with record… in the Revolutionary War in some way, either as a soldier or a patriot (a patriotic service). I have 100 lines to the Revolutionary War because those lines go farther back. Some of them I have, and some of them I don’t have. And many of them go back to Europe. You know, it’s fascinating. John Haggard 10:42 It is fascinating Ken, and you know, every place has a history but in your opinion, what would you say sets the Gallatin, Tennessee area apart from all the other areas that have a history? Kenneth Thomson 10:53 Because I’m here! John Haggard 10:55 There you go. Kenneth Thomson 10:58 My family was here. And it means a lot to people who are here whose ancestors settled here. They are of course more interested in it than any outsider would be for the most part. But it’s just a good place to live. You know, Reader’s Digest, told us we were the friendliest cities in the United States last year. John Haggard 11:18 You know, I saw that. And that’s something. I mean, do you believe that? Kenneth Thomson 11:23 Oh, yeah, I do. And we have a lot of people.. I’m president of the Historical Society. So we have several hundred members in that. And we have members from all over the country there. And we even have people who live in California that send us a generous check every year, because they’re interested in the history of Sumner County. John Haggard 11:49 From California! Kenneth Thomson 11:49 And it’s just fascinating. For instance, we have, you know, I’m with the museum and the cemetery tour. And the cemetery tour is our biggest fundraiser… Are you familiar with that? John Haggard 12:01 Tell us about that. Kenneth Thomson 12:03 The candlelight cemetery tour. We do 10 characters at least every year, 10 stops, sometimes we have two characters at one stop. And they portray the person that’s buried there, in the first person. And we do that every year. And we have anywhere from 1000 to 1400 people that come to that in one night. It’s candlelit. And it’s just wonderful, you know, and we have some interesting people buried in the cemetery. And when I take people on private tours down there, which I do periodically, I’ll say now we have a lady buried in this cemetery that was the first lady of a foreign country and never went there. Of course, they have no idea what I’m talking about. Then a few people can answer the question, that have a little knowledge of history. When I say she was also the first lady of Tennessee… first. Then they guess. A few come along and guess. And it was Eliza Allen. She was the first wife of Sam Houston. John Haggard 12:55 Okay. Kenneth Thomson 12:56 And she married him, you know, briefly and he was forced to leave the state under the cloak of darkness and woman’s clothes and get on a steamboat. And Eliza’s brother met him at the wharf because he had mistreated her. They met him at the wharf at Clarksville and threatened him if he ever said anything against her. Of course, he never did. But they were married for eight years, even though they were separated after two or three weeks. John Haggard 13:20 Wow. Kenneth Thomson 13:21 And he became president of the Republic of Texas. So that made her First Lady of the Republic of Texas, even though she wasn’t there. John Haggard 13:28 Yeah. Kenneth Thomson 13:29 So then he got a divorce because he fell in love with a Second Life. And the second wife, Margaret was the first lady of the Republic of Texas. And then when the republic became a state, Texas, he became governor and his second wife became the first lady of Texas. So the first and second wives had the same titles, but they were reversed order. Ha. John Haggard 13:48 Yes. Ha! If you can follow all that. Yes, yes. Hey, I also heard that Sumner County from 1800 to 1845 was designated the horse racing capital of the United States. Is that right? Kenneth Thomson 14:04 Tennessee was the first because Sumner County was first. Kentucky was number two. From 1800 to 1845. And racehorses were brought here in 1800 and the first ones brought to Sumner County by Dr. Redmond Dillon Barry, who lived on Nashville Pike. And he brought Bluegrass. And he was an Irishman, a doctor and a lawyer and was colleagues with General Packingham who was involved in the Battle of New Orleans. For England. He was on the English side, the Brittish side. But he brought the Racehorses here 1800 and they first stabled them at Rivergate. [inaudible], where the Donaldson’s lived. he’s stabled those horses down there. Gray Medley was his number one horse. And then he brought bluegrass in because bluegrass grows well here and as well as in Kentucky, because of the limestone soil. [inaudible], and there were several racehorse tracks here in Sumner County, mostly in the Gallatin area. And everybody that was anybody had racehorses here, and Andrew Jackson, of course, came to all of those races. And all the primary figures of that day had horses. Even a preacher had a horse. A Methodist preacher… his wife was against him racing that horse… And he said, well he couldn’t help it because he co-owned it with somebody else… and the other person owned the front end of the horse, and he owned the backend of the horse, and he couldn’t keep his end from running the race! Ha. That was [inaudible] by the way. John Haggard 15:11 Ha, that’s pretty good. You know, as you look now at the next generation, or the upcoming generation, or maybe going back two generations, perhaps to the millennials, as they’re known today. It seems to be more difficult getting younger people interested in history. What do you think could be done to continue that legacy? Kenneth Thomson 15:55 Well, the museum is planning, in this new building we’re going to rehab, doing rotating displays and having a lot of hands-on entertainment, crafts and things like that. And that’s how you get them interested is to show them how things were done and let them be part of it and let them handle even historic items. That works. Groups like to do things like that. John Haggard 16:18 You touched on some of the annual events like the cemetery tour and things that you do if you were just going to say you know, if you’ve never been to Sumner County, here are four or five really big events that you ought to attend. Kenneth Thomson 16:32 Each house has a list of things that they do. A lot of military enactments. And Rosemont, and Bledsoe Park, and Wynnewood particularly have loads of events… and kids like those. The cavalry coming in on horses, they have revolutionary soldiers there. They have Civil War soldiers. You can get the list from tourism or from those houses. And we have a good director at Rosemont, he’s retired military, and he has a list of activities going on through most of next year already. John Haggard 17:06 And so when you are not as officially the Summer County Historian, on your time off, if there is any, what are you passionate about outside of history? Kenneth Thomson 17:17 The Sumner County Archives, and everybody who’s had any association with Sumner County, the legacy, part of the legacy, all of that legacy is housed in the Sumner County Museum. And that’s where you go to find out who you are. And some people don’t know who they are. I was there one day. I was volunteering there some, and a gentlemen came in. He said I know everything about my father’s family. I want to find out about my mother’s family. I said, Well, who was your mother? Well, he couldn’t even tell me her maiden name. I said, you go home and find out who you are and come back. Most people can’t tell you about their grandparents. Their grandmother’s maiden names. And it was said when I was growing up, nobody could tell you who their great grandparents were unless they knew them. Unless they were living in your lifetime. I can tell you who my 4th, 5th and 6th great great grandparents all are. John Haggard 18:05 Wow. That’s good! Kenneth Thomson 18:07 When they were born and when they died. I’ve got their pictures, ha. John Haggard 18:12 Well, Ken, how would, if someone wanted to get in touch with you, they said… Wow, what a podcast I’m a history buff, and I want to talk to him about something he knows or might know that I want to know or something. How can people get in touch with you? Kenneth Thomson 18:26 They can send me an email. rhinescottage@gmail.com John Haggard 18:34 All right, one more time on that. Kenneth Thomson 18:39 rhinescottage@gmail.com John Haggard 18:44 Alright. Is there anything I did not ask you about Ken that you would want people to know about history in general or anything in Sumner County or anything that you’re doing. Kenneth Thomson 18:54 If you study your family history, you’re going to learn a lot, and many adopted people come here that were adopted years ago to find their birth parents. And I’ve helped them in several instances. They want to know about the health problems in that family particularly, and so many things… traits are inherited, you know, weaknesses. And you need to know those things. And of course, I can tell you about my great grandparents. What was wrong with them, what they had. Most people can’t do that. Some doctors will ask you about your grandparents, you know, how they died, or what kind of diseases they had, and so forth. But a lot of these things, inherited social potency, traditionalism, nervousness and [inaudible]. Those things are inherited. And environmental things like aggression, you acquire. And when I was growing up, they tried to teach us that the environment was more important than heredity. That’s not so, You get more heredity than you do from environment. So, in my opinion, and I’ve been here for 79 years. Ha! John Haggard 20:12 Yeah. And so let me ask you a question you see occasionally on television, these offers for DNA. Kenneth Thomson 20:21 That’s wonderful. It’s wonderful. It’s good, they have many different ones available. And it has brought a lot of people together. It’s a great thing. I would advise everybody to do it. John Haggard 20:31 Wow. What an interesting discussion, folks, Kenneth Thompson, we call him the summer county historian. And indeed he is, as you can tell, by this particular podcast. You know how to get ahold of Kenneth as well. We call him Ken or Kenneth, he goes by either one, right? Kenneth Thomson 20:45 That’s right. John Haggard 20:46 Okay folks, don’t forget to like, share, subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify. And while you’re at it, leave us a review if you will. I’m your host, John Haggard, and we will see you next time.

This is going to be a heavy episode of the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram podcast. By heavy, we mean heavy-duty RAM trucks. For this episode, host John Haggard talks with Brad Billingsley of the Miracle CDJR Commercial and Fleet Sales Department. Together, they talk about all things RAM trucks, which include the following topics: Where Brad Originated FromBrad’s Passion for Outdoors and IdahoHow He Started Working at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep RamBusinessLink Certified DealerRAM 1500 vs the Ram 2500RAM 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500 and Their DifferencesWhat Do They Mean About Refined Workhorse?What RAM Trucks Have That Competitor Don’t?Where You Can Find Brad on Social Media Transcript John Haggard 0:01 Welcome to the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Podcast, where each week you’ll learn the best ways to purchase lease service, maintain, accessorize, and sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible when you’re ready to do it. I’m your host, John Haggard, and on today’s episode, we have the honor of having Brad Billingsley with us. Now Brad is the commercial and fleet sales department. He’s the guy there at Miracle CDJR in Gallatin. Brad is going to be talking about the ins and outs of the RAM 2500 and all RAM heavy-duty trucks. So, Brad, we’re excited that you’re going to educate us today. Welcome on. Brad Billingsley 0:39 Thank you. Thank you. I’m glad to be on. John Haggard 0:41 Hey, so just to know a little bit about you and your background, where are you originally from? Brad Billingsley 0:48 I was born and raised here in Gallatin and had been with Miracle Chrysler going on 10 years all together now. I did take a little hiatus for about two and a half, almost three years out to Idaho. That was in 2016. And then came back here March of this year. John Haggard 1:10 All right, Idaho, known as the Great Potato State. Idaho, right? Brad Billingsley 1:13 Right. That’s correct. I actually never once saw a potato farm in my time there, but… John Haggard 1:19 Is that right? I would have just thought, you know, rows and fields, kind of like cornfields. But no, it’s all potatoes. Brad Billingsley 1:26 Yeah, yeah, that’s kind of what I was expecting too, was to see a bunch of potato farms. But they’ve got them in the panhandle of Idaho, Oregon- Idaho line there, so. John Haggard 1:37 Gotcha, gotcha. Well, I’ve had a lot of Idaho potatoes and it shows, so you can tell it for sure. So really, how did you actually end up at Miracle in the first place? How did Miracle come about in your life? Brad Billingsley 1:50 Well, I owned a landscaping business at the time, and I was just kind of looking for winter income. So I jumped on board originally in the detail department, and it was more or less just a seasonal job. And just for kind of winter income and the slow months there and before the next season started, they had convinced me to give this sales thing a try. And that all she wrote. So… John Haggard 2:21 And so here you are. Brad Billingsley 2:22 Yeah, yeah, here I am. John Haggard 2:24 Alright, so let’s talk about what is it exactly when you say commercial and fleet sales? What does that mean? Exactly? Brad Billingsley 2:31 Sure. Yeah. So I specialize obviously, in the heavy-duty trucks in the RAM, Promaster and the Promaster City, because those are technically commercial vehicles. So I have done all my training, got certified for all of that. But really, the interesting part of it is I go off-site pretty often and just shake hands, meet new businesses, new companies. A lot of small businesses don’t realize all the benefits they could qualify for when it comes to commercial in fleet and going that route versus buying a vehicle in their personal name. So it has been a learning experience. This is still fairly new to me. Say I’ve been on board about two months now from retail to the commercial side, but that’s what that is. I specialize in the heavy-duty RAMs so 2500 up to the 5500 and then, of course, the Promaster and Promaster City as well. John Haggard 3:32 Yeah, you said benefits you know, because really when people are going to buy or lease something, and really any product no matter what it is, it’s really all about what’s in it for me. We call it WIIFM, what’s in it for me. So you were just mentioning benefits a moment ago that business owners are not aware of, what have you found out so far? What’s out there? Brad Billingsley 3:52 Well, here at Miracle we are actually a BusinessLink certified dealer. And what that means is if you become BusinessLink with us which is free of charge. I actually sign up any business I talked to just once I come back to the dealership after shaking hands. It gives you priority and service. What that means is if you have a vehicle obviously in a business your vehicle is your source of income. So a vehicle being down can cost you, you know $1800 – $2000 a day, depends on what your vehicle is used for. So we want to eliminate that as much as possible. And what BusinessLink allows us to do is we get your vehicle into service and then the next available qualified technician. As soon as his day is open, your vehicle takes priority goes right in and is addressed immediately as soon as that next available qualified technician is open. And so you know big benefits there. We do have loaner vehicles for those commercial vehicles to kind of keep you going on the road while your main vehicle is here being served. So it definitely helps keep income coming and keep generating that income for small businesses and large businesses as well. John Haggard 5:08 All right, yeah. So it’s almost like business interruption insurance. Brad Billingsley 5:14 Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that’s a good way to put it. I like that. John Haggard 5:16 Can I come work for you? Brad Billingsley 5:18 Hey, yeah. Absolutely! John Haggard 5:20 You know, I think a lot of people have heard the brand of the RAM 1500. We see a lot of TV ads, we hear radio ads, on our website, of course, all types of emails and specials and pop-ups and links and all these types of things. So the RAM 1500 that would not be classified as a heavy-duty, is that correct? Brad Billingsley 5:43 Correct. That would be a light-duty truck, a half-ton truck. John Haggard 5:46 All right. And that that would be more for someone that’s not using it for, I guess, heavy-duty business. Brad Billingsley 5:52 Correct. You’re not going to get quite the tow rating that you’re going to get in a three-quarter-ton or one-ton 2500, 3500, as well as payload capacities, are limited there. Yeah. So the 2500s and up is where that heavy-duty comes involved. John Haggard 6:10 All right, and what it makes sense to say if there’s a RAM 2500 a 3500, also a 4550 and 5500. Brad Billingsley 6:19 Correct. John Haggard 6:20 And would that be, again, it’s the you know, how big is the engine? How much tow, is that the general difference as you walk up or if you start at 2500 and compare that to the 1500 and then step up? Brad Billingsley 6:33 Yeah, so the big difference is now all you can get the 6.4-liter Hemi gas engine in the 2500 through to 5500. You also can get the same 6.7 Cummins diesel engine and the 2500 up to 5500. So the 2500 would be nice, where you’re towing, you know, 30,000 pounds or more, where you’re not needing, you know, massive payloads, you know, 9000 pounds payload in that 2500 is that sweet spot there. Now going up from there, you definitely want to start looking at the one times, the 3500s and on up from there to the 4500 and 5500. John Haggard 7:16 Now so what are you typically towing with a 2500? And then what would you typically tow say with a 3500? Brad Billingsley 7:23 So 2500 it’s easily going to tow you know, 20,000 pounds and less with the diesel engine, given, you know, just on a general spectrum there. You do have some other factors that can play in. But without getting too technical, a 2500 you’re going to be good at 20,000 pounds or less as far as what you’re towing. John Haggard 7:43 And then if you go up to 3500? Brad Billingsley 7:46 Oh, yeah, the 3500 is over 30,000 pounds tow. John Haggard 7:50 Wow. Okay, you’re almost getting to a diesel truck as you keep going up. Brad Billingsley 7:53 Oh, yeah. Semi Truck. Absolutely. Brad Billingsley 7:55 Yeah. And then the 4500? Brad Billingsley 7:58 4500 is still in that 30,000 lb. The advantage is going to be your payload is where the increases on that. John Haggard 8:07 And then the 5500? Brad Billingsley 8:08 5500, same thing it’s going to be about 35,000 lbs and some change as far as towing. But the major benefit is the strip frame is a lot sturdier. Your suspension and your rear axles a lot sturdier which can hold heavy payloads. And your payload is going to be everything in the truck including passengers and then what’s on the bed because these 4500s and 5500s are cabin chassis. So you put a lot of flatbeds or a service bed, whatever your business needs, it just allows for more weight to be on the frame without bending the frame or causing damage to the frame of the truck. John Haggard 8:49 Okay, and so I look in Consumer Reports and they put out this article that says the 2019 RAM 2500 is a refined workhorse. So if you look The RAM heavy-duty, 2500, when they say refined workhorse and I realize everybody’s got to come up with a name for something but what makes it different say than other, you know, other heavy-duty trucks that are out there? Brad Billingsley 9:14 Absolutely. So the 6.4-liter gas engine is a horsepower monster, whereas the 6.7 Cummins is going to be a torque monster. So again, depending on your needs, those could benefit you one way or the other there. But the big thing too is you know, our ride on these heavy-duty trucks is above and beyond our competitors. That’s the first thing people will mention when they step into a 2500 is Oh, it’s like we’re driving a car. It doesn’t feel like I’m driving a big heavy-duty truck at all. That is a big benefit but also in our higher-end trim levels on the Ram 2500 we use more real leather and actual wood. So it is almost like a luxury truck on those higher trim levels. John Haggard 10:02 You know one of the things we have seen and shared on Facebook numerous videos from RAM’s YouTube channel focused on Long Live Ram. And if you haven’t seen those videos, folks, they’re really incredible. I think. They do share stories about RAM trucks that are getting 600,000 a million even one that had 1,450,212 miles. It’s still going strong. What’s been your impression about the longevity of the RAM? I mean, that’s pretty serious 1,500,000 in mileage almost. Brad Billingsley 10:35 Yes, absolutely. And we’ve actually had, I haven’t seen him lately, but we’ve had a service customer that came in with his Cummins rolling over a million miles. And you know, you take care of these engines, especially the Cummins engine. Obviously diesel is known for its longevity, and you can’t talk diesel engines without talking about the Cummins engine. It just doesn’t happen. I’m not taking anything away from competitors but Cummins ownes the market when it comes to diesel engines. And the big thing is the longevity of those diesel engines. A million miles would not surprise me one bit on these Cummins as long as you’re taking care of them, they will take care of you. John Haggard 11:20 All right, so last question about the RAM, if someone say is looking at the RAM 2500, I’m sure they’re probably looking at some of the other competitors out there like the Chevrolet Silverado. They’ve got the 2500 HD I think it is. GMC Sierra has got a 2500 HD, Nissan Titan’s got an XD and of course the Ford F-250, which is at our sister store in Miracle Ford. Why would somebody want to consider a RAM over the competitors? Brad Billingsley 11:50 Well, one thing that in the 2500s that we have that no other brand can compete with is we have a mega-cab. Who doesn’t like the additional room in their 2500? When you can sit back in the back and be chauffeured around that’s like driving a limousine. But yeah, other than that, it’s just again I go back to our ride because that’s the biggest thing that gets brought up to me is the ride of these trucks is superior to none. And again, if you’re needed to work it’s going to do every bit of work that you need it to do. John Haggard 12:27 Well, like you say, I mean a cab ride almost being like in your living room. You just don’t feel like you’re in a truck, right? John Haggard 12:34 Yeah, absolutely. John Haggard 12:36 So when you’re not all about RAM, Brad, what do you like to do outside of work? Brad Billingsley 12:41 Oh, I am an outdoor nut. That’s kind of what took me out to Idaho. Anything outdoors, hiking, hunting, fishing, camping, you name it. I would prefer to be outside If I had my way so that is definitely what I enjoyed the most, is being in the great outdoors. Brad Billingsley 13:01 So hunting. What do you like to hunt? Brad Billingsley 13:03 Big game. I am an avid Deer Hunter. I’ve cut my teeth here in Tennessee on whitetail you know, Turkey waterfowl. I like the cooler weather hunting. But out in Idaho, I was dead set on mule deer, and elk hunting. That really caught my attention as much that the last week of October and the first week in November I took a two-week vacation to go hunting in Idaho again for elk so. John Haggard 13:31All right and then so if we’re looking for you at that same time next year, you’re probably going to be out there right? Brad Billingsley 13:36 I absolutely I’ll be out Northwest somewhere, that’s for sure. John Haggard 13:40 Well, say if you had your own podcast like the one that we’re on here, Brad, who would you interview and why would you interview that person? Brad Billingsley 13:48 By far Steven Rinella. He is an avid outdoorsman hunting fishing he has his own show on Netflix, has his own podcast, but he brings in to the light eating, cooking and preparing of the wild game is a big aspect of where he goes with his shows and his podcast. Just very very knowledgeable, he’s got a biology degree but he’s an avid outdoorsman that’s what he’s made a living off of. And he is a guy I truly look up to for sure. John Haggard 14:22 Yeah, so Brad, I also know you’re quite active on Facebook. Where can people find you there? Brad Billingsley 14:28 Definitely. My page I have my own marketplace Facebook page there. It’s Brad at Miracle CDJ. That is the best place definitely go follow give that page a like. But also Brad Billingsley, Facebook and then b_billingsley615 is my Instagram. John Haggard 14:50 All right, anyplace else people can find you? Brad Billingsley 14:54I am on LinkedIn. I need to probably update that. Now that I’m thinking about that. But otherwise, you can find me at 1290 National Pike, Miracle Chrysler. John Haggard 15:04 Alrighty, everybody. Brad Billingsley right there. He is in Commercial and Fleet Sales at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Gallatin. Don’t forget to like, share, subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify. And while you’re at it, leave us a review folks if you would. I’m your host, John Haggard, and we will see you next time.

Get your local history on in this special episode of the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Podcast. This week, host John Haggard talks to Ryan Baker, the director of the Sumner County Museum. Together, they discuss several topics, including: Ryan’s Early Life and High SchoolCollege Life at MTSURyan’s Coaching and Sunday School ActivitiesDrone FishingHow Ryan Ended up in the Sumner County Museum as DirectorAmazing Things to See at the Sumner County MuseumExciting Addition to the Museum and Things to Look Forward to in the next three yearsThe Most Inspiring Part of Working as a Museum DirectorAnnual Cemetery TourHow to Contact Ryan Baker Ryan is also the husband of Kim Baker, CEO of the Gallatin Chamber of Commerce. You can listen to earlier podcasts with Kim in Episode 13 of the Miracle CDJR Podcast and in Episode 9 of the Miracle Ford Podcast! Check them out when finishing with this episode. Transcript John Haggard 0:02 Welcome to the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Special Guest Edition Podcast, where we interview community leaders in the Gallatin Sumner County area. And today we’re honored to have Ryan Baker. He is the director of the Sumner County Museum on the podcast. Hey Ryan, welcome to the podcast. Ryan Baker 0:20 Hi, John. Thanks for having me. John Haggard 0:21 And Ryan before we explore the Sumner County Museum in Gallatin today, for people who are new to the area or those searching on the Internet just trying to find fun things to do in Middle Tennessee or in Gallatin, tell us a little bit about you. Did you grow up in Gallatin? Ryan Baker 0:35 I did. I grew up here in Gallatin. I was actually born in Hendersonville, and when I turned three, my mom and dad built a house in Gallatin, and we moved here in 1986. I lived in that same house my whole life, and then I made it about as far as Murfreesboro for four years, and then came back to Gallatin. John Haggard 0:59 And where did you go to high school? Ryan Baker 1:01 I went to Gallatin High School. John Haggard 1:02 All right. I think they’re having a pretty good football season, somebody told me. Is that true? Ryan Baker 1:07 They were. They only lost one game in the regular season this year. John Haggard 1:11 All right, well, so thinking about high school, what was the most fun thing or some of the fun things that you did while you were there? Ryan Baker 1:19 Well, when I was in school, what most kids were doing on a Friday or Saturday night, we just get in our car and cruise around what we call the Gallatin 500. It basically ran from where the old Walmart was at, where Ollie’s is now up to like the Food Lion parking lot and back around, and so you would just see a whole lot of cars really cruising all night. John Haggard 1:45 And so what did the police think about all that? Ryan Baker 1:48 You know, they were always really pretty laid back when we were in school. You know, every now and then, if the crowd got too big in a certain parking lot, they might come in, and you know, tell everybody move it along. But a lot of times they just stop by and chat with us too. John Haggard 2:03 Alright, so Ryan, you said you made it as far as Murfreesboro. So I’m assuming maybe you went to college there. Ryan Baker 2:10 That’s right. I went to MTSU originally for history. Changed a few times, bounced around different medical things. And then ended up actually with a degree in Tourism Studies at MTSU. It’s kind of a new program they have there. And when I graduated in 2015, the Sumner County Museum was hiring for director. And so my appreciation for history and knowledge with you know, tourism, kind of just a perfect fit, I guess. John Haggard 2:45 in reading your bio, I understand you were or still are a head coach? Ryan Baker 2:51 Yes. So I have coached a lot of, or most of my son’s soccer teams and basketball teams since he’s been participating. John Haggard 3:03 So what’s the number one tip to win a basketball game or a soccer game? What is it really that makes some teams succeed all the time, and others don’t? Ryan Baker 3:12 I think for kids, especially the younger kids, it is just to let them have fun, not put a lot of pressure on them, and kind of let them learn naturally and just make the game up. Just make it about fun. And once the kids are having fun, you’ll start to see you know, some W’s coming in. John Haggard 3:30 Your bio also says that you teach a Sunday school class? Ryan Baker 3:35 I did. My wife and I, we both taught at Godwine in Hendersonville for four-year-olds for several years. John Haggard 3:44 And when you are not at the Summer County Museum in terms of your time off, what do you like to do? Ryan Baker 3:50 So my biggest passion is going to be fishing. So I don’t get to fish as much as I would like because we Got a 13-year-old and a two-year-old right now. John Haggard 4:03 That’s a lot. Ryan Baker 4:04 But fishing, camping, being outdoors, really. If I’m outdoors, I’m happy John Haggard 4:10 Now have you heard Ryan about drone fishing? Ryan Baker 4:14 No, I have not. But I’ve heard about the new magnet fishing for people, you basically just take a big strong magnet on a rope, drop it down in the lake and see what you can pull out. John Haggard 4:26 Wow. Okay, yeah! Ryan Baker 4:28 People find bicycles and watches, phones, all kinds of things. I’ve not done that myself, though. John Haggard 4:35 So I was listening to a podcast about this drone fishing. And so what happens is, let’s say somebody set the ocean, they’re on the beach, they send the drone out, as long as it is within sight. It’s legal. And they have to, of course, be licensed, I suppose and follow local law. And they drop this fishing line, special fishing line, down and they’re able to see from the camera if there’s efficient, so they drop it down and boom, there you go on it. It seems like drones are getting involved everywhere. And I didn’t know if you would run into anybody doing that here or not. Ryan Baker 5:06 I have not, but I’m going to look that up. John Haggard 5:08 Kind of crazy, ain’t it? Ryan Baker 5:09 That’s something. Yeah, that’s something I need to know more about. John Haggard 5:12 Drone fishing. There you go. So So let me ask you this. You said you came to the Sumner County Museum based on your degree. How did you rise to the director? Most people come in, I would think as, you know, in various positions, you kind of work your way up. Ryan Baker 5:27 So the Sumner County Museum was actually founded in 1975. And the current facility opened in ’81. And for most of its existence, it has been ran by volunteers. Most of the exhibits in the museum are set up through volunteer efforts. A gentleman named Alan Hanes was a long-time volunteer curator there and did quite an amazing job, brought the museum had with the funding and things like that. But the board of directors decided to hire an executive director in 2015. I thought that was going to be the best way to give the museum a shot for success, I guess you could say. John Haggard 6:10 All right. And before you got involved in museum management and promotion, were you in a different line of work? Ryan Baker 6:17 I was and was in the restaurant industry for quite some time, ended up going into, you know, the management side of that. And I knew early on that that wasn’t what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. And now don’t get me wrong. I love cooking. I cook at home regularly John Haggard 6:32 And tell us how did the Sumner County Museum actually come about? How long has it been there, and how did it happen? Ryan Baker 6:40 So the museum that is located behind Trousdale Place, just a couple blocks from the Gallatin Downtown area. It was founded in 1975. That building opened in 81. And it was started by a group of people; two individuals probably have the biggest impact. Two founders being John Garrett, whose family owns Garrett Concrete here in Gallatin, and another gentleman named Robert Ramsey, and he was believed the owner of the Ram Craft Clock Company. And so they kind of teamed up and had this idea for a museum. And John, I know, was a long-time preservationist, collector of historical artifacts. And so I’d like to think that his collection probably got so big that he didn’t really have much of another choice, but to really open a museum. John Haggard 7:32 What are some of the cool things that you would find in the Sumner County Museum? Ryan Baker 7:37 The museum set up in chronological order. We’ve actually got three floors with about 10,000 square feet of exhibit space in the current museum. So we’ve got Native American exhibit that we have really like State Museum quality artifacts there. So those are really neat to see and kind of learn about their stories, and then we’ve got items from the Long Hunters that came through this are. We have a blacksmith shop, a tinsmith shop, gunsmith shop. We have exhibits on all of the major wars when Sumner County’s involved in it, from the Civil War up to Vietnam. We have information or an exhibit on schools here in Sumner County. We’ve got Gallatin’s first fire truck. We have Model T, Model A. We’ve got old Chevrolet and smart things about the Sumner County Drive-in that closed, I think it was around 96, 97 when they shut that down. Now, a lot of artifacts on farming, farm equipment. So we’ve really we’ve got, one way to put it, we’ve got a lot of stuff. John Haggard 8:37 Yeah, sounds like it. It really does. It really does. What about the funding? How does the museum get its funds? Ryan Baker 8:44 So the museum is private, so we’re not owned by the city or county or anything like that. So it’s really up to myself and the board of directors to raise funds throughout the year to keep, you know, just the operating costs going. The city of Gallatin, they do help us out with a grant every year that we’ve been receiving to help us, you know, just keep operating. John Haggard 9:06 Anything that you would say has been a very exciting addition to the museum over the last several years. Ryan Baker 9:12 So we’ve got a storage room upstairs. And you wouldn’t believe it is just full of things that have been donated over the years with things that the museum has acquired. And I remember it was a couple of years ago and is a rainy, rainy day. And I thought, I’m just going to go up there, go up here in this room, and kind of go through some things and look at different items and came across a box that said Buffalo Balloon on it. And I wondered what this could be, so I opened it up. And inside were artifacts and newspaper articles regarding the world’s first airmail delivery, and come to find out the world’s first recorded Air Mail Delivery was made in 1877. From Nashville to Gallatin via hot air balloon. And it was called the Buffalo Balloon. It was actually from New York. And one thing I couldn’t figure out is why they brought this to Nashville to deliver Air Mail. That’s one thing, one piece of the puzzle that I have not solved. But we do have several artifacts from that airdrop. And one of the envelopes that we have a copy of was actually on display in the Smithsonian Postal Museum in Washington, DC. And I did discover that there were not many of these airmail stamps made. There’s actually an argument whether there were three made or 300. But nevertheless, I did see where one I discovered where one sold at auction for a quarter-million dollar several years ago. So I don’t have many of those stamps. But we do have some of the original artifacts from that. And right now, we actually have a grad student named Marley, who’s at MTSU, and she is working on creating like a new display for these artifacts. So should be by probably March or April, we’ll have that set up at the museum. John Haggard 11:10 So Ryan, what do you see as you look into the crystal ball, the future plans for the museum, something we can look forward to say over the next couple of two or three years? Ryan Baker 11:21 I’m glad you asked that. So in 2015, Mr. Garrett, he raised money to purchase a property known as the Carriage House. And now this house built in 1831, and it sits directly across the street from where they just rebuilt Captain D’s here in Gallatin on East Main. Now, while doing that, he also, when he passed away in 2017, he left his home, known as Stonewall, or historic Stonewall, which actually sits adjacent to the Carriage House. This house was built in 1838, I believe, and that’s around 5600 square feet, and the Carriage House, I think, is 6500 square feet. And then also on the property, in the rear of the property sits the old county garage building. And I think it was built in the 1920s. So we have, in addition to our current museum, we have all these other properties that we are about to develop a strategic plan for. We’re going to be developing that January through probably March. So we’re going to be coming up with some really creative, strategic ideas and how to make this not only a tourist stop. But also something that’s going to be really beneficial to the county. John Haggard 12:40 So for someone who wants to come to the museum, Ryan, how long does it take to walk the floors, I think you said there are three and just to get through the entire museum. Ryan Baker 12:52 So usually, you could walk you could do a self-guided tour in 20 to 30 minutes if you want. It just depends on how fast you want to walk through and, and how much, how deep you want to dig. But a guided tour, myself, or our current volunteer curator, Chris Morris, we do most of the guided tours. And generally, you know, we could do depending on the age group, you know, somewhere around between an hour, an hour and a half for a guided tour. John Haggard 13:20 All right. Is there anything that people seem to misunderstand about the museum in any way? Ryan Baker 13:27 You know, a lot of people think that we are owned by the county, and we receive like regular county funding and things like that, but we’re not. Like I think I said earlier, we are private. And so we are, we’re responsible for raising all the funds, you know, to keep the museum running. John Haggard 13:45 As you get up every morning and you say, you know, I’m getting ready to go to work. Ryan, what would you say about your position, your job there that most inspires you? Ryan Baker 13:57 Well, for me, I get to learn something new almost every day. Gallatin has, Gallatin and Sumner County has such a rich history that most folks who live here are probably not aware of. So, for me, it’s just that opportunity to learn something new about our history and. And it’s really exciting and being able to share that with others, you know, through tours and, and special events and things like that. John Haggard 14:25 Is there anything I didn’t ask you that you would want people to know either about you or the museum? Ryan Baker 14:31 So let me tell you about some of the events that we hold at the museum. This just happened back in October, but our probably most popular event is our Annual Cemetery Tour. Wow. And so we portray people who are buried in the Gallatin City Cemetery. Now the first known burial there was, I think, 1818, so it’s over 200 years old. It’s a really unique setting. And so what we do is we lay out a path and usually portray about 10 characters. So we have actually volunteer actors in costume, who will tell the stories of different people buried in that cemetery. And usually, we have anywhere from 800 to like 1400 people come through and do that tour, and it’s a one night only for about five hours. It’s the first Saturday in October every year it follows the Main Street Festival that’s held Downtown. So that’s our most popular event. We also have a dinner that’s coming up pretty soon for Museum Association Members. So if you’re interested in learning more about the museum, becoming a member, finding out how you can get involved, that is a good event. We’re also hosting three nights on December the 8th, 9th, and 10th. That’s a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. An Appalachian Christmas dinner and that will sell out will have period food, an Appalachian Storyteller here alongside period music. And we do limit that to 40 people each night and it will sell out. Tickets are on sale now; you can find those through our Facebook page through that event. Let’s see we’re planning a new fundraiser that will be sometime in the spring. I don’t have a lot of details on that now, but that’s going to be something new probably. Probably have something to do with the roaring 20s and maybe even a little prohibition, thrown in that. So people can, you know, follow us on our Facebook page. That’s probably the best way to keep up with what’s going on with the museum. So our website is sumnercountymuseum.org and our Facebook page, you would just search for Sumner County Museum. John Haggard 16:42 All right back to that cemetery for just a moment. Is there one surprise in the cemetery maybe someone who is buried there that people would know or would not expect to be there, but who is? Ryan Baker 16:55 So I think of the few people off the top of my head. One was Governor William Trousdale. The Trousdale place was actually his city home, but he was governor of Tennessee for two years. And he was also known as the War Horse of Sumner County for his efforts, I believe, from the Revolutionary War, War of 1812. And then by the time the Civil War rolled around, he was too old to partake in that even though he wanted to. And then another notable character that’s buried there would be Sam Houston’s first wife. Sam Houston, who the city of Houston’s named after, his wife Eliza Allen, is buried there. And she was actually the first lady to a foreign country who never visited there. John Haggard 17:43 So the one thing about you, Ryan, that most people would not know that someone would really be surprised to know about you? Ryan Baker 17:51 So when my wife and I met about 10 years ago, I found out that she regularly attended Bonnaroo. So when we started dating, I went with her. I think it was 2010 for my first Bonnaroo Festival, and we have been back together every year since, except for the year that our daughter was born. We didn’t make it that year. John Haggard 18:18 So Ryan, what’s the best way for somebody to get in touch with you? Ryan Baker 18:23 Probably shoot me an email. That is ryan.baker@sumnercountymuseum.org. And yet it’s all spelled out- Sumner County Museum. John Haggard 18:35 All right. Well, that’s Ryan Baker, everybody. Thanks, Ryan. He’s the director of the Sumner County Museum on the podcast, our special edition guest today on the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram podcast. Join us again for another special edition in addition to our regular topics that we discussed on the best ways to purchase, lease, service, and maintain, accessorize and sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible. And don’t forget right here on the website is a transcript of today’s podcast. You can easily refer to it for information at your fingertips. I’m your host, John Haggard. And we will see you next time.

To all the Jeep and Jeep Gladiator fans out there, this episode is for you! In this special edition of Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram podcast, host John Haggard sits down with Josh Ellison, Jeep’s Brand Manager for the Southeast Business Center at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). Not only is he one of Jeep’s Brand Managers, but he is also a hair metal fan who loves the outdoors! Together, they talk about the following topics: How Josh Started in the Automotive BusinessWhat Does a Jeep Brand Manager Do?Why Jeep Is a “Lifestyle” Brand The New Jeep GladiatorThe Return of the Mid-Size TrucksGladiator’s Open-Air FreedomHow Strong Is the Gladiator?Gladiator’s Features and TechWhy Pick Gladiator Over a Pickup?Josh on Music Theory and His Favorite BooksJosh’s Advice on PerseveranceWhat’s Coming for the Jeep Brand in the Future Transcript John Haggard 0:02 Welcome to the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram podcast where you will learn the best ways to purchase, lease, service and maintain, accessorize, sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible when you’re ready, and also to learn more about the capabilities and fun features of new vehicles. I’m your host, John Haggard, and you know, throughout each month we have special guests join us and you’ll also see a transcript of each podcast for quick reference. On this podcast, we’re speaking today with Josh Ellison. He’s the Jeep brand manager for the Southeast Business Center at FCA. Hey, Josh, welcome to the podcast. Josh Ellison 0:37 Hey, John. Thanks for having me on. John Haggard 0:39 We always like to jump in and find out a little bit about the person that we’re speaking with today. So before we dive into the world of Jeep and what’s going on now and also what you see for 2020, tell us how you got started in the automotive business. Josh Ellison 0:53 Yeah, um, so when I got started, I was kind of always around it was always in the back of my mind and have always been around it I had a buddy whose dad worked for the company for about 25 years. I was selling beer before I got into the automotive business. And before that I worked at a grocery store so kind of naturally progressing through the sales world had a buddy say, Hey, you know, this is a great place to start working, you should come aboard. And so I checked it out, got the opportunity to go seek an adventure out in Colorado and kind of jumped in and I’ve been here ever since. And it’s been a great ride so far. John Haggard 1:26 So where are you originally from Josh? Josh Ellison 1:28 Originally, I’m from Oviedo. So it’s on the northeast side of Orlando, Florida. John Haggard 1:33 All right. All right. Okay, so where do you live now? Josh Ellison 1:36 I actually still live in Oviedo. Having made a trip around the nation for the most part. I actually live 10 doors down from where I grew up. So… John Haggard 1:45 10 doors down. That’s kind of rare. Josh Ellison 1:49 Yeah, it’s, you know, whenever I left, I was like, Hey, I’m never coming back to this place. And now that I’ve got kids and a wife, I’m looking at it going, you know what, maybe it wasn’t such a bad place. We got the opportunity to jump on a house there. And we did. So we’re pretty happy about it. John Haggard 2:03 So when you’re not working Jeep 24/7, what about your passions outside of work? What do you like to do? Josh Ellison 2:09 Yeah, I’m pretty outdoorsy. I grew up in Florida. So I love the ocean love to fish. I love to surf all of that. My family’s probably passion number one, we enjoy traveling together. And then I’m also an avid guitar player and about 20 years so I enjoy strumming on the six-string as they say. John Haggard 2:28 Wow, so did you have a group at one time? Josh Ellison 2:31 No, I’ve played in church a little bit every Sunday morning. I had a couple of guys I got messing around with. But for the most part, it’s just kind of been a hobby that I do on my own and I’ve got some buddies that we get together and just kind of jam and enjoy the instrument. John Haggard 2:45 So favorite song? Josh Ellison 2:48 Favorite song? That’s a tough one. I’m actually a huge hair metal fan. So I’m a big fan of Iron Maiden. I would probably say that Iron Maiden “The Wicker Man” is probably one of my favorite song. So it’s hard to narrow it down. There’s so many different genres and you know, blues and country as I’ve gotten older I’ve really gotten into but, you know, starting at the roots that that was song one. John Haggard 3:11 Alright. So you know, speaking of things that are like that +. If you could have one superpower, Josh, what would it be? Josh Ellison 3:18 Oh man! If I could have one superpower. I would have the ability to teleport. John Haggard 3:25 Teleport did you say? Josh Ellison 3:26 Yeah, teleport. John Haggard 3:28 Okay, so talk about that. What is teleport for folks who don’t know? Josh Ellison 3:31 Yeah, so it’s the ability to go from one point to another instantly. So if I could get myself from the office to home and not have to sit in an hour’s worth of traffic, I would totally do it. So that would be probably the most beneficial superpower I could have. John Haggard 3:48 Wow, that would be fun. You know, they’re talking with all these drones and everything that’s out there. Amazon’s talking about hey, you know, we’ll just drop it off. at your house. Maybe one-day people will be in a small drone and that would get you to work. Who knows? Josh Ellison 4:00 Yeah, it’s crazy. I’m pretty sure that Amazon’s going to take over the world one day, they’re just going to put a fence up around us and take over. John Haggard 4:07 I think you’re right. No, I would think that a lot of people Josh would love to have your job especially in the world of Jeep, a really cool brand. It really is. And so how did you wind up as Jeep brand manager for the Southeast because there’s only one – and that’s you at this point. Josh Ellison 4:22 There’s nine of us around the nation. You know, basically just kind of working through the steps. So when I went out to Denver, my first area was out in Colorado and did some traveling out there and big Jeep territory for sure. So naturally, you start to love the product and then going up into Montana, which was my second area. I got to spend 18 months up in Bozeman, Montana. I had a guy who was a professional he used to race Jeeps professionally. And so… John Haggard 4:49 Race Jeeps? On a dirt track or what? Josh Ellison 4:52 Oh, yeah. Dirt track, you name it. Upsides and mountains. And so every time I meet with him, he’d picked me up for a Jeep ride. And really a great guy. His name was Ron. And yeah, so definitely got to love the product from that standpoint. And whenever I moved back to Florida, I was presented with the opportunity to oversee sales share and marketing for the brand. Naturally, I jumped at it. John Haggard 5:15 Well, so tell us very specifically about your role. When you hear Jeep brand manager, what specifically I mean what’s your typical day look like? Josh Ellison 5:24 A typical day is taking a look at retail sales and market share versus our targets. You know, how are we looking versus last year. Look at the inventory mix, making sure that we’ve got the right product and enough for the right product. And then in addition to that, we’re also taking a look at different opportunities in the market, you know, ways that we can maybe grouped together some packages and optimize what gets put in front of the customer. And I’m also in charge of experiential marketing for the region. So I coordinate a lot of the auto shows a lot of the ride and drive type events that we have around the area as well. So You know, between the two of those things and the constant, ever-changing world of sales, it keeps me pretty busy. John Haggard 6:07 You know, they say there are different types of buyers for different types of products. And so when you think of a Jeep buyer, versus maybe a truck buyer or you know, small compact SUV buyer, if you’re kind of going to profile people who buy Jeeps, what are they like? How do they differ from people who don’t buy Jeeps? Josh Ellison 6:29 I think the thing about Jeep is really, it’s a lifestyle brand. And it doesn’t really matter what your lifestyle is. I think when everybody thinks of a Jeep, they think of it being synonymous with a good time, a good life, being outdoors, driving through the city, whatever that is. So, you know, I think we’re able to offer that to everybody. So to really narrow it down, I think. I think it’s people who love to live the life they enjoy being out and about in their element and I think Jeep provides that pretty effectively for every one of those buyers. John Haggard 7:00 Alright, so let’s talk about the new Jeep Gladiator. As I understand it, never in its history before, has Jeep ever offered what I call the Jeep pickup truck combination. Would that be an accurate way of describing the new Jeep Gladiator? Josh Ellison 7:15 Yeah, I think so. You know, Jeeps had a pickup in the past, you know? Before the Gladiator, they launched the Comanche back in 1986. And that’s just really a small pickup, right? You know, we had the CJ8 Scrambler back in the early 80s, which is probably the most similar thing to what we’ve got with the Gladiator. However, yeah, I mean, this is – it looks like a Wrangler, but it is 100% a truck with the capability of the Wrangler that you’re looking for. So I would say that’s probably a pretty accurate way of describing the new Gladiator. You know, it’s a Wrangler. Plus, it’s not just a Wrangler with a bed on it’s got more so… John Haggard 7:53 And where did this idea come about for a Jeep Gladiator? Josh Ellison 7:57 It’s hard to say but I would say that demand is where it originated from you know? The return of the mid-size pickups have been pretty big out in the marketplace, Jeep obviously having its foot in the 4×4 segments and SUVs. You know, it’s kind of the natural progression to Hey, how do we expand this a little bit further. So, you know, market demand has really come out for Jeep, you know, Wrangler sales have been through the roof. People love the product, they love the car. So to be able to put a pickup bed on the back, and you know, bring that functionality down for somebody who maybe would be getting a Wrangler, but needs the functionality of a pickup that, you know, it’s kind of a natural fit just to progress in this manner. John Haggard 8:37 Alright, so I did a little bit of research before calling you. Just kind of looking at the website and seeing about the Jeep Gladiator up to 7650 lbs of towing capacity and also an available 1700 pounds of a payload capability. I mean, that’s just want to have one heck of an engine to be able to draw all that. It takes a lot of power that so that’s a bunch of weight! Josh Ellison 9:00 Yeah! You know, it’s like I said it’s all truck. Oddly enough, people would think that you know what type of towing capability, it must have a V8. But it’s you know it’s got a three-six pennant star, hooked up to an eight-speed automatic transmission, you know it gets the job done. It’s all trucks! John Haggard 9:17 So the Gladiator then you could load up your Jeep put a couple of dirt bikes back there and haul a four-wheeler behind it as well. Right? Josh Ellison 9:25 Yeah, absolutely shouldn’t be an issue. John Haggard 9:27 And then something else I saw. Getting through creeks and streams in depths of like up to 30 inches – that’s almost three feet. So without flooding out. I mean, it did no problem getting through? Josh Ellison 9:39 Yeah, the water flooring capabilities of it are awesome. And you know, that’s 30 inches straight from the factory. That’s not a, it’s not a list or anything like that on it. That’s just from the factory. So, you know, a couple that with, you know, almost a full foot of ground clearance shouldn’t be very many obstacles that get in your way of the new Gladiator. John Haggard 9:58 Yeah, you know, you mentioned lift. That’s something you know, it seems really big sometimes when I go out to eat, I’ll see a lift kit on a Jeep, you know, and it’s got green color over here and red color underneath over there. And it’s really cool how they can I guess you call it tricking them out, so to speak, Unknown Speaker 10:13 Being a natural derivative of the Wrangler, I mean, the Wrangler is one of the most accessorized vehicles in the world. So you know, Gladiator has definitely followed suit and, and people are able to make it their own. So it’s definitely cool seeing the different followings that you get the different looks that people like and the ability for everybody to kind of make it their own, so to speak. John Haggard 10:33 So Josh, what would you say are the most exciting features of the new Jeep Gladiator? Josh Ellison 10:39 To me, I mean, I think it’s open-air freedom. That’s something that we talk about a lot with Wrangler, and also, you know, it’s like Renegade. But, you know, Gladiators got open-air freedom. So it’s the only pickup truck where you know, you could take the top off of it, you can take the doors off of it, let your feet hang out if that’s what you want to do, you know. So again, The ability to just really kind of be out, you know, as mentioned before, in your element, whatever that is, and draw that into the interior. And then one of the cool things that I think it has on it is this kind of trail cam. And then me being an outdoor guy, you know, I kind of said, hey, what why, why on Earth would you need a camera at the front of the vehicle? Yeah, for going down a trail? This thing is awesome. It’s, you know, if you’re a one-man guy out there, or one woman, you know, out there by yourself and you need to get through the trail, this is an excellent way for you to be able to navigate some of those blind, blind drop-offs and see what’s out there. So you know, again, just something progressive that we said, Hey, this is something that we’ve done in the back to keep you from getting rear-ended or healthy back into a parking spot or out of a parking spot. How can it help you go forward, and I think they’ve definitely made a functional use of this trail camera. John Haggard 11:52 Yeah. So tell us about the Gladiators technology. A lot of people these days are, you know, real tech oriented like to see all the goodies, the electronics, things like that as well. What’s going on that way? Josh Ellison 12:02 Oh, yeah. So Gladiator has got all the connectivity in the world. You know, it’s right up there with every other vehicle that’s out there. You know, and it’s also got blind spot for collision with active braking, cross path detection, adaptive cruise control with full stop for those who may live out in the city, use cruise control on the interstate, you know. So it’s got all the technology in the world that could get you through your daily commute, you know? But still true to its roots of being an outdoor vehicle. John Haggard 12:35 You know, we also see on the website that the Gladiator comes with available Android and Apple Car Play. Are there advantages that Android and Apple Car Play have over other systems? Josh Ellison 12:46 Yeah! You know, I think both those systems in general just the you connect system itself, which is our exclusive platform that we use for connectivity, and we use for Android and Apple Car, play it 16 Extremely functional and intuitive. So, you know, the base that we operate Android Apple Car Play on is intuitive itself. But then you know, the Android and the Apple Car Play. I mean, that’s basically if you could just take your phone and stick it up on the dash, you know, all of your apps, all your icons are right there. Talk to text so you can keep your hands on the wheel. You can use Siri if you’re an Apple person. So it’s super functional. Like I said, it’s intuitive, it’s easy to use, and it really makes life a lot easier while you’re still able to be in full control of the vehicle. John Haggard 13:33 So the Gladiator Josh, how many people can it comfortably sit? Josh Ellison 13:38 It can comfortably sit up to five. So we got three in the back and then two in the front. John Haggard 13:43 Gotcha. All right. What would you say the top two or three questions people asked about the Jeep Gladiator? Josh Ellison 13:49 Oh, man, the top two that I always get? The first one is, what is that? Um, you know, it’s still being pretty new in the market. Most people think you’ve taken a Wrangler and you’ve just chopped the back off and then put some pickup bed on the back, but certainly not the case. So, you know, get asked a lot what is that, of course, it’s pretty easy it’s to speak to the product and walk the individual through it. And then the other one is kind of you know, extra on top of that is you know, is that just a Wrangler with the bed? You know, the answer is in theory, yes. Whenever you look at it, it’s not. It is a pickup truck through and through with all the four by four capabilities of its cousin, the Wrangler. John Haggard 14:27 All right, and why would somebody pick a Jeep Gladiator, Josh, let’s say over another pickup truck? Josh Ellison 14:33 Oh, lifestyle! Really. I mean, you know, what other pickup truck can you take its, you know, you can take the doors off of it, you can take the top off of it on the weekend and you can put it back together for your morning commute. You know, Monday through Friday, you can take it out in the woods, you can beat it up. It’s really up to you. So whatever your lifestyle is, there is a way that Jeep Gladiator continued into that. John Haggard 14:55 Got it. Alright, so when you are hungry, what’s your go-to order at your say your favorite hometown restaurant? Josh Ellison 15:04 I am a sucker for Mexican food. So any sort of steak burrito I will eat without any question. And then I don’t know why I’m a glutton for punishment apparently but I love hot wings as well. So, the hotter the better. If I’m sweating after them then that I’ve picked the right place. John Haggard 15:23 Then you’ve got the right ones, exactly. What who would you say in your life as you look back has been your biggest influence? Josh Ellison 15:31 Biggest influence in my life as I look back? Ooof, man, that’s a tough one. I would say most recently, you know, of course, my parents have a big you know, stake in my life and my wife but my kids have had easily influenced, how I view the world how I view my day how I view everything, you know? They definitely, they put things into a different perspective. You know, the days get little bit longer but the years gets shorter and it makes you slow down a little bit. So I would say that they have been by far the most influential in terms of shaping my thoughts and some of my actions as well. John Haggard 16:08 You know, it really does change a lot when you go from single to married and then married with kids, don’t it? Josh Ellison 16:14 Yeah, absolutely. Well, fortunately, we have to, so we’re only, we’re playing [inaudible] no zone defense going on here, you know? John Haggard 16:22 Yeah. How about a book, any book that you would recommend that someone it’s like a must-read? Josh Ellison 16:30 A must-read book. Well, I’m a big fan of the autobiography. So you know, being a guitar player The Slash autobiography was fantastic. I’m a big Guns n Roses fan. So I got to read that that was a good one. But in terms of this classic American literature, now the first one that comes to mind would be Zora Neale Hurston Their Eyes Were Watching God. So that’s probably one of my favorites. It’s based down here in Okeechobee, Florida. And I just think it’s it’s fantastic. It’s a great book. John Haggard 16:58 So what would you say that you wish, Josh that you had known? Something that you know now but when you first started out in the automotive business, you really would have liked to have known this and what is this? Josh Ellison 17:14 Enjoy where you’re at. Kind of more or less a life lesson but, you know, sometimes you look back on things and you go, Well, you know what, that was really great. I wish I would have slowed down a little bit. But I wish I would have known how to slow down and just kind of enjoy, enjoy the spot that I’m at, you know? Can’t get that time back, but had I known then what I know now, I may have done things a little differently. John Haggard 17:36 Yes. And do you feel like is there a unique skill or something that has really helped you go from point A to point B, like you’ve been talking about this really made you successful? Something, Josh, that you would say, you know, I don’t know if it would work for you, but you might be able to learn from it here would be my advice. Josh Ellison 17:55 Oh, my thing would just be perseverance, really. I mean, I think it’s something that anybody can have but You know, it’s tough sometimes to just keep going, you know, sometimes they’re, they’re tough days, sometimes they’re great days and you know, you gotta gotta take the wins with the wins and losses with the losses and move on. So if you can persevere in whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish, you can do anything you possibly want John Haggard 18:19 Anything that you are really most curious about right now? Josh Ellison 18:24 I’ve been getting a lot into music theory, it’s definitely way over my head in terms of where I’ve gotten to. You know, it’s more or less a second language but I’ve been diving pretty deep into music theory. So I would say that’s probably the most curious thing I’m into right now just kind of learning the difference you know, the different ways that you can put music together and piece music together. So… John Haggard 18:48 Yeah, you know, in Nashville, which is one of them, you know, Music Center headquarters of the world, I would say, there’s the chart system, they tell me. I’m not a musician, so I don’t know. But rather than running out notes, they say This song is a 135 or something like that. Do you do numbers like that? Unknown Speaker 19:04 Yeah, national number system. That’s what they refer to it as within each key, you have seven notes. So if you know what notes are in the key, you can just say, hey, the first note is, you know, this one, the first notes that one. So number one, the key of C is, is C. Yeah, it’s, it’s pretty easy. It’s nice to be able to transpose on the fly. But, yeah, I’m very familiar with that. John Haggard 19:27 You know, as you look out, just from your opinion, you look at the automotive business as a whole, you know, getting ready to go into another election season, lots of things going on in many industries. If you were going to look into that crystal ball, Josh and say, here’s what I see for the Jeep brand going in the next, you know, two to three, four or five years or maybe just the automotive business as a whole. Do you see anything that’s going to be really dramatic for the industry that’s going to change or just improvements on what we have? What do you see out there? Josh Ellison 19:56 Yeah, if I had to take a look at it, you know, from a Jeep brand perspective, you know, We’ve got a lot of, you know, exciting things that will be continuing to progress forward. I think every automotive manufacturer out there in the industry right now is trying to find what gives you that competitive edge. You know, it’s something that we’re all constantly striving for. But I would say that, you know, you’re definitely going to see a shift in terms of people’s perceptions of, things like electrified vehicles, and you know, maybe even ride-sharing and that kind of stuff with autonomous vehicles. So, it’s certainly an exciting time to see what’s going to happen and see what comes about and how the consumer takes to it. John Haggard 20:39 Josh Ellison, everybody the Jeep brand manager for the SE Business Center at FCA on the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram podcast. Thanks, Josh, for joining us today and join us again right here for other topics on the podcast throughout each month. You know, our goal, show you the best ways to purchase, lease, service and maintain, accessorize, and also sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible when you’re ready to do it. And to learn more about specific vehicles that you might be interested in. And as you know, we will post the transcript of the podcast right here so you can easily go back, find out any information that you want, right at your fingertips. I’m your host, John Haggard, and we will see you next time.

Christmas is early in this special edition of Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram podcast. In this episode, host John Haggard welcomes back Kim Baker, the CEO of the Gallatin Chamber of Commerce. Get to know her more as she and John discuss the Gallatin Christmas Events as well as the following topics: Kim’s Bowling CareerIs Kim Running for Mayor 30 Years from Now?Changes in Gallatin Over the Past 5 YearsMayor Paige Brown’s State of the City Address (Click on the Link to Watch)Holiday Events in Gallatin“Tinsel and Treasures” EventHow the “Tinsel and Treasures” Event WorksWhat Are the Prizes for the Participants?Perkins, the Oldest Standing Business in GallatinWhy Gallatin Christmas Tree Lighting Is Different From OthersGallatin’s Annual Christmas ParadeHow to Participate at the Christmas ParadeMisconceptions of the Chamber of CommerceHow Is the Chamber of Commerce Funded?Are There Any Job Openings at the Chamber of Commerce Right Now?How to Get in Touch with the Chamber of CommerceWhere’s the Chamber of Commerce Office Located Balloon Garland mentioned in interview: Baloon Garland is from (and sponsored by) Black Tie Floral Design and Events. Transcript John Haggard 0:02 Welcome to the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Special Edition podcast where we also interview community leaders, Gallatin area events that are happening. And today we’re excited to have back to the podcast. Kim Baker, she’s the chief executive officer of the Gallatin Chamber of Commerce. Hey Kim, welcome back! Kim Baker 0:20 Hey, good to be here again. Thanks for having me. John Haggard 0:22 You know the last time we spoke one of the things we found out about you is that you are pretty close to a professional bowler. So my question is, have you bowled a 300 Kim, since we last spoke? Kim Baker 0:33 Now I’d be careful using the term professional but I’m not gonna make that claim. And no, I haven’t bowled a 300. So I guess that tells you a lot about my professionalism in bowling. John Haggard 0:43 All right. Well, you have had a chance to at least bowl have you since we last talked? Kim Baker 0:48 You know what? I haven’t bowled but I do like to bowl a lot in the winter. You know, there’s not much else you can do. You can’t do a lot of other activities outdoors. So we reserve that kind of sore the colder months at our house. John Haggard 0:59 Gotcha. Well, the cold weather is on the way, so there you go. Hey, for folks who missed our last podcast with Kim, by the way, you can go to www.miraclefordtn.com and look under the podcast tab and you can find Kim Baker right there as episode number nine. Kim, we learned a lot of things about you like again, you’re good bowler, your bargain hunter when it comes to shopping and you like tent camping and you actually told us one time that you were dead for a short while and brought back to life. So folks go to podcast number nine if you have not already done so to listen to our previous podcast with Kim Baker. So Kim, since we last spoke, we learned that you joined the chamber in 2013 became the CEO in 2015. Even said maybe one day 30 years or so from now you might run for mayor did I get all that right? Kim Baker 1:49 Might. Not so, you know. You got most of it right. John Haggard 1:53 Okay. So if we were going to or you were going to recap what has happened in the past five years in Gallatin, just overall in terms of new industry that’s come to town, new shopping centers, new arts and entertainment, that sort of thing. What has been going on? Kim Baker 2:08 In the last three to five years, there’s been a lot. You know, Gallatin looks a lot different than it did three to five years ago. It certainly looks a lot different than it did about 20 years ago when I landed here. And since I’ve been here at the chamber, I’ve seen a lot of changes. You know, I think the best thing I’ve seen is through all of the changes, just the way the community is stuck together, and that hasn’t changed. So I like that because a lot of times when we see change, we see everything change. But there’s some things that have just been completely stable. And I think that’s the heart and the community in Gallatin. You know, I love seeing the growth and revitalization and some of the steadiness of the ebb and flow in our downtown. Businesses and just the changes in the downtown Gallatin of ebb and flow historically. Kim Baker 2:55 But in the more recent years, they’ve kind of just maintained and the businesses become more sustainable. We’ve seen a lot of the same faces. And I like to say we really have aces and their places on our square right now. We’ve got a great group of folks that work together. Of course, we’re seeing a lot more variety. Our dining scene has gotten a lot more dynamic. I like to call it Gallatin’s dynamic dining scene. And there’s just so many different options. And we’re seeing more of those. I mean, we’ve got several new restaurants popping up and several more to come in the next few months. I noticed the other day, I think it’s a new burrito place over in the Greenlee area, they’ve put their sign up. So that’s a good sign when you see a new sign. And so I’ve seen a lot of that over the past few years. You know, a few weeks ago, the mayor delivered her State of the City address, which is an annual address she delivers. Kim Baker 3:45 We’ve had the honor of her presenting that at a chamber luncheon for about a decade now. And she delivered that again and then she did an evening presentation. They actually filmed that this year. And so I would highly recommend listeners who did not see or hear that presentation, go check it out and find it. And you can find it on Facebook. And I can even send you a link. So you can link it into this podcast. It’s on YouTube. (Follow Link to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y79nK2e2Hzw) And it is a state of the city. And the mayor does a really phenomenal job when she delivers that presentation every year, I’ve never seen her deliver it poorly. But this year, I really liked how she opened with addressing some of our biggest challenges that we’ve seen in the past 12 to 18 months. And then some of the biggest challenges will face them in the days ahead. And she addressed those right, right off the rip, she said, “Look, the state of Gallatin and is great. We know we have these issues. However…” And then she celebrated all of our successes and how we’re going to integrate those along with these challenges over time. And I think that’s really positive for Gallatin to be able to stand up and say those things. So I’ll give you that link. So we can put that in here because folks should just really see that and I think it’ll allow them some time to reflect over things that they may not have even noticed that happened over the past year. Things that they may not even know are happening, you know, in their neighborhood in the days ahead. So… John Haggard 5:05 Yeah, that would be great. We will definitely put that link there. And was there any one thing that struck you as like, hey, what a surprise or glad to know, it turned out this way when we were working on it. Kim Baker 5:17 Let’s see, I don’t know that surprise for me because I, you know, I stay pretty in touch with a lot of the things that are going on in the community. I think that there was definitely some of the projects that were surprising to folks. And just, you know, one thing that the city’s working on right now, they implemented a strategic plan last year, and so they’re working on a comprehensive plan that is community involvement, and it’s focused on the feedback from community members, those insider community of people over the past year have had a chance to weigh in to develop this plan. And so they revealed a little bit of that and they revealed some clips of videos they had captured at some of the different planning sessions and so it is interesting to see people say different things, especially sometimes when you think you know, people really well. And then they have different viewpoints, which there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s what makes our city unique. And that gives us a different or unique culture. And if there was something that surprised me some of the clips they incorporate into that it’s like, oh, oh, they think like that. That’s interesting, you know, and it’s, it’s interesting to see how different people think. John Haggard 6:21 Yeah, well, let’s get to where the fun part is – the upcoming holiday events that are going on in the Gallatin area. We find that people now seem to travel a little bit more. Some if they live in Nashville they go to Franklin or they will go, you know, north or go east or go west. And I’m just wondering what is going on? What are the fun things that folks could look forward to in November, December, early January? Kim Baker 6:44 You know, there are so many. I like to say that this is the most magical time of year and I know that’s kind of cheesy because when we think of Christmas or even when we think of Disney World, we think of that term. But it really is a magical time of year in Gallatin and I think there’s a lot to do with it. I think the historic downtown it just has that very movie-ish feel to it when it’s all lit up and decorated for the holidays. Again, I think that hometown feel you experience in certain areas live in amongst all of the people that have been here for generations. But then I think a lot of it has to do with these special happenings that reoccur each holiday season. Kim Baker 7:21 So one of my favorites is actually coming up in November, and it’s coming up on Saturday, November 9th, and Sunday, November 10th. And it’s called Tinsel and Treasures. And it has been going on, we think, for about 50 years. Actually, it’s a chamber-organized event. It includes many local retailers in the area. So I think this year we’ve got right under 30 participating. And basically the gist of it is these folks, local retailers that have a brick and mortar in Gallatin, so they have to be in Gallatin proper 37066 zip code, they can participate. And we promote them. We market them. We Push out a passport that includes all of their names and their locations and their hours on them. And shoppers that weekend can start at any of the participating retailers. Pick up one of these passports, and then it serves as a guide and a passport to help them navigate the weekend. And so it is the holiday retail open house. It really kicks off the holiday shopping season in downtown Gallatin, and all over Gallatin. John Haggard 8:27 So passports that’s interesting. Tell me a little bit more about the passport itself. Kim Baker 8:32 Yeah, so it’s a piece of paper this year because we have so many participants. In the past, it had been a half sheet of paper. And so this year, it’s actually a full sheet, 8.5×11, because we have so many folks participating and so it kind of looks like a kind of like a Monopoly board on this like around the perimeter. There’s little boxes. Each of them has a logo or the business name and it may take it around. And so they start at they can start anywhere they want. And as they traveled each different spot, the idea is that they would go in hopefully shop and spend money. But if not just kind of browse and see what they have to offer and if it’s not something they need at the time, we hope that they go back. While they’re there they can get a punch. Each retailer has a unique hole punch that they will use to punch their passport and then they travel around and they can go to the next one. Kim Baker 9:20 A lot of these retailers will have their halls completely decked. That’s one thing we asked them – that they are decorated for Christmas. Every now and then we get a little pushback because they say Kim it’s the second weekend of November because this event always is the second week in November. But we say I know but it really kicks off the holiday season is sets the tone if you go ahead and put your trees up and your garland out and so they do. And they’ll have Christmas music playing, some of them will have live Christmas music like a chorus or a band. A lot of them will have Christmas cookies or Christmas spreads finger foods out special giveaways door prizes to shoppers throughout the weekend. And most of them already have their Christmas merchandise out. So if you’re looking to buy decorations, or you’re looking for new items that are hot and trending for Christmas gifts, that’s a great time to get them. Kim Baker 10:09 So the idea is that you would travel around and get as many punches as you can. This event stretches over two days. So on Saturday, it’s always from 10 to 5. And on Sunday, it’s from 12 to 5. So you have two almost full days to participate and get all the punches. If you visit at least 10 spots, you’re entered into a drawing. One thing we ask from these folks, this is not a revenue stream for the chamber by any means. We ask these folks when they participate, they give us $50 participate, and they give us $50 and gift cards. And so the $50 to participate goes to marketing and producing all the materials, we market and use our local media partners to help promote this event. And then the gift cards we divide up into two shopping spree prize packages. So two lucky winners will win a shopping spree to go back and shop at all these spots again. John Haggard 11:03 How much, if you are one of the two winners, would you receive? Kim Baker 11:07 Oh, let’s see, let’s do a little bit of math. Like this year, I mean, each place has given us $50. And then you got 30. So you divide that by two. Are you good at math? John Haggard 11:19 Yeah. $750 each, I think? Kim Baker 11:21 Yeah. About $750. Sometimes we throw in different prizes. Like we’ll put in some Christmas ornaments or some merchandise, and we’ll just have fun with it. Sometimes we’ll have retailers that give us things in addition to the gift card. So I mean, it could very well be a prize package up to about $1,000. John Haggard 11:41 Wow! Sounds fun! It sounds fun because people are going to want to shop anyway. So why not go, you know? Kim Baker 11:46 Oh, yeah, I mean, it really is and, and what we see now because this tradition has been going on it was it was started by Perkins many, many moons ago, decades ago, literally. And when it kind of started growing. I was told they reached out to the Chamber. This predates me, of course, but they reached out to the chamber and said, “Hey, this is growing to want to help?” And then that’s kind of how it fell into the Chamber’s hands. We just carried on with it, because we think it’s really good for our retailers and so we know that it brings folks into the area to shop. I mean, you go out this weekend and you see mostly, it’s mostly women. Now, there are some men a lot of times you see the men that are like waiting outside of a coffee shop, or they’ve been dropped off at a restaurant to catch a football game. John Haggard 12:29 Yeah! Kim Baker 12:29 But I mean, they’re out there. And it’s primarily women. And now you see generations of women. So you’ve got grandmothers or great grandmothers, who have been shopping for this event. Then it began like 50 years ago, and now they’re bringing back daughters and granddaughters and even great-granddaughters. And so you see multi-generational like families here shopping this event together. And that to me is so magical. John Haggard 12:55 Now, you said started by Perkins. Now for folks who don’t know about Perkins, tell us about that. Kim Baker 13:00 Perkins is a local pharmacy and gift shop. They now have two locations here in Gallatin. One’s in down Hartsville Pike by the hospital by summer regional. And then the other one is off Greenlea Boulevard near the Fairvue plantation neighborhood. And they are the oldest standing business that is still operational in Gallatin and, let me remember how old they are… I think we’re at over 130 now? John Haggard 13:27 Wow. Wow! Kim Baker 13:29 I think that’s right. They have… over 100 years old. They have got they have a beautiful little gift shop and both of their… yeah established 1895 so John Haggard 13:41 Wow. Kim Baker 13:42 Yeah, it’s awesome, right? John Haggard 13:43 Yeah. Kim Baker 13:43 And I think they’re on their, I think just maybe, the third or fourth owner. I could be wrong on that, but it’s owned by a local family and both stores and they have a beautiful gift shop in those stores. It’s one of my go-to places for baby gifts, wedding gifts I mean, when my husband and I got married, we registered it. You know all of the normal spots people register for dishes and things like that. But we also registered a Perkins and so my favorite little household items and gifts came from Perkins. Same thing with when my daughter was born. And so they’ve been a staple in our community for many years. So we were happy as a chamber to carry on this tradition. And we love love love this event. It’s one of my favorites and it’s one of my favorites actually participate in to get out and for us like most of the work we do for the event, producing it and organizing it happens the week ahead. Kim Baker 14:14 So we’ll actually spend the whole week getting ready and dropping stuff off and visiting all of our retailers. We’ll go in and will take pictures to make sure we’re pushing them out on social media. So if you’re not following the Chamber on Facebook, make sure you’re doing that. And follow Tinsel and Treasures if you’re interested to see a sneak peek at some of what the retailers will be having. But at the weekend I really like to get out and just be out. It’s not even about for me that weekend about shopping. I just like to see other people having so much fun in our retailers having so much business. John Haggard 15:04 Hey, and you know, speaking of all that, is there something special that goes on in Gallatin during the Holidays that someone would not find elsewhere? Or at least not in this area? Kim Baker 15:15 Um, you know, I think, I think Tinsel and Treasures is definitely one of those and that’s early on. You know, then I think if we look ahead, and we think about the tree lighting and some of the festivities that happen in the downtown area during the holidays, those are really fun, too. Now, I think every city, I say every city, I think most cities do some type of tree lighting. But I don’t think they do it like us. And I think that Gallatin does a lot of things different and I think that’s really what sets us apart. If you haven’t ever been to the Gallatin Christmas tree lighting, let me just kind of paint the picture for you. So this year, it actually happens on a Monday night. Historically, it’s been on a different night, but this year for scheduling purposes it’s on Monday, December 2nd. And the tree lighting event happens at 5 pm. The folks will gather in the square, the elven are all over little downtown and the tree will be up. Kim Baker 16:07 They actually have a permanent hole. This is kind of fun. If you ever come into the downtown and you go over by the courthouse in the area of the square, one of the parking spots, you’ll see this big hole that’s covered. That’s actually where they set the Christmas tree. And I think that’s so fun. My daughter who’s a little over two, we were out there and she said, “Mommy, what’s that? What’s that for?” She stepped on it. And I said, that’s where that, I was so happy to know, I said, that is where the Christmas tree goes honey. And she said ha and she was so confused. I said I’ll show you in a few months. Yeah. But our tree lighting, so you know, they, everybody piles and people come to this, like people with kids, people without kids. I mean, you see like senior citizens, you see very young people. I mean, it is incredible. It really is like something from a movie and like I get a little emotional every year when it happens. Kim Baker 16:55 And so they bring in local school groups to sing, you know, Christmas songs. And I think last year they had the Benny Bills Barkers, that’s from Benny Bills Elementary and, I mean, cute kids you can’t go wrong with kids singing Christmas carols. Anyway but they’re out there and they’re in their little Santa hats and so they sing. And then the mayor is out there because we have a wonderful mayor. She’s out there and she usually wears like a festive pea coat or something that’s very in season like with the Christmas time. And she’s out there you know, just wandering around handing out candy canes and taking pictures like just out there doing that. Yeah. And then she makes a few announcements and then she hands it over to Santa Claus. And Santa Claus who comes into town early for this event. He flies in and then I guess he gets back to the North Pole pretty quick. He comes in and he plugs in the tree. And everybody counts down. And it really is. It’s just magical. And so while I think other people definitely and other areas have tree lighting, I don’t think they do it quite like Gallatin. John Haggard 17:56 So Kim, you know a lot of towns and a lot of counties, areas have Christmas parades. What about Gallatin? Kim Baker 18:03 Gallatin has a Christmas parade. Again a big big holiday tradition here in Gallatin, Tennessee. And I like to say that our Christmas parade, I really do think and I’ve seen a lot of other Christmas parades across the state, ours is one of the largest in length and one of the most organized parades in the Middle Tennessee region. Our parade always happens on the second Saturday in December. That’s off at noon. And what I like most about our parade is the route. Our route if you’re familiar with Gallatin, begins off of Steam Plant. So that’s where we stage our parade. Everybody’s numbered, so it’s very organized, you get a number we make our people come to parade meetings just to make sure they know what’s going on, know where to go, where to be, how to behave, all of those things. Because it is, you say, you know, they’re herding cats thing? It’s kind of like that. And we haven’t had cats but we do have horses, we had a bull. We had dogs. And so we do herd all kinds of creatures for this parade. John Haggard 19:05 That sounds, that sounds fun! And how does someone if they say, “Hey, I like marching in parades!” And how would someone, let’s say they’re new to the area, maybe they’ve been in parades in other cities, but how do you get involved with that? Kim Baker 19:18 We do we have an application, you can actually access it through our website, gallatinTN.org. And through there, you’d go to our event calendar and you’d find the event, which this year it’s December 14th, which is it’s always the second Saturday. You click on that event and you find the application. You could print it off and mail it back via snail mail, email, or you could walk it in here to the office. There is a small fee but that’s just to cover some of our costs. Believe it or not, parade requires quite a bit of insurance. And so our parade is insured and we just make sure that it’s really safe. On top of being well organized. our highest priority is a safe parade. We want to make sure that no one either in the parade or watching the parade gets hurt in any way. So… John Haggard 20:02 You know, when you think of a Chamber of Commerce, that, you know, conjures up in the mind, I think, well, it’s all business and real serious type of stuff. It sounds like you guys have a lot of fun there. I mean, it sounds like your major involvement in communities, it’s not just about the money and business licenses and all that type of thing. Kim Baker 20:20 Yeah. No, I think there is a big misconception. And I do think there are some chambers, especially like regional chambers, there are a lot more focused on just business, business, business and money and things like that. And that is very, very important. I mean, it is important and vital to the community’s success that we have a strong and thriving economy. Absolutely. But on the other side of that, it’s equally important for us in our businesses to be successful for us to have a strong community. I mean, when you have a strong community, you indirectly have strong businesses. You just do, you see it. And so people support each other and they support businesses. So I’ll tell you, you know, in my time here at the Chamber, I haven’t had a day where I’ve woken up and said, “I don’t want to go to work today.” Now, you know, have I had days that I didn’t like, you know, as much as others? Absolutely. I think we all have those. But I really have enjoyed coming to work every day. And I think a lot of it has to do with the fun we get to have. We get to do really fun stuff. You know, actually, while we’re sitting here doing this podcast, I am looking in front of me, I have a piece of garland that’s made out of balloons. There’s gotta be at least 100 balloons on this. And they are… I wish I could like… maybe I’ll take a picture (see below) and give it to you. But, I will. And so we can reference this, but it is this beautiful garland and it’s to decorate for an event we’re having in our office. And what other, I mean like there’s a bunch of balloons. I had a lady here putting together a balloon garland like that doesn’t happen in every office. And stuff like that happens all the time here. And so we really do have a fun workplace and then we get to do fun stuff like Christmas tree lightings. We get to go to events where we’re shopping In the community and just loving on businesses. And so absolutely, I think it is fun here. And I think that chamber work is just naturally somewhat fun. But I also think that the culture we’ve developed here within our own chamber is very fun. And I think my staff would say that too. Balloon Garland John Haggard 22:18 And Kim, remind folks who may not know how, again, is the Chamber funded? Kim Baker 22:24 Yeah, so the Commerce of Chamber is, we are classified as a non-profit organization. We’re a 501C6, which means that we are, it’s just the tax designation we have, it’s for chambers and associations, the C6 designation. We’re not a charitable non-profit, like a C3, like the United Way or Safe Place for Animals or Habitat for Humanity. But we are… that’s just how we’re classified. So how are we funded? Folks pay annual investments to be a part of the Chamber. And so different businesses like Miracle Ford, Miracle Chrysler, they pay an annual investment each year that we are able to provide different opportunities for them to support them, educate them, and engage them, connect them with the community. We help them market we help expose different services and products they have. We just help get them in front of the community and really serve as that liaison and connector. So those funds help us some of our events fund us throughout the year. You know, we have about eight signature events that happen throughout the year. Some of those are strictly for community, like Tinsel and Treasures. That’s not a revenue stream for the Chamber. But then there are some that service fundraisers where we do we are able to put a little bit of money back into our programming. nd then we do receive a grant from the city of Gallatin. And basically we serve as the Welcome Center for the city of Gallatin. A lot of folks find us first. We produce an annual map, we produce a city guide and business directory each year and so we distribute those. We mail out 30 to 50 newcomer packets a month to folks that are relocating to the area or think they might be interested in doing so. And so we really serve as that Welcome Center and that first stop entity for the city. So we’d like to think that we’re a great community partner with the city of Gallatinas they are to us. John Haggard 24:20 You all have a lot going on there. So I just gotta ask, are there any employment openings at this very moment at the Chamber? Kim Baker 24:28 At this moment, there are not any employment opportunities and openings, but we always are looking for volunteers. We need great volunteers all the time. And, you know, like everything else I’ve said, volunteering with the chamber is super fun. We usually feed you. We never give you a bad job. The worst thing you might have to do is stuff and envelopes. I mean, that’s the worst thing, but we bet we’ll probably let you eat pizza while you do it. I mean, it’s not awful. It’s a great way when you volunteer with the Chamber you get to get in front of the community, gets to know the community, you get some insider information and get to learn and see behind the scenes things that normal people don’t get to see. You know, I’ve got a great staff here. We’re a bigger staff than we’ve ever been. Right now. There are, I guess there are five of us, four of us that are in the office every day. There’s another one that does not have an office in our office, but she has, she’s definitely a part of our team. And she’s here in and out. She works mostly remote and kind of she’s my feet on the ground. And then I have two other very part-time folks that kind of pick up as needed, and they basically serve as events support for special events, special programs. John Haggard 25:42 All right. Well, so if somebody did want to volunteer or just get in touch with you, Kim, what’s the best way? Kim Baker 25:47 Oh, man, the best way to get in touch with me would probably be by calling here at the office you can reach us (615) 452-4000. Sending me an email always works too, kim@gallatinTN.org. And then you can always find us on social media. I know that’s the main route of communication for a lot of different people and things. So, Gallatin Chamber, you can find us on Facebook, Instagram, we’re on LinkedIn, Twitter can find us on all of the places. John Haggard 26:19 And for someone that’s not that familiar with Gallatin, where exactly are you from a landmark? Like across the street from or next to? Kim Baker 26:28 Yeah. My office is next to City Hall. If you’re familiar with the Downtown area of Gallatin and the courthouse, it’s in the courthouse, this center of the downtown. Our office is right before that. I like to say we look like the little house that sits next to the city hall, we share a parking lot. We have teal awnings where 118 West Main Street. John Haggard 26:50 Thanks, Kim. That’s Kim Baker, everybody! CEO of the Gallatin Chamber of Commerce, our special edition guest today here on the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram podcast. So join us again right here for another special edition of the podcast. In addition to our regular topics that we discuss each month on the best ways to purchase, lease, service and maintain, accessorize, and sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible when you’re ready to do it. And don’t forget, there’s a transcript, right here, of the podcast and everyone on the website so that you can easily refer to it for information at your fingertips. We will also post those links that Kim talked about and that picture as well when it comes in. So I’m your host, John Haggard, we’ll see you next time.

The effort and hard work of the Gallatin Police Department in protecting our citizens is indeed priceless. In this Miracle CDJR Special Edition podcast episode, host John Haggard talks to Chief Don Bandy, Gallatin and Sumner County’s very own chief of police. Together, they talk about the following topics: Chief Don Bandy’s BackgroundGrowing up in GallatinChief Don’s HobbiesHow Don Became Chief of Police in GallatinIs There a Decrease in New Police Applicants?Tips in Protecting Cars from BurglaryDoes the Police Department Have Body Cams?How to Protect Gallatin BetterCommon Police Force MisconceptionsCombatting Crime and Drug ProblemsImproving Traffic EnforcementsGallatin Police Department Annual Golf TournamentShop with a Cop and Santa Classic ProgramsPolice Department Visits the Veterans HomeHow to Reach the Police Department for Those Who Want to Participate in Their ProgramsThe Biggest Challenge of the Police Department TodayWords of Advice from Chief Don Transcript John Haggard 0:02Welcome to the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Special Edition podcast where we also interview community leaders on topics that are of interest to the Gallatin area. And today we’re honored to have Donald Bandy. He’s the chief of police for Gallatin, and Sumner County on the podcast. Hey, Don, welcome to the podcast. Chief Don Bandy 0:21Well, good to be here. Thanks for inviting me. John Haggard 0:23Well excited to have you here. Before we dive in into what’s going on in the police world in Gallatin these days and for people who are either new to the podcast or new to this area or may not know you, tell us a little bit about you like, for example, did you grow up in Gallatin? Chief Don Bandy 0:39I did grow up in Gallatin, born and raised here. My mom pretty much raised me from a small boy and, like I say she was from this county. But I was born, grew up here, went to school here. Graduated Gallatin High School and go Green Waves! And just like I say I’ve been here the majority of my life. John Haggard 1:06You know that’s a real advantage because, every back alley, every front alley, I mean the entire layout, probably no surprise to you where any hidden corners or anything might be, right? Chief Don Bandy 1:18That’s true, that’s true. Well for the most part with all the new growth in our community it’s starting to expand. I have to get out of the office every once a while and ride some of these new developments. And learn my way around there. But as far as the neighborhoods that have been established for years I grew up here and have a lot of great friends and memories from this town. John Haggard 1:40I bet you do. Let’s go back on some of those memories back to high school what were maybe what was the most fun thing that you did in high school? You know? Chief Don Bandy 1:48I think it would, be thinking on this reflecting, I think it’s probably the relationships are built. Playing, I played football and played some basketball and just establish relationships with some friends for life. Coaches and again your teachers, it was really enjoyable it as you grow older and mature you kind of look back, you think they really didn’t have my best interests at heart as far as our coaches and teachers. And it’s always good to catch up with friends especially with social media these days. We went to school with. But that would probably be my most fond memory is the way athletics and in building those relationships for life. John Haggard 2:27Now you said you played football. What position? Chief Don Bandy 2:31I was an offensive lineman. I wasn’t really big, I was taught to wear a lot of pads. I look bigger. But things are so different these days. They’re these kids these days are very athletic and a lot of large. Athletic kids and they’re a lot faster than I ever was. So that’s kind of funny to see that. But I did, I played that and tried to play a little basketball. But you know how that is, again I couldn’t jump that high. I always laughed at. You could put paper on my feet, but I couldn’t do that. So, I think I have a coach now, Coach Ryan Berg. Love him to death. And he always jokes with my officers that he could lock me in the gym by myself all night and I couldn’t score two points. But, I said, coach, please don’t tell everybody that. But a lot of fun, yes sir. John Haggard 3:16What do you think it is? Why are the kids so much bigger today? Is it the water in Gallatin or what is it? Chief Don Bandy 3:23I think it’s everywhere. I think, for the most part, I hear kids are playing from everywhere. I know, Gallatin is having a great season at football. But, just kids in general. I mean, they’re just, it’s just a different age. I mean, from college to the pros to, obviously high school. And I have seen some kids at the middle school game the other day, and I was like, holy cow, we were never, I wasn’t that big in high school. So it’s just, I don’t know, I really couldn’t answer that. But it’s amazing to see that, yes sir. John Haggard 3:45It is. So from Gallatin, you are. So you still have a lot of family in the area, I would think? Chief Don Bandy 3:56Well, actually I was the only child. So and of course, my mom’s she’s been deceased since 2012. So it’s me and it’s my wife’s family. But again, I have a lot of great friends that I consider family and a lot of folks that mean a lot to me in this community. John Haggard 4:15Did you go to college as well, Don? Or did you elect to go to work early? Chief Don Bandy 4:19I did. I tried the Vol State experience, right off the bat. And, it’s kind of one of those things, you gotta be dedicated to it, and I wasn’t. So I took a couple of semesters, and then I decided not to. And then that I began the whole work thing. Life, that’s what it’s like. I started doing that. And, recently in 2012 I actually finished my degree in criminal justice with Bethel University. So glad I went back finished. I wish I’d done it a long time ago. And I tell especially our younger officers, go ahead and get that while you can while you’re at it. If you’re able to. And of course, college is not for everybody, but I do encourage you to try to do that and get a skill and get into something they will help you in the future John Haggard 5:01Yeah. So what do you like to do on your time off? Chief Don Bandy 5:04I got two boys. And they’re playing basketball and baseball right now. They’re a lot better athletes than I ever was, I tell them. But I like hanging out with them running back and forth. When I can I love love to play golf. I had been playing along and pretty bad at it. But I always say my B or C player is a lot better my A player so. But I do enjoy doing that so. John Haggard 5:26When you shoot golf, what do you, what’s your best score? Chief Don Bandy 5:29I would have probably gotten the 80s maybe a couple of times so I’m still… Well with that, yeah that’s having a lucky day for me so. But I like to say I really enjoy it. When I do get to do it, they say it’s supposed to be a stress release, but sometimes I feel like it’s the opposite. But, I do I keep going back for more… John Haggard 5:52There you go. Do you have other favorite hobbies that you like? Chief Don Bandy 5:55I try to work out. I try almost every day. Sometimes I don’t make it but I do. I go to the local civic center here, the Gallatin Civic Center. And, again, it’s just trying to stay in shape and keep your body healthy I think a lot of times the older I get I know that they say the diet is more important than working out and I do believe in that because it doesn’t seem to be catching up any. John Haggard 6:19Yeah. Chief Don Bandy 6:21I gathered I just said that. But yeah, pretty much that. Golf and I enjoy, loving to do that. And of course, going to my boys’ ball games, that type of stuff. John Haggard 6:30So of course, you grew up in Gallatin, as you said. So how did you get to be chief of police for Gallatin in Sumner County? Chief Don Bandy 6:38I started law enforcement in 1992. I had a friend that was a US Marshal and he kept encouraging me to get in law enforcement. And I had no desire to but I thought I’d give it a try. So I got my start there and worked within the county and met some good friends and changed jobs kept talking back and forth and then I just got, here Gallatin. And I don’t know, I just, all those things where you just say I’m just gonna stay put and work hard. And the next thing you know, I got to Sergeant and then I get to Lieutenant. And then I was blessed and I got called upon and I put my name for Chief and I truly believe that the community was behind me 100% on that to get the job. And I’ve been Chief since May of 2011. So I’m very blessed. John Haggard 7:25You’re close to 10 years. Chief Don Bandy 7:27Yeah, yeah, it’s kind of… they say the life expectancy of Chiefs around three, four years and that… John Haggard 7:34Really? Chief Don Bandy 7:35Yeah, that’s what they say. John Haggard 7:37Why is that? Chief Don Bandy 7:38I think it’s probably a lot of things people want to… they may move on to different jobs or different careers to move up the ladder if you will. Some people may go. We had a chief from Kentucky, we had one that was here from Mississippi and you always go back home, so to speak. So, but my case, I’m not resume-building, do you know what I’m saying? I’m just here because I grew up in this community, I love it, and I want to do my best to serve it. And hopefully, I’ll be here for several years to come. So… John Haggard 8:11Yeah. Now before you became involved in police work, did you have another profession? Something else you were involved in? Chief Don Bandy 8:17I worked for a company called Rebound. It was a brain injury rehab facility. And it was one of those things where, I kind of tried the college thing and I was like, “Oh, good, gracious, I don’t want to do this.” And, at the time it spreads my got me in over there. And it was really, I think it really helps me now because you got to have a lot of patience. Because you do have some folks that have experienced the brain injury and their decision making is an obstacle for them. So it helped me to, again, have patience and learn from that. I think it helped me in law enforcement and I really do truly believe that. As I look back on that time working there. I think they met a lot of good folks there and I truly believe that helped me do this job. John Haggard 8:59How big is The Gallatin Police Department? Chief Don Bandy 9:01We have 87 sworn positions, and we are four short right now. So we just tested which will be probably filling some of those… we’re in that process. And we have, I think, another 10 as far as civilians because, I mean, there’s so much in what they do… they’re more support staff. Really we can’t do our job without them these days, they prepare records and document them and getting everything the way it should be, because everything has got to be to a tee as far as that stuff goes. We have to have that stuff. And they do that stuff on a regular basis. I mean, they’re always keeping the wheels rolling, I say because, we have officers out on the street, but there’s so much that goes on behind the scenes that they do a great job, too. So… John Haggard 9:22Do you find an interest in the career of law enforcement for a police officer? Do you find more candidates than you used to? Fewer candidates or about the same or is there any trend there? Chief Don Bandy 10:00It’s dropped off. And I think it has across the board with other agencies I’ve talked to. Other chiefs and sheriffs, and… used to you’d have 60 applicants or 80, or whatever. And now, you may have 20 or 30. And I don’t know, I hope that, to me, it’s a profession that’s a calling. A lot of people, we run towards chaos and bullets and other people run away from it. And again, I always say about our officers and our staff and myself included, we’re not perfect. But we’re doing our best to try to do the right thing and give you the best service possible. John Haggard 10:37Well, let’s talk about protection. People would like to know, are there any really good tips, or maybe the best tips. Let’s say, if someone wants to protect their car from burglary, or having a car stolen, are there are some basic tips, you would say, “Hey, based on the area where we are, here’s, here’s what you ought to do to help prevent that.” Chief Don Bandy 10:56Well, and again, that’s a great question because a lot of our crimes are burglaries of vehicles. And what we’ve experienced is especially in neighborhoods, people say well I’m leaving my doors unlocked. But a lot of folks that when they do go to do this, they will not take the time to try to break out the window. They will just check your door handle and going to the next driveway. And so I always encourage them now to… There’s always that chance they bust one out still. Especially if you leave something of value like a computer a purse, weapons. Please don’t leave anything in a car like that. Just be mindful and try to get them out of there and if you’re somewhere that you do have that stuff in there please put them in the trunk and make it as difficult as possible. Because when I see it in plain view that maybe, in a parking lot at Walmart or whatever that may be their great opportunity to bust out that window and grab your computer or your purse, what have you. But at your home when we have those burglaries that we have subdivisions that will go through at night in the past and others hit driveway to driveway. So we encourage you to lock that door because they will not take the time. They don’t want to make the noise to get them go on to the next one. And that’s the usual case. Now say that and they somehow call me and say, “Hey, by the way, I tried that it didn’t work.” But, for the most part, we do encourage you to just keep it out of sight, especially when you’re out and about. And with the holidays coming out, goodness gracious, we always have a lot of problems with that. Just be aware of your surroundings. When you were in a parking lot, or wherever you are, try to get to where the light, where it’s well lit, and just be aware of it. Keep your head up, don’t be reading your phone, walk into the car that, just the simple things like that. John Haggard 12:30Chief, a lot of people hear a lot today on the news about home invasions. Any tips or, this is kind of a big fear where you wake up and all of a sudden hear somebody in your bedroom or whatever. Chief Don Bandy 12:43Sure. One of the main things is home security. I have one myself and I encourage that and then advertise it. And there are all types of cameras you can have you have them, in your doorbell or what have you. Now I encourage you there, they’re fairly as many as out there now, yet they’re fairly cheap. And I encourage you to go out and spend the money, it would be worth it to have a little bit more security to have a little peace of mind, if you will, that hopefully the bad guy that they noticed that they’ll go on to the next one. So we do encourage that. And, the simple things… just be aware, when you come out. If you got shrubs up around your house, keep them trimmed down where you can see the simple things like that. If something doesn’t look quite right, somebody’s in your neighborhood or cars there that you don’t think, is usually there and it doesn’t look right, we would rather you call us and us to find out the hard way that they didn’t belong. So if we offend you, going to check it out. We apologize, but we just want to make the street safe. And most people that they’re in their neighborhood they know what’s right or wrong or what doesn’t look right. And you got to trust your gut feeling and your instincts and a lot of times they’re right when you give us a call we go check something out. It wasn’t up to snuff, so. John Haggard 14:03Yeah. And speaking of cameras, does the police department use body cams? Chief Don Bandy 14:08Yes, sir. We do. It’s a, I think we started in, I want to say 2014, 2015, somewhere around there. And we, we’ve always had in-car cameras since back when we had VHS tapes in the 90s. John Haggard 14:21Right. Right. Yeah. Chief Don Bandy 14:22So we’ve had those for a long time. And I just felt it was a great opportunity for us to do that. So actually, we went out and actually use drug fund money where we had gotten fines and fees and seizures off of narcotics-related offenses. Yeah. And we use that money instead of using other taxpayer money. We use that money to equip all of our officers with that. Of course, technology’s ever-changing. So we’re trying to stay up to date on that. And they are quite expensive, but to me, it’s worth it. It protects the citizen, it protects our officers, and again, it helps us. I mean even like you say when we do make a mistake. It helps us to look at that and try to get better. And then again, sometimes when, unfortunately, there are false claims against us, it sometimes in a lot of times, it shows it’s not true. And, sometimes we give the citizen the opportunity to sit down and look at it with us. And they realize that, hey, I wasn’t quite right in my recollection. And that’s embarrassing by you calling anybody out, but I think it’s just a great protection for all of us. Especially in this day and age and the citizens, they deserve the best, and that’s what I mean. To me having those is, to me a no-brainer that I think we owe that to the citizens to do our best and to make sure we’re doing it the right way. John Haggard 15:43Yes. And, you know, cameras are just everywhere today. I mean, on your cellphone, you know just everywhere. And I would sure think when people know something or somebody or a camera is photographing you it’s got to be a deterrent. Chief Don Bandy 15:56Yes, sir. Yes, sir. You would think so. And there’s another thing that we’re working on because we have red-light cameras, which are not really popular for a lot of citizens. But we have a thing that we’re implementing, and we’ve used it in the past, but we’re trying to again, funding is always a problem with these types of things. Technology is expensive, but they’re called license radars, we call it up ours and. Israel PD. is doing it, this county is doing it, and we were doing it one time. And again, we kind of get caught up in the expense of it. But we’re trying to implement those we get some we just implemented and what they do is they read a tag. Say a tag is stolen or a person is wanted that goes back to that tag. And if that’s entered into a database, it will alert our officers via computer and our dispatch via computer which will say hey, the black truck is out all for 109 South. It has tag ABC 123. And we start looking for it. And it won’t tell us exactly where it is, but it would give if they say that tag was stolen or that truck was stolen. Over the weekend, we found a stolen vehicle like that. Yeah so it… And again that’s not Big Brother watching because if your tag doesn’t show in the database as stolen, wanted or what have you, it won’t even notify us that you pass by. But if one passes by that were stolen, little bells go off and it lets us know that, hey it just passed over such a such Boulevard and we need to be on the lookout. So our guys get to obviously saturate that area. It works pretty well for us. I know, I hear Hendersonville has had a lot of success because they have a lot more than us. But it’s just another way you try to fight crime and every time you come up with something, the bad guys come up with something better it seems like. You’re staying behind the wheel you’re doing your best to stay firm but sometimes staying behind. John Haggard 17:41Yeah. So is there anything just overall that you would say that people don’t seem to understand or maybe they misunderstand about the police force in general? Chief Don Bandy 17:52Well, I would say that, you hear all the time that they gotta get the quota or the right number of tickets today and that is so far from the truth. It’s, and we preach this philosophy that any county enforcement action, whether it’s an arrest or ticket or whatever we do, it’s to deter behavior. It’s not to hurt somebody’s wallet. And I know people are hardworking and trying to make money. But, if you see us work in the areas where is, okay, we’re stopping a lot of cars, it’s probably because somebody complained. Because as the city is growing, it’s hard to keep up, you try to stay proactive, but we’re almost reactive in our efforts sometimes with traffic enforcement. And again, citizens let you know, when somebody’s speeding, they’ll let us know, let the mayor know, they let the council know. So, they pass it down the line and we do our best to work on it. So we’re not there. Just because we don’t have anything to do I promise you we have more than we say grace over but we, we’re there because, there’s been a high number of crashes recently there or somebody just said, “Hey, there there are a lot of speeders on the road. Could you please come check it out?” And that’s what we try to go out and address those especially John Haggard 19:01Yeah, and as you look out, we talked a little bit about initiatives and things that are going on that you have. If you look in the next say, three to five years, Chief, and are there just a lot, with technology? And what do we have to look forward to, I guess, in terms of fighting crime, or just kind of what’s going on? Chief Don Bandy 19:17It’s the whole thing of technology, cameras, I know we’ve really worked hard putting cameras up on our greenways and our parks and now we’re trying to do license plate readers. So, as you say, everywhere you look there’s that type of technology that’s coming up and we’re trying to keep up with that we think it’s going to be beneficial in deterring crime. And, like you say if you see that camera, you may not commit that crime. And we will let you know. The cameras there so maybe you’ll understand how you got to go somewhere else. So I think that’s going to be huge in the years to come and of course, there’s always technology of IT. And, in general, it’s just changing every day. And, we’re trying our best to keep our staff working on… that’s a totally different ball game when it comes to how to address a certain crime. Compared to the old school days of just breaking into car and stealing something, so yeah, you got to just keep rolling. And of course, I mean, we have a big problem with the opiates, heroin and getting all being put into everything and it’s, that that’s what’s scary. We’re having overdoses. I don’t know the numbers off-hand. But it’s, it’s tremendously increased over the last couple years that, and again here and not just here – everywhere. And we’re always trying to meet as law enforcement officials and trying to find out, plans of action what we can do to try to knock that down and deter it and it’s just a scary time as far as that type of stuff is out there. John Haggard 20:44So I would think that you would also have speaking of drugs and trying to suppress and get those off the street, a drug interdiction unit there or undercover people who are in that line of work? Chief Don Bandy 20:56Well, we do have, we call it a flex unit and they work Lot of narcotics situations and investigations if you will. We have two K-9s that are trained to detect drugs and also track and apprehend criminals. So we are trying and we also work and we try to work closely with our judicial district, Drug Task Force and the other agencies that are also trying to combat these types of problems. So, yeah, we’re constantly working on those things and trying to ID where the problem might be, or any kind of Intel we can gather and where we can put our resources. So it’s a constant, and right now, it’s an uphill battle, but it’s something we gotta fight that fight. So, and keep going forward. John Haggard 21:39Back to traffic enforcement for just a moment. Some people will say, you know, the speedometer on my car is three or five miles or four miles different from the officer who said, “Hey, you know, you were going 70 in a 65.” Is that possible or does is the radar, hey, it doesn’t matter? Chief Don Bandy 21:59It can, it can be in and we try to encourage our officers and tell them to give it a little bit of leeway there as far as that go. Now, I’ll say that we don’t write tickets three to five miles over. And I say that, somebody will bring one to me, but we encourage them not to just because of that, but there’s so many things. We calibrate those radars, and we have to do it by law to make sure every one of ours are calibrated. And so there’s tires and transmission roads or what not. Whatever that could make it vary. And, we we’re talking about earlier that there are all types of apps out there… I know there’s a life 360 that tells you how fast you’re going and others. Google Maps that will tell you exactly what you’re going in your car now or the exact… I don’t know, you couldn’t testify that in court. But it will maybe give you a better idea, especially if somebody has experienced getting a citation and you felt you’re only going so many miles an hour and we said five or six over so or whatever, if there was that big a difference, you could try that to see where you’re at to see maybe if there’s something going on with your vehicle, we would encourage that. John Haggard 23:12Gotcha. Is there anything that you do as a police department annually that’s involved in the community? Chief Don Bandy 23:18Absolutely. We’ve got a, of course, it’s coming up. We’ve got a golf tournament that we set up every year. It’s a Shop with a Cop. It’s for Shop with a Cop where it benefits kids. And we call it the Santa Classic and this year we’re having it at the Fairvue Country Club at the Fairvue Plantation. It’s going to be November the 11th. So if you guys know of anybody that that wants to play and wants to get the money goes, all the money goes strictly to our Shop with a Cop program, which the first week in December, the first weekend in December, we take around anywhere from 100, 120, 130 kids shopping at Walmart. We spend quite a bit on them. So all that money goes to them. And of course obviously there if there’s anybody in need during the year we try to recognize that we also take some of that money and we help out some veterans out here at the Veterans Home every year and give them a little Christmas because a lot of those guys don’t have and gals don’t have family. So that’s a good cause. If you don’t play golf, we’ll take any kind of donation but we’d love for you to come out, play golf with us. Then if you want to register you can contact our department and contact Craig Gregory here at the Gallatin police department. And if not, you come out on the day we do Shop with a Cop and you’ll get a blessing I promise we will pair you up with officer or a fireman or whoever and a child and you’ll have a big-time I promise John Haggard 24:48Sounds like a great event, it really does. Chief Don Bandy 24:50Yes sir. Also, we do, before I forget, we also take those funds and we do a backpack giveaway right before school. We give out about 200. We’ve been partnering with the West Eastland Church of Christ here in town over on West Eastland. And we’ve been doing that last two or three years and we just put some school supplies in there and we meet great kids and we let them know we’re there for them, we’re their friend. And give them something to start school with and hopefully, they’ll have a good school year. So we do that. And those are the types of things. We also do a citizens police academy yearly which is we’re in the process of right now. But it’s a chance for our citizens that are interested that, I always say, I appreciate those folks that want to know what we do for real because, you watch TV, and I promise you it’s not really like that. Yeah. Oh, it’s a different animal. Yeah, even with the commercials. It’s not like that. We can’t solve a case that fast usually, but sometimes we do. But it’s a chance for them to come in and see what we really do and see how it works. And again, we build some friends, build up some relationships that I think are very important for what we’re doing here at this department. John Haggard 25:58So what would you say, just as a general sum, the biggest challenge that you face today in that policing environment? Chief Don Bandy 26:08I hate to go back to the narcotic problems but it’s gotten to where it’s you just don’t know. People are using those substances and you’re trying to educate folks and your kids are coming up and you just worried. I mean, back in the day there was marijuana and some things like that. But these things are so dangerous and us trying to stay on top of, that means they’re just, cooking they’re just mixing some stuff in, like what you see on the Internet, that you put fentanyl and marijuana… fentanyl and whatever. And that’s what I mean, obviously, that we say there’s no boundary. I mean, you may have somebody who lives in a million-dollar home where you may have somebody living in a car, that overdoses. And there’s no rhyme or reason and that’s what it’s very discouraging and disheartening. But again we got to do our best to try to find the sources and take take them to task, if you will. So that would probably be one of the main things, is just trying to knock this problem down. To me it’s very serious and very dangerous. John Haggard 27:13Right, right. Would you say over your entire career, Chief, if you were just thinking about that, is there any one main important thing that you’ve, you know, you’ve learned personally, either about life or just it’s something that you would pass on to someone? Chief Don Bandy 27:30Well, it’s, as far as being a police officer that, we’re human, we’re people. We have bad days just like everybody else. And again, I know we’re held to a higher standard than we are to, to not that we’re better than anybody but we just try to tell our officers… Hey, you always say… well, how would you want to be treated but think how would you want your family treated your brother, your sister, your mother, your father.. How would you want to be treated and hopefully, our officers will keep that to mind and go out and do their very best job. And, take into consideration that when you call the Police Department, you’re probably not having a good day? You’re not calling to go, “Hey, How y’all doing?” I mean you’re calling because you had a crash or you had something stolen or… you’re in contact with us because of unfortunately maybe getting arrested. So I always tell officers to treat those folks with the utmost respect and kindness, because they’re people, they’re humans, and they didn’t like, say, they probably didn’t bargain for that on this particular day, but just treat them the best you can. John Haggard 28:34I was just thinking as we were talking, let’s say that you had a billboard somewhere in the city or on a county road or wherever it might be. If you could have that billboard with anything on it some saying or something there, what would it be? Chief Don Bandy 28:50It would probably be what I kind of want to just discuss. Like I say, I’m a Christian. I might say, God says look, you love Him then love each other next. And that’s kind of what it’s all about there. It’s how you treat folks and just think about it before you lash out or you might be having a bad day or say some things you regret. But just think how would I want my mom and dad treated and that’s where my family or my brother my sister. And just don’t be selfish and stay humble and go forward that’s a lot to put on a billboard, ain’t it? John Haggard 29:24It is, yes! Chief Don Bandy 29:26But it is we need to make some good rules life and we just preach to the choir when I say that time to myself looking in the mirror. So this is a great call and great profession. And we’re blessed to be in this community and serving it, so… John Haggard 29:40So let me ask you this one final question. What would be the one thing about you, Chief, that most people would not know and that someone would be really surprised to know about you? Chief Don Bandy 29:53Oh, goodness. I’m really afraid of heights. I don’t know if that would be a surprise, but I did have to admit that I tried out for a fire department one time and I got halfway up the ladder and I thought, “Man, I’ve got this leg I’m going to make it this please let me get that.” I looked up and I’m only halfway there and I had to go all, I couldn’t just stop. So I went all the way up the ladder and I said, “Lord if you just let me down, I don’t want to do this.” I did not want anybody to come up beside me. And I thought how I ever looked myself at my face in the mirror, so yeah, definitely scared of heights don’t like them at all so. John Haggard 30:29Anything I didn’t ask you that you would want people to know. Chief Don Bandy 30:32Think you covered it really well. Just, as you say, be patient with us. We’re doing best and if you have any questions or problems always say, “Hey, don’t argue by the side road. Please call my office. I’ll be glad to sit down. We will watch a video or whatever we need to do to try to work out the problem.” John Haggard 30:50Great. Yeah. So what is the best way if somebody wants to get in touch with you personally? Chief Don Bandy 30:55Yes, you could call for 452-1313 and the extension is 3219. Or you can always just send me an email dbandy@gallatinpd.org and I mean, I have this fancy iPhone with me all the time so I have it on there. I never turn it off. So, if I respond to you at 9 o’clock at night, don’t be surprised. John Haggard 31:18All right, that’s Donald Bandy folks, the chief of police for Gallatin and summer county on the podcast. He’s our special edition guest today on the miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram podcast. So join us again, right here for another special edition of the podcast. In addition to our regular topics that we do discuss each month, on the best ways to purchase and lease service and maintain, accessorize and sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible. When you’re ready. Don’t forget the transcript of each podcast. It’s right here so you can go back anywhere and look up what it was that you missed, so you don’t have to listen to the entire podcast over again. I’m your host, john haggard, and we will see you next time. Bye

This is a special episode of the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Podcast! For this week, host John Haggard speaks with Dr. Jerry Faulkner, the president of Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, TN. Throughout the half-hour, they tackle on vital topics such as: Dr. Faulkner’s Personal Background His Life Pre Vol State Life in the 60s Compared to Today Dr. Faulkner’s Hobbies How and When Dr. Faulkner Started at Vol State The Difference Between State Colleges and Universities Vol State Campuses From College Dropout to College President Programs Offered at Vol State The Future of Academia Vol State’s Scholarship Programs How You Can Contact Dr. Faulkner Transcript John Haggard 0:02 Welcome to the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Special Edition podcast where we also interview community presidents and leaders on topics that are of interest to the Gallatin area as a whole. And today, we’re honored to have Dr. Jerry Faulkner on the podcast. Jerry is the president of Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin known by some folks as Vol State. Hey, Jerry, welcome to the podcast. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 0:26 Thank you. Thank you. My pleasure to be with you. John Haggard 0:28 Great to have you before we dive in it’s always interesting to know about the person behind the job, the person behind the scenes. Tell us a little bit about your background. Did you grow up in Gallatin or in this area? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 0:42 I did not. I grew up near Knoxville and live there a significant part of my life in a little community called Corryton, kind of Northeast of Knoxville. So only came to Middle Tennessee when I when I came to Vol State. John Haggard 0:58 All right, so you are a Tennessee Native? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 1:01 Yes, never lived outside the state. John Haggard 1:03 Right, okay. So in your area just north of Knoxville, where did you go to high school? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 1:08 Yeah, I went to high school at Carter High School, the Green Hornets, in Strawberry Plains Tennessee. Again little east of Knoxville and outside of Knoxville proper. John Haggard 1:21 Now did you play sports or anything special in high school that you did when you were there? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 1:26 Yeah, I did not play sports. Probably the special thing I did was I was on the yearbook staff my senior year of high school and that was a great experience. John Haggard 1:38 Yeah, the yearbook. So you collect all the pictures, do the articles. And I always remember about a yearbook, the seniors always have those, you know, parting words that they write into the yearbook. So I guess you would see a lot of that as well. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 1:52 Yeah. We had you know, we had a whole staff of students plus our faculty advisor and and yeah, all the pictures and all the candid pictures of events. It was a very enjoyable experience. John Haggard 2:05 Now you came to Vol State when? What year? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 2:08 I came in May of 2012. John Haggard 2:10 Okay, May of 2012. And so do you have family here in this area as well? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 2:15 I do not. All of my family is in East Tennessee mostly clustered somewhere around Knoxville. John Haggard 2:22 Well, you know the great thing about family even if they’re not right next door, you have Skype and all these online ways, FaceTime. It seems like the world’s very small these days because we can see them live video. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 2:34 Oh, absolutely. It’s remarkable to be able to connect in the ways that we do you know I… Folks my age, remember the Dick Tracy wrist radio… John Haggard 2:46 Yes! Dr. Jerry Faulkner 2:49 How far out that seemed in that day, but it’s what you know, with the Apple Watch. It’s totally possible today. John Haggard 2:56 It is and I actually take calls on the Apple Watch and it’s really Really cool to think that it really happened. You remember the James Bond movies when he had a what a phone in the car and that was so cool. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 3:07 Yeah, yeah. John Haggard 3:08 And today it’s everything. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 3:10 Yeah, it’s everywhere and everything. Yes. John Haggard 3:13 When you are not working at Vol State during the week of course you have time off maybe weekends. What do you like to do on your time off? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 3:20 Well, my wife and I like to travel and we’ve been fortunate in recent years to be able to travel quite a bit. And then I’d like to bicycle as well for exercise and for for the enjoyment of it. John Haggard 3:34 Would that be your favorite hobby? Bicycling? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 3:37 Well, hobby-wise, I guess I would have to say my hobby is photography. My wife and I recently visited Africa and she’s quite a shutterbug as well. So between the two of us we took about 2500 pictures. John Haggard 3:51 Oh, wow. Now, are you one of those that has that big, what, $1500, $2000, $3,000 camera that shoots all that? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 3:59 No, I, you know, I’ve got a digital camera, a pretty nice digital camera, but no it’s not one of the more expensive ones. John Haggard 4:07 Now you say photography as your hobby. Back in the old days, maybe in high school or college, did you go into dark rooms and develop pictures? I used to do that. It was kind of fun. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 4:17 Yeah, I actually did do some of that. During during my Master’s Degree program, I actually took a course in Biological Illustration. And part of that was photography. And I actually did a little bit of developing of slides, even at home, during my teaching career, because getting slides developed was a lengthy process. And so I was able to actually to do that at home. John Haggard 4:44 The one thing I remember about slides, I think it was called ektachrome or something like that back. then. It had to be, yeah, the temperature had to be something like exactly 71 or 72 degrees or something like that? Am I remembering right? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 4:57 Yeah, you had you had to be very careful with the temperature or you had to adjust the time and the solution? John Haggard 5:03 Right, right. Wow, those are the old days, Jerry. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 5:08 I don’t know if you can even buy ektachrome film anymore, but… John Haggard 5:12 I don’t think you can, I don’t think you can. So, tell us what got you to Nashville or in the Gallatin area, 2012 I think you said, to Volunteer State Community College. How did that come about? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 5:22 Yeah. Well, I joined the Tennessee Board of Regents Community College System in 1993 as a faculty member teaching Biology and Environmental Science at Chattanooga State Community College. And I was there for several years and stayed there as I became department chair for the biology department. And then in 2008, was selected as the Academic Vice President for Cleveland State Community College just up the road from Chattanooga and was there four years. And then I saw the opportunity for the President’s position here at Volunteer State Community College and applied and was selected for that position. John Haggard 6:09 All right, now what is the difference actually between a you hear Community College and then you hear University or is there a difference? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 6:17 Yeah, there are some differences. We are a two year college and so the highest degree that we offer is an associate’s degree. We have associates of arts, associates of science, associates of applied science, which are career programs and then shorter term certifications that lead to careers or skills for careers, whereas the universities are offering bachelor’s degrees and even master’s degrees and doctorates. Also, most of the universities have a selective admissions process at a community college like Vol State. We’re open admission. I jokingly sometimes say that the only number you have to have to get into Vol State is 98.6. John Haggard 7:08 Yeah, that’s pretty good. Yeah, that’s good. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 7:10 Yeah. Because we take we take students wherever they are and help them get to where they want to be. And then of course, we’re non residential. We’re strictly a commuter college. John Haggard 7:22 Gotcha. Okay, and then to understand the history of Vol State, when did it begin and how did it begin? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 7:31 Yeah, well, in Tennessee in the 60s, particularly the last half of the 60s, there was kind of a state-wide movement to have community colleges or sometimes they were called junior colleges, across the state of Tennessee. And so, in the late 60s, a group of citizens here in Gallatin began to organize and to work with the General Assembly in the Governor’s Office to have a community college here in Sumner County. And so we’re actually closing in on our 50th anniversary. Little bit of a debate about when to celebrate our 50th anniversary because the defining legislation and the approval of the Higher Education Commission actually came across in 1969. Groundbreaking at this location was in November of 1970. And then the first students were actually admitted in the fall of 71 although they did not attend classes here on this campus. The offices for the college we’re on Main Street, Gallatin in the Cordell Hull building, and pretty much every church on Main Street had Vol State College classes in it. John Haggard 8:47 Wow. So 50 years, 50 years, half a century Wow, time flies when you’re when you’re having fun, dunnit? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 8:54 Sure does. John Haggard 8:54 Now, are there multiple campuses of Vol State or just in Gallatin? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 9:00 No Actually there are multiple campuses. We have a campus in Springfield and Robertson County. We refer to that as the Highland Crest campus. We have a campus and Cookeville at the Cookeville Higher Education campus, and then campus in Livingston in Overton County as well. And then we’re working very hard to have a campus in Wilson County. We hope within the next 30 days by certainly before the end of 2019 that will close on the purchase of 10 acres of property in Wilson County and begin the work of having a site in Wilson County. John Haggard 9:41 Oh. Okay, so you’re pretty much in the final stages. Now. It’s the purchase agreement is in place, and it’s just going through the actual closing? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 9:48 Yes, that’s correct. Of course, the big task is still to get a state appropriation to build the building. So we have submitted a request or a state appropriation and we’re waiting and see how that will work out. John Haggard 10:02 Right. So how much is that going to be? What are you asking for? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 10:05 Yeah, we’ve submitted request for $15 million for about a 28,000 square foot building over in Wilson. John Haggard 10:13 Yeah, yeah. So did you have another career, Jerry before you went into education? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 10:19 Well, it’s a long and sorted story. I’m actually a college dropout or at least I was a college dropout. I dropped out of college in my first attempt and spent 10 years in the business world. I was employed by one of those small loan companies, signature loan companies. I was the guy that called you if you missed your payment. And then went from there and was a credit manager with a building supply company, a regional building supply company. And after several years at that just decided that I was tired of working for a paycheck and an ulcer because that seemed to be what I was getting out of life and decided the way to remedy that was to go back and finish my bachelor’s degree. John Haggard 11:16 Gotcha, all right. Well, how do you see, there a lot of trends today in all businesses, I mean, everything is under review. Everything’s changing. What do you see in the next I guess, if you could, maybe a crystal ball or just looking out in the next three to five years, as it relates to education? What is going to change either in terms of how it’s delivered or just, I mean, what do you see out there? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 11:40 Well, I think there’s going to be a continued growth in the online offerings. Vol State has 140 different courses that can be taken online asynchronously. So you know the cliche about take college in your pajamas is certainly positive. John Haggard 11:58 Actually true. Yeah. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 12:01 And so I think we’re going to continue to see the use of technology in new ways in terms of artificial intelligence. There’s actually a professor at Georgia Tech who has created an artificial intelligence student assistant that chats with students as they have problems and answers their questions about the course. And interestingly, at the end of the semester, he asked students to vote on which of his assistants they think is the artificial one and less than 50% of the students can track which one is the artificial intelligence. John Haggard 12:42 Wow. Wow. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 12:44 We’ll see some more of that. I think we’re going to see more use of virtual reality and simulation here at Vol State and our nursing program and our emergency medical technology and paramedic programs. We have AI fidelity simulation mannequins that that can do pretty much anything a living – can simulate I’ll say it that way – can simulate pretty much at thing a living person can. Blood pressure, temperature, blinking the eyes, breathing, responding to medication. And so it gives a powerful experience in terms of things that you’re able to do because in that simulation situation you can let students continue down a wrong path. Wait till they kill the patient. John Haggard 13:34 Right, wow! Yeah! Dr. Jerry Faulkner 13:36 And obviously you can’t do that in a real hospital so… John Haggard 13:40 Gosh! So yes, because back in the old days, it was a kind of a plastic hard rubber mannequin. So this is an actual you know, except being human and… Wow. That’s, that’s… those things must be expensive? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 13:52 They are. Of course, there are different ones of them there. Adult males, adult females, children, infants. There’s even one that delivers a baby that goes through the whole labor process. John Haggard 14:04 Oh my gosh, that’s amazing! That really is, I mean gosh, if there’s anybody out there parent or someone listening that says “Hey, you know, I want to get into into the nursing career.” To be able to do something like that, that’s amazing. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 14:19 Yeah, that really provides a unique experience for our students. One that they don’t forget. John Haggard 14:28 So at Vol State is there, I guess there’s a lot of coursewear but there’s there, are their primary things like, we’ve been talking about here in healthcare, that Vol State’s best known? Or can you pretty much take any type of course you want to? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 14:42 Well, we’re a comprehensive community college. We offer almost 100 different programs of study. About half of our students, actually little more than half of our students, come to us with the express desire to transfer on to a university and acquire a bachelor degree,. The other half of our students are pursuing one of those Applied Science degrees or certificates that will lead them to a career. We’re probably best known for our health science programs. We have have 14 different health science programs plus nursing. And but we’re working really hard on our Business and Technology Division as well. Tremendous opportunity for job growth in the Computer Information Technology field. And so we’re working really hard to ramp up our offerings in that area as well. John Haggard 15:35 What do you see out there, Jerry, the degrees today, in the current environment, as we look out, you know, two to four or five years, people are always concerned also about well, where can I go and get a high paying job? What do you see? What do you see in that arena? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 15:50 Yeah, well, things are changing so fast. I mean, I think there are careers in the future that that haven’t even been invented yet. Yeah, who would You know, who would have thought 510 years ago that you could make a living as a web designer, for example? John Haggard 16:05 Well, good example. Yeah. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 16:06 So, but I think there will always be the need for folks in the healthcare industry in the health sciences, particularly as us baby boomers are aging and increasing our needs for healthcare. I think given the direction of technology, there’s always going to be a need for folks that have technology knowledge and skills, and even things like accounting. Accounting is one of the high demand jobs, believe it or not, these days, so we don’t turn out enough accountant. John Haggard 16:43 Yeah, I mean, it is amazing how fast things are moving like that and with busy schedules that people have these days. And I think when I’m hearing you say, you’re going to probably say well, no, not completely john, but is it possible involves day to go to college completely online, or can you go you know, 95% and then 5% brick and mortar so to speak? How does that work? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 17:04 Yeah, well, we have a couple of programs that are online, fully online. For example, the Applied Science Degree in Fire Technology. Theoretically, you could earn that degree and never set foot on our campuses. For example, Sleep Diagnostics, the instructional part of that program is completely online. You do still have to come to campus to participate in clinical portions of it. But a huge portion of our students, something like 60% take one or more online classes. John Haggard 17:44 Got you. Is there any, you know, people are always trying to assess should I do this? Should I do that? Is there a number one complaint that you hear about education as a whole or people saying, “Gosh, I wish this…” Or anything like that or no? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 18:01 Yeah. I think if you look at the national scene there is this debate going on about the cost benefit ratio of higher education. How does getting a college education pay off when you end up spending tremendous amounts of money to acquire that degree? And that’s kind of emphasized by the growing student loan debt across America. Right now, the the total student loan debt of American citizens exceeds the total credit card debt for the nation if you can believe that. John Haggard 18:42 That’s so hard to believe, ain’t it? Wow. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 18:44 Yeah. So there is that debate about the value of higher education. John Haggard 18:52 Yeah, I mean… yeah go ahead. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 18:55 Yeah, I was gonna say that all the statistics point to those persons who have a credential from higher education will have lifetime earnings that are a million dollars or more over those that just have a high school diploma and so we can we can point to some solid statistics that yes, it’s it’s worth your time and your effort and your money to get a get a post secondary credential. John Haggard 19:24 Got you. Well, let me ask you this Jerry. As someone is earning or once someone earns a degree, can Vol State connect somebody with internship programs to every businesses that you know might lead to a potential job offer? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 19:37 Absolutely. We have, over the last year or so, began to emphasize work-based learning. This is the idea that students get into a cooperative opportunity or a shadowing opportunity or even an internship while they’re still in college, with the profession or the career where they want to practice. And so they get some very real world hands on experience. And for the employers, it turns out to be an on the job interview because they really get to see the the person in action at the location before they offer them a job. And so we’ve had some really good success with that, again, students that participate in an internship and then, immediately upon graduation, they get job offers. Sometimes even before they graduate. John Haggard 20:29 You know, I’ve always believed in “if you can try it before you buy it” so to speak. I’ve heard people in healthcare – people who’ve gone through, say, a nursing program. And once they get to the hospital, and they’ve been there three or four weeks, they say, “Gosh, I never thought it was going to be like this. I really don’t want to do this.” And they’ve invested all that time. So what you’re talking about really could almost be like an insurance policy to be sure. Like hey, this is really something not only I thought I want to do, but I really want to do. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 20:30 Absolutely. We want students to pick a pathway and to stay on that pathway and accomplish their goal. John Haggard 21:04 What are some of the biggest annual events that occur each year at Vol State? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 21:10 Well, of course graduation is for me the highlight of the year. I should say graduations. We’ve grown to the point that, about three years ago, we had to add a graduation ceremony in December. And so we have commencement exercises in December and May and, frankly, the May one is growing back to the point that sometime in the next couple years, we’ll probably have to consider having two graduations in May in order to accommodate folks. So graduation is a huge event. We have a full calendar every year of performing arts events on campus. Probably the biggest one of those, the one that the community most enjoys is our Christmas performance, which comes up in late November, early December. And then we have a series of visual arts displays as well. We have an art gallery in our Steinhauer-Rogan-Black Humanities Building and have periodic art exhibits there from professional artists across the state. John Haggard 22:14 So how many people as we talk about Vol State with all the campuses are enrolled or how many people in average year I guess, would you have? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 22:22 This fall, this semester we just started, we have 9146 folks enrolled across our four campuses, online. And then of course, that includes students that are dual enrollment. They’re still in high school, but they’re taking college classes while they’re still in high school. John Haggard 22:40 Gotcha, gotcha. Is there one thing, Jerry, about you that most people would be really surprised to know ,if they knew it, about you? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 22:50 Well, I think I may have revealed it already in the conversation and that I was actually college dropout. You know I started college right straight out of high school and did okay for the first year. And then discovered there were other things to do on a college campus other than go to class. And didn’t realize there’s a direct correlation between going to class and getting good grades. And so my last semester during that – last quarter, we were on a quarter system at that time – my last quarter I recently had reason to look back at my transcript and so I had an incomplete, W four withdraw and two Fs. So it’s likely that had I not decided to drop out the next semester they would have academically suspended me so… John Haggard 23:50 Put you out anyway. I got ya, I got ya. It’s interesting, though, isn’t it, how that can really happen. You can run away from something you never want to do and then wind up where you are. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 23:59 Yeah. And I think it’s a it’s a powerful lesson to folks that I share with non-traditional students that are thinking about coming back to college is that, you’re a different person than you were 5, 10, 15 years ago when you finished high school or when you were not successful in college and you can succeed in college these days. John Haggard 24:22 You know, this reminds me of that phrase I heard a pastor say one time that your past does not predict your future. Is that’s what you’re saying there? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 24:29 Absolutely. Absolutely. Education is is a powerful changer of lives. It’s a powerful agent for changing future trajectory. John Haggard 24:39 Is there anything else that you do in the community in terms of advisory roles or other things that you do in addition to Vol State? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 24:47 I’m a member of the local Rotary Club and participate in their projects. I’m on some local boards I’m on a local hospital board and have served on some other civic organizations. I get called on frequently when one or the other of the communities is in a planning process, like Gallatin is now I get called on to participate in those planning processes. And then, as our economic community development folks are recruiting new business and industry to our area, I frequently have an opportunity to share the benefit that Vol State can bring in terms of preparing their workforce if they decide to move to Gallatin. John Haggard 25:32 Yes. And you know, when you go anywhere near Gallatin, all the rooftops, all the construction, it really seems without exaggeration at least once a month there’s something new this sprung up somewhere. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 25:44 Yeah, it’s fortunate that here in Sumner County that we’re in a growing area. A lot of colleges around the nation and even some colleges in Tennessee are in areas where the population is stable at best are declining at worst and so we’re fortunate to have a growing population here in Sumner County and our other counties that we serve across Middle Tennessee. John Haggard 26:10 Anything Jerry that I did not ask you that you would want folks to know? Either about Vol State or you or how to get, you know, how to connect with you? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 26:20 Well, I thought you might want to ask me about the Tennessee Promise and the Tennessee Reconnect. Those are the last dollar tuition scholarship programs. Tennessee Promise for recent high school graduates and Tennessee Reconnect for adults that don’t already have a college degree that they can attend Vol State tuition free. And that’s had a tremendous impact on the college. This fall we have almost 2500 students that are Tennessee Promise eligible and over 1500 students that are Tennessee Reconnect eligible that are here on our campus, taking classes tuition free. John Haggard 26:59 Wow, Jerry, how does that work? How does someone qualify to do that? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 27:03 Well, it starts by going to the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation website. And there’s a brief application that you do there. And then you follow up with the filing of your federal application for a student aid. Any of our folks here at the college in our financial aid office or admissions office could help folks with those processes and get them on the road to being a Vol State student and on the way to having a college credential and a career. John Haggard 27:34 So did I get that right, you said 2500 people, students are enrolled this way? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 27:40 Yeah. 2500 students are enrolled and taking advantage of the eligibility for the Tennessee Promise, which again is for recent high school graduates. And then over 1500 adult students that don’t already have a college degree are enrolled under the Tennessee Reconnect program. John Haggard 28:00 Got it. Got it. Wow, this has been an interesting opportunity to talk. We’ve got Dr. Jerry Faulkner, he’s the president of Vol State. And we’ve been listening to him and learning about what’s going on there and what he does, and I just appreciate the opportunity to to talk with you and just to learn. So if people do want to get in contact with you personally, what’s the best way, Jerry? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 28:21 You can call my office. Of course, the area code is (615) 230 3500. That’s the direct line to my office. And if you’d like to drop me an email, it’s jerry.faulkner@volstate.edu. John Haggard 28:37 All right, folks, Dr. Jerry Faulkner right there. He is our special edition guest today on the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram podcast. Join us again right here for another special edition of the podcast in addition to our regular topics we discuss each month including the best ways to purchase, lease, service and maintain, also accessorize, and sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible when you’re ready to do it, and don’t forget the transcript of each podcast, it’s right here you can look down and see just what we spoke about in case you wanted to refer to something. Right here on the website. You can easily refer for information at your fingertips. I’m your host, John Haggard, and we’ll see you next time.

Welcome to episode 10 of the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram podcast! This week we talk with Michael Cart, the Finance Manager at CDJR. Michael is from the Middle Tennessee area. In this episode we get the opportunity to learn more about: Michael’s backstory and how he ended up at Miracle CDJRHis role at MiracleGetting financing through Miracle vs getting credit from outside sourcesHow easy it is to get approvalWhat makes Miracle differentThe Miracle VIP Advantage Program This is another great episode, so enjoy! Transcript John Haggard: 00:02 Welcome to the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Podcast, where each week you’ll learn the best ways to purchase, lease, service and maintain, accessorize, and sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible when you’re ready to do it. I’m your host John Haggard and throughout each month right here, as you know, we’ll have different team members join us from Miracle to bring you tips that you can use. And you’ll also see a transcript of each podcast for quick reference. On this podcast, today we’re speaking with Michael Cart. He’s the Finance Manager at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Gallatin. Hey Michael, welcome to the podcast. Michael Cart: 00:38 Hey John. Thanks for having me. How are you doing? John Haggard: 00:40 I’m doing great man. I appreciate your taking the time to, to talk with us. You know, finances is a big, big deal in everybody’s life, whether it’s a car, whether it’s a house, you know, buying furniture, it’s just a big thing and looking forward to talking about that. But before we do, just to get to know you a little bit better, are you from this area? Did you grow up in Gallatin? Michael Cart: 00:59 I actually grew up in a Sumner county. I grew up in White House, Tennessee. So I’m local. I’m from White House and now me and my wife, we live in Gallatin. Just five, 10 minutes down from work. So it’s real nice, I like it here. John Haggard: 01:13 So you’ve been here all your life, you didn’t move away. You’ve always been here? Michael Cart: 01:17 Yeah. Correct. John. Yep, born and raised. Yes sir. John Haggard: 01:20 Okay. And so where did you go to high school? Michael Cart: 01:23 I went to school in White House, Tennessee. So White House High School. John Haggard: 01:27 White House High School. Okay. And was that school, did it have any special area of learning? You know, like some cities have a space program, like if they’re in Florida or whatever. Michael Cart: 01:37 Ha ha ha! John Haggard: 01:37 No? You’re laughing! Michael Cart: 01:40 No, unfortunately. White House is a small town. So you know, I think that they’re special learning was, what do you call it? They have like FFA, like Future Farmers of America. But nothing for like a space program though. John Haggard: 01:53 Gotcha. Well if you’re from here, you must have family here as well. Michael Cart: 01:58 Yeah, I do. My mom’s side of the family is from Springfield, Tennessee and my dad’s side of the family is from Nashville, Tennessee. And my mom and dad, they still live in White House and we got family all over the place in Nashville and in White House in Springfield, just surrounding counties. John Haggard: 02:14 Yeah. So any of them in the car business? Michael Cart: 02:17 No, not at all. First one in the family in the car business. Yeah. John Haggard: 02:21 First one in the family. All right. So once you got out of high school, did you do college as well or did you just elect to go ahead and work early? Michael Cart: 02:29 Yeah, so I went to, after high school I went to college right away. And, you know, as a young adult you’re deciding, you either I want to go to college, I want to go to work. And while I was in college, I was really trying to figure out what I wanted to do. And at the time I was working for, you know, like a local drug store. And I was in between jobs cause I quit the drugstore. I was getting ready to go back to school. And right before school started I said, “You know what, let me let me get into car sales.” I don’t know why I was, you know, thinking that. But I was just thinking, “Hey I’ll try sales, car sales is good.” I was, you know, googling “good jobs without having to finish college” and it said try sales. So I said, “You know, I’ll, do car sales.” And I got a job in doing, selling cars. And I’ve been doing it since, what does 2011, 12? So, I’ve been doing it for a while, I guess. John Haggard: 03:13 So when you’re not working at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, what do you like to do on your time off? Michael Cart: 03:20 Me and my the wife, we just have a little newborn and around Monday be turning a month old. And so.. John Haggard: 03:26 Wow! Congratulations! Michael Cart: 03:28 Oh thanks John. Really just work and then go home. And take care of the family, you know? John Haggard: 03:32 Yeah. So are you, let’s see, one month, are you getting any sleep? Are you up every two hours? What’s going on there? Michael Cart: 03:39 No. I actually, I get plenty of sleep. My wife doesn’t really get a whole lot of sleep. She’s, she she really helps out a lot. During the work week, she gets up every night, but on Sundays I’m off on Saturday, so I’m on Sundays. So on Saturday night I’ll, you know, stay up late with the baby, usually gets up on her at like around 3am and then we’ll feed him and he goes back to sleep. But he’s pretty good. John Haggard: 04:00 Oh, that’s pretty good. You know, some are up every hour and a half to two. Some will sleep maybe three or four hours. So it sounds like you are getting a little bit of sleep anyway. Michael Cart: 04:08 Yeah, I am. She’s not. Ha ha! John Haggard: 04:09 Yeah, I got ya. What a great wife, I got to tell you that. Michael Cart: 04:13 Yeah, I’m lucky. Yeah. John Haggard: 04:15 So what about favorite hobbies? Maybe from childhood that you are still doing today? Or maybe some new hobbies that are going on. Michael Cart: 04:23 My main thing that I do is try to figure out how I can better my family and my life. So here recently, I’ve been doing lot of like you know, reading and I’ve been trying to read about how to invest. And so that’s kind of my hobby right now, just reading and learning. John Haggard: 04:40 Gotcha. So what was your very first job? Michael Cart: 04:45 First job? Let’s see. I want to say maybe Pizza Hut, I might’ve been a cook at Pizza Hut, I think? No, actually my first job I worked at a grocery store. So there’s to be this grocery store right down the street from the house where I grew up in White House. I think It’s called the Al’s Food Value or something. And I was like, I bagged the groceries and I put the groceries in the, on the shelves and I hated it. (laughs) John Haggard: 05:10 (Laughs) It’s tough work, I have to tell you, it is. So what brought you to Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. There are a lot of car dealers out there. How did you wind up there? Michael Cart: 05:19 Actually, I was working for another dealership and I was in the market for Jeep. So I said, well let me go to Jeep or Miracle jeep and buy cars as close to the house. And whenever I got here, I was talking to Mark Ledford, the general sales manager, and he offered me a job and him and Tim kind of rolled the dice and I didn’t have any finance experience and they kind of rolled the dice and took a chance on me. And the [inaudible] Finance School and they hired me and trained me and I’ve been here for I guess, you know, two, three years now. So I really appreciate that. John Haggard: 05:51 Yeah. What do you think it was? I mean, cause that’s kind of rare. Did you do personality testing and all that type of thing? What was that like? How do you just sort of come to buy a Jeep and end up with a job? Michael Cart: 06:01 Well I was in sales before I was. I’ve been doing sales for a while. But I was working for another brand and you know, Mark said he needs someone, you should come work for us. I said, “Well, I’ll come work for you if you could give me a management position.” You know, maybe Financer. That they also what they called Desk Managers. And he said they had a spot opened up and they interviewed me and, you know, sent me a call and rolled the dice, I guess. John Haggard: 06:22 As a Finance Manager, what does your typical day look like? Michael Cart: 06:25 So mainly my job is to make sure whenever there are customers buying a car. John Haggard: 06:31 So as the Finance Manager at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, Michael, what is your typical day look like? Michael Cart: 06:39 Yes. So typically what I’ll do, I’m, the first thing I’ll do John in the morning, I’ll come in, I check my computer, check my email, see if anybody’s calling me or if they have any questions about a vehicle that they just purchased. Usually I have too, I’d say it’s called funding. Sometimes the bank needs like a copy of the customer’s like driver’s license or something. I have to make sure that they receive the documents and make sure everything was signed and dotted correctly. You know, my job is really just to make sure all the paperwork is filled out correct when the customer is here. So whenever the, we send the contract to the bank, we can get the money right away. So there’s no problem with our accounting office and, you know, we can keep doing business in a smooth way. John Haggard: 07:14 When you talk about finance, people have this choice and it’s just been around for years. You see it advertised on television or hear about it on radio or see it on the Internet, wherever it might be. Is it a better deal to finance with a dealer or go get outside financing from a bank or a credit union? Tell us about that. Michael Cart: 07:35 That’s a good question. So I hear a lot of the time, “I have been pre-approved through my bank, through my credit union.” Well a lot of times the manufacturer they put on incentives. So Chrysler is owned by Chrysler Capital – that’s the name of our bank. So they’ll say, hey, if you buy a Ram or a Chrysler or a Dodge or Jeep, we’ll give you free money basically for finance. It’s called a rebate. So you get a rebate for financing through Chrysler. But I’ve seen customers also too that had been doing business with a like a credit union. And we do so many business with banks and we also have credit unions. We have that were 50 banks that we work with. But let’s say you know, I’ve had a customer says, “Hey, I’ve been preapproved to my credit union.” Okay, perfect. What was the rate they gave you? You know, sometimes it’ll be like 6% or 7%. And a lot of times, I can beat the rate that they get from their bank or their credit union because we just do so much business, more volume through banks and credit unions. You know, you might do a loan once they, you know, once every five years you might buy a car. We do loans every single day, so I have more volume so I get a better interest rate than the customer can get a lot of times through their bank or their credit union. Does that make sense? I explained that… John Haggard: 08:42 It does, yeah! Absolutely. Michael Cart: 08:42 So a lot of times I can beat the rate, but you know, sometimes I can’t. And you know, we want what’s best for the customers. So if they can get a better rate, perfect. But if I can get a better rate, you know, save the customer some money, that’s obviously going to be the better way to go. You know? John Haggard: 08:57 Well, you know what you see also TV commercials, especially these days that talk about getting approved online in minutes, you know? Does that, does it really work that way? I mean, in minutes, you go to a website, boom bam! You’re approved here, walk in, take this piece of paper, buy what you want up to x amount of money. Michael Cart: 09:14 Yeah, pretty much! It’s really easy. Also, if you go on our website on this, there’s a tab that says get financing. You m go on there. You put in your information, your name, address, social, birthday, everything. And then you pick out which car and then you click on the car. Then you can say, Hey, I want my payment to be 500, 600 bucks a month and it’ll just calculate how much money you need to put now and based on the credit to get there. And then you just come in and fill out the paperwork and it’s really easy. John Haggard: 09:37 So it really, it doesn’t take long at all to get financed. You hear these stories from some people. Well, you know, I went to this dealer and, you know, hung around half a day, all day and went to another dealer and took three or four days to get a deal put together. But it’s not really typically that way. Michael Cart: 09:53 Not really. Where you get people that sit around at dealerships a lot of time is really with, don’t know if you’ve heard the term subprime lending. People that are subprime need subprime lending. And we actually have a special finance department that specializes in that. Really with people that are prime borrowers. It doesn’t take that long. It’s instantly approved. But if you’re subprime, you need steps, like proof of residence, a proof of income like paycheck stubs and the bank wants a lot more information. So we actually specialize in that too. There’s another guy that works here. His name’s Rich Craycroft. He’s been doing it a long time and he specializes in helping people obtain subprime loans especially the bankruptcy. Tennessee’s like the number one bankruptcy state in the southeast. So we, we do actually do get a lot of, a lot of customers need help in that area. We do, we do all types. You know, we do all types of prime, subprime, you know, anything. We help out everybody. John Haggard: 10:43 And Tennessee is the number one state in the southeast for bankruptcy. Michael Cart: 10:48 Yeah. John Haggard: 10:49 Is there one question that customers ask a lot or, or maybe one or two questions that you’re always asked that would really kind of clear up confusion about financing or the process? Michael Cart: 11:01 I wouldn’t really say there’s a question. I have to say there’s more of a, a concern. I would say that people feel like, you know, maybe I should go to my credit union. They don’t feel like the dealership’s being more transparent. But Miracle, you know, the Miracle Automotive Group, they’ve been in business for a long time and they’ve built that off of being transparent and customer service. And Mr Galvin, Sr. has instilled that in the community. So, you know, we have to be really transparent and upfront to, you know, keep people coming back here and trusting us in doing business with them. Cause it’s, you know, the second business, second biggest purchase, they’ll ever make. So we want them to feel safe and, you know, no concern, no worry. We want them to know what they’re getting into. John Haggard: 11:40 So Miracle Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and also Miracle Ford, two dealerships just almost right next to each other, they are family owned. And so what is it like the atmosphere, you know, a lot of are big, you know, I guess you would say big corporate conglomerates and so forth. What’s different or what’s neat? What makes you get up and want to go to work at Miracle? Michael Cart: 11:55 The really cool thing about Miracle is that it is family owned, like you said. Well, what that means is, we’re really heavily involved in the community. I’m like, I don’t know if you know, but Jeep has pretty much like a big like cult following. So does Mopar. Like these guys that buy the Jeep, they’re in these clubs and people that buy the Mopars, like the Dodge’s, they have like the Mopar Club in Nashville and things. And so what we do, we actually have like Jeep meets and have car shows at our dealership. And so we try to stay involved with the local community that way. Michael Cart: 12:36 Also just being known around the for good, excellent customer service around here and community involvement, which we just want to know people, you know, hey, they can trust us and you know, why they should do business with us is because you know, we’re involved in the community. We’re not just here to sell them a car. We’re here for them and in the long run. John Haggard: 12:55 Is there any question I did not ask you that, you know, you would just want people to know? Michael Cart: 13:02 Yeah, absolutely. We just started this program in August. It’s really big and we’re really excited about it. So basically what it is, the customer gets that at no cost to them, no charge to them. The dealership pays for it. It’s a lifetime power training warranty for as long as they own the vehicle. They’re also gonna get 72-hour investment protection program. They’re going to get a free loaner car whenever they come and a vacation checkup for two years and a 5% off parts and service. Also started in August whenever we started this program, you can upgrade to what’s called the VIP Platinum Advantage. Instead of getting emergency roadside assistance, like you’ll get an emergency processes for five years, you’ll get key five replacement for five years time. We’ll protect you for five years, 10% off service instead of 5% off service, which is actually can be huge when you start thinking about a big service building, you know 10% off compared to 5% off. And also a, you’ll get like a free concierge service. So if you live with like 15 miles, we’ll come pick up your car for oil changes and tire rotations and things like that. But something that we also offer in the business office, instead of doing like a power training warranty, you can upgrade to like a comprehensive extended service contracts so you can do just unlimited. Was it unlimited time up to a hundred thousand miles? Or, you can cover the comprehensive, not just engine and transmission, but we do offer the instant transmission at no cost to the customer, which is really good. John Haggard: 14:24 Thanks Michael. That’s Michael Cart, the Finance Manager and Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Join us again right here for other topics on the podcast throughout each month. Our goal is to show you the best ways to purchase, lease, service and maintain, accessorize, and sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible when you’re ready to do it. And don’t forget the transcript of each podcast right here on the website so that you can easily refer to it for information at your fingertips. I’m your host John Haggard, and we will see you next time!

Welcome to episode 9 of the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram podcast! This week we talk with Ben Harvey, the Parts Manager at CDJR. Ben shares details about his life, his growing up in Florida and how he ended up in Middle Tennessee. He also shares great information about Miracle Mopar Day that is coming up in just a few short days on September 22 at 1:00pm! Enjoy! Link to Facebook Event: Miracle Mopar Day Transcript Intro John Haggard: 00:02 Welcome to the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram podcast, where each week you’ll learn the best ways to purchase lease service and maintain, accessorize and sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible, when you’re ready to do it. I’m your host John Haggard and throughout each month right here we’ll have different team members join us from Miracle to bring you tips you can use and you’ll also see a transcript of each podcast for quick reference. On this podcast, we’re speaking with Ben Harvey. He’s the Parts Manager at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Hey Ben, welcome to the podcast. Ben Harvey: 00:35 Hi, thanks for having me. About Ben and How He Ended Up in Nashville John Haggard: 00:36 Glad to have you here. We do understand there’s a special event coming up, which we are going to be talking about for this Sunday, September 22 but before we get to that, we always like to learn a little bit about the people behind the scenes. Tell us a little bit about you, like where did you grow up, for example? Ben Harvey: 00:50 I grew up in a little town called Port St. John, Florida. If you don’t know where that is, that’s a little bit about 20 minutes east of our Orlando, Florida. So I basically tell people, if you take Orlando, go about 20 minutes from Disney world and you’re right there in my hometown. John Haggard: 01:08 All right. 20 away. 20 minutes away. And so how long have you been up in this area? Ben Harvey: 01:13 I’ve been here two years. John Haggard: 01:15 Two years. Okay. So what got you to Nashville? Ben Harvey: 01:17 Miracle Chrysler got me to Nashville. John Haggard: 01:19 All right. So they were searching around and of all the people throughout the US and they found you? Ben Harvey: 01:24 Yep. I I used to work with the, our service director, Robert Fleites. He talked to me and offered me you know, a job and I said, why not? You know, I’d love to, I’d love to check out Tennessee. And he told me how great Tim Galvin was. So I decided to move up here. John Haggard: 01:39 You know, sometimes jobs really are about relationships, aren’t they? I mean, it beats going onto the Internet and competing with, you know, 5,000 people with resumes. Sometimes. It really is who you know and not what you know. Ben Harvey: 01:50 Yes sir. I 100% agree. John Haggard: 01:51 But I bet you know a lot. So I guess you went to High School in Florida as well? Ben Harvey: 01:58 Yep. I went to Space Coast High School. John Haggard: 02:00 Yeah. So was there anything special about that school in terms of you know, space industry or, cause sometimes Florida is known for high tech and space industry and just wondered about that. Ben Harvey: 02:11 Oh, we just had a very good community basis about that high school. It was that you felt like you’re in a big family rather than actually go into school. John Haggard: 02:18 Didn’t specialize in anything? Ben Harvey: 02:20 No Sir. John Haggard: 02:21 Okay. So do you have family in this area as well Ben? Ben Harvey: 02:25 No, I do not. All my family’s back in my home town. Port St John. John Haggard: 02:29 All right. Well you have a free vacation to Florida anytime you go, don’t you? Ben Harvey: 02:33 I do, yes, I do. John Haggard: 02:35 A lot of people that would love to have that for sure. When would you got out of high school? Did you go onto college or did you elect to go to work early? How did you do that? Ben Harvey: 02:44 No Sir. I did not attend to college. My mom was actually a regional manager for the Winn-Dixie, which is a local grocery store down there. John Haggard: 02:52 Yeah. Ben Harvey: 02:53 I went ahead and just became a bag boy at Winn Dixie for about two years. Favorite Thing to Do in Gallatin John Haggard: 02:58 Right. So what do you like to do now in in the Gallatin, Nashville area on your time off? Ben Harvey: 03:05 We are big travel bugs. Me and my wife we love to travel out. That’s why we chose Nashville as one of our moving places because you have so many cities right around you. You have the St Louis, Chicago, you know, Chattanooga is right down the street. Obviously Gatlinburg, you have a lot of beautiful areas just right around this Tennessee area. John Haggard: 03:24 Yeah. What do you think is the most exciting city so far that you all have explored. Ben Harvey: 03:29 So far? I think our favorite has been Cincinnati. Cincinnati was absolutely incredible driving wise. So it’s a short trip, four hours there, four hours back, a great city just to go around at great nightlife. John Haggard: 03:43 Yeah. So, you know, they call it Cincy. I think some of the locals do. So what was the most exciting thing you all did there. Ben Harvey: 03:49 We actually caught a baseball game. We are huge baseball fans, so we caught a Cincinnati reds game. We had a great time at that baseball game. What Ben Does On His Time Off John Haggard: 03:58 Okay. So any favorite hobbies when you’re not traveling on your days off? Ben Harvey: 04:02 I’m also an avid soccer player. I’ve been playing soccer for about 24 years. So I try, I joined multiple men’s league’s there. I try to play as much as I can. John Haggard: 04:12 Did you have aspirations in high school? Thinking about maybe I will become a professional soccer player. Ben Harvey: 04:19 I did, I did. It just did not work out for me. John Haggard: 04:22 Well, I wasn’t sports oriented either, so don’t feel bad. One Thing That Most People Don’t Know About You (Hint: Cats) John Haggard: 04:26 Hey, by the way, before we talk about what’s coming up this weekend, what’s the one thing, Ben, that you would say most people don’t know about you and they would be surprised to learn? Ben Harvey: 04:37 I’m a huge cat person. Ha. I’m kind of, you know, when you look at me, you see as a kinda guy with a beard a little bit burley and everything, but I actually have two wonderful cats that means the world to me. So now that’s very interesting when people, when I tell people that. John Haggard: 04:54 Yes so are these the leopard types that you have in the cage, or are you talking about house cats? Ben Harvey: 04:59 Just house cats. Ha! John Haggard: 04:59 Yeah. Just wanted to check on that. How about any favorite books or movies that are your favorites? Ben Harvey: 05:06 Like I said, not a big movie buff or kind of a reader. Like I said, we mainly spend our time traveling, not a whole lot of TV or reading in our house. John Haggard: 05:16 All right. And since you have been here, you know, people do like to go out and eat. Have you found any favorite restaurants you like? Ben Harvey: 05:23 I would, I would say my wife and I, our favorite restaurant was probably gonna be Kayne Prime Steak House in Nashville, Tennessee. How Ben Got Into The Car Business John Haggard: 05:31 All right. All right. So how did you get into the car business? I mean, what was it, you woke up one day and you said, hey, you know, I think I want to do this. Ben Harvey: 05:38 Well, actually I’ve grown around, I’ve grown up around cars my whole life. My Dad’s kind of instilled it in my brain. Like I said, I was a bagger at Winn Dixie and my aunt actually, she’s still there to the day, the car dealership. I originally got into business with his Boniface-Hiers Chrysler. She offered me a, a parts driver job and I thought I was a big shot, you know, wore the Mopar uniform, everything like that. and that’s how I actually got in the car business. It started out as a parts driver. John Haggard: 06:08 Alright, so you went from bag boy at Winn-Dixie to parts driver? Ben Harvey: 06:13 Yes, sir. What Does a Typical Day Look Like in the Parts Department? John Haggard: 06:14 All right. So as you look at that now as Parts Manager, what does your typical day look like at Miracle. Ben Harvey: 06:19 Oh, making sure every single piece is accounted for. I make sure my techs are taken care of. I make sure you know, my wholesale customers are my number one priority. You know, it’s just not their customer. It’s our customer as well. And I know if I keep these guys working you know, keep parts going in and out that means more customers are getting their cars back. So that’s what, that’s the most important thing to me. John Haggard: 06:44 All right. And really timely repairs. So it’s not like, well, you know, the part will be in here next week if you can do without your car for five days. Right. Ben Harvey: 06:50 Exactly. Exactly. The main goal to me is to get the, get the car back to the customer. John Haggard: 06:55 All right. Well, you know, there are two options as we understand it, the way people can buy today for repairs, they can get the OEM, the original equipment manufacturer, the Mopar part, or in some cases aftermarket parts for repairs. You do both of those. Do you source both? Ben Harvey: 07:11 Yes sir. We do both of them here. We do all of them. We do a lot of aftermarket accessories as well on our Jeeps and lift kits and stuff like that. We tend to push the OEM because that’s where we are. OEM I think is just a lot better quality. You get a better warranty out of it as well. And I believe as personal experience, you’re not going to buy, you know, three or four of them. When you buy an OEM part, you’re going to buy the one and not have the issue. John Haggard: 07:35 Okay. So That’s interesting. You won’t buy three or four. So you, the OEM part better warranty lasts longer. So you won’t have to replace the part continually or on a regular basis, you’re saying? Ben Harvey: 07:45 Yes sir. Miracle Mopar Day John Haggard: 07:46 Gotcha. So let’s go to the event this weekend called Miracle Mopar Day at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Gallatin. And first off, what is meant for folks who don’t know by the word Mopar. Ben Harvey: 07:58 Mopar is anything car related that you have Dodge. We want to see everything from old classics, your old Barracudas, your old Dodge Darts, your old Super Bees, everything like that. And we also want to see all the new generation. We want to see all the Hellcats, we want to see all the Chargers and you know, the Challengers. We want to see everything. A lot of people put pride in their cars and we want to see exactly what it’s going to be, a big car show. So that’s what we’re going to have. John Haggard: 08:26 So it’s going to be there on the lot at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, is that right? Ben Harvey: 08:31 Yes sir. John Haggard: 08:32 Okay. Alright. And it’s Sunday begins at 1:00 PM, and this is something you do annually. Ben Harvey: 08:37 We’re going to start doing it annually. We have, we are the number one sponsor for Jeeps and Wrenches. We did it for a Jeeps and Wrenches group. We had one here and we do that annually. Now we are going to do a Mopar one annually. This is going to be our first one. We’re testing the waters and we want to see that, what the communities like out there. John Haggard: 08:54 All right, so who up with this idea? Ben Harvey: 08:57 It’d be me. And our salesman, Brad Billingsley. John Haggard: 09:00 Okay. All right. So did you guys, you said, so in other words, what you’re doing, you’re inviting everyone to bring out their vehicle, kind of like put it on display. Ben Harvey: 09:09 Yep. John Haggard: 09:09 Gotcha. And, am I reading here properly… prizes to be given away. Ben Harvey: 09:14 We’ll be doing a couple of giveaways. We’ll be doing a raffle. We’ll have some hamburgers and hotdogs to give out as well. I mean it’s just going to be a great day. John Haggard: 09:23 Now you doing the cooking on the food? Ben Harvey: 09:25 I am not doing the cooking. John Haggard: 09:26 All right. Ha Ben Harvey: 09:27 I’ll be doing the socializing and looking at all these beautiful cars that people bring. John Haggard: 09:31 All right. So who do you got there that’s doing the cooking? Ben Harvey: 09:33 One of our porters will be doing the cooking. One Last Thing John Haggard: 09:36 All right, sounds good. Well, hey, before we go, Ben, is there anything that I did not ask you that people should know either about Miracle, Mopar Day, this Sunday or anything at all about parts? And you know, the purchase of parts. Is anything that we left out that you would want folks to know? Ben Harvey: 09:52 I just want people to know, we’re open to anything here we can. Like I said, we can do anything that you would like us to do. We are a full range on accessories. We can do trucks, Jeeps, cars, anything you want, we can go ahead and get it taken care of. You know, we’re here from 7:30 to 6:00 Monday through Friday, and then we’re also here from 8:00 to 3:00 on Saturday. Conclusion John Haggard: 10:12 All right, well that’s Ben Harvey, everybody, the Parts Manager at Miracle Chrysler Dodge, Jeep Ram. Join us again right here for other topics on the podcast throughout each month. Our goal, again is to show you the best ways to purchase lease service and maintain, accessorize and sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible, when you’re ready to do it. And don’t forget the transcript of each podcast right here on the website, you can easily refer to it for information at your fingertips. I’m your host John Haggard and we will see you next time.

Welcome to Episode 8 of the Miracle CDJR Podcast! This week we talk with Mike Olari, the Commercial Fleet Manager of both Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram and Miracle Ford. In this episode, Mike shares a little bit about his origins in California and how he ended up in Tennessee, his love for Sports and what Miracle can offer large businesses in terms of Commercial Fleet pricing and service. This is a great episode that you do not want to miss! Enjoy! Transcript John Haggard: 00:02 Welcome to the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram podcast, where each week you’ll learn the best ways to purchase lease service and maintain, accessorize and sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible, when you’re ready to do it. I’m your host John Haggard, and throughout each month, right here, we will have different team members join us from Miracle to bring you tips that you can use. And you’ll also see a transcript of each podcast for quick reference. On this podcast, we’re talking with Michael Olari. He’s the Commercial Fleet Manager at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Hey Mike, welcome to the podcast. Mike Olari: 00:36 Hey John, how are you doing? John Haggard: 00:37 Doing well. Glad to have you along with us. You know, people always want to know who’s behind the scenes. Let’s find out a little bit about Mike before we get into your role as commercial fleet manager at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. So did you grow up here in Nashville area? Right? Where are you from? Mike Olari: 00:53 I did not. I’m actually born and raised in California. John Haggard: 00:56 California. California. So how long have you been in this area? Mike Olari: 01:01 I’ve been here almost five years. John Haggard: 01:04 All right. So what got you to Nashville? Mike Olari: 01:07 Well, my parents actually moved out here almost 15 years ago and decided it was time to go. John Haggard: 01:14 All right. Wanted to be closer to family? So where did you go to high school in California? Mike Olari: 01:19 Went to high school at Alto Loma high school. John Haggard: 01:22 All right, so that Alto Loma California as well then? Mike Olari: 01:25 Yes sir. John Haggard: 01:26 All right. All right. And so when you’re not working, what do you like to do on your time off? Mike Olari: 01:31 I’m a big sports fanatic. I love to watch football, baseball, everything. John Haggard: 01:37 Gotcha, Gotcha. So you go to games, watch primarily. Are you one of those that has like eight games up on your television set where you can look at all eight of them? Mike Olari: 01:45 Do I have to answer that one? John Haggard: 01:49 Ha, I hear you. So what other hobbies do you have when you’re not doing sports? Mike Olari: 01:53 I like to go out and just hang out with friends and I actually do like to do my yard work and kind of keeps me level-headed. John Haggard: 02:01 Gotcha. Absolutely. So how did you get started in the car and fleet business, Mike? Mike Olari: 02:07 Well, I got started in the car business about six and a half years agom=, out in California. A buddy of mine called and said he needed some help. I told him I’d never been a salesman before. He said, give me six months. If you don’t like it, we’ll part ways. We’re still friends now. Six and a half years later, I’m still doing it. I enjoy what I do. John Haggard: 02:24 Well, so now before you got in automotive, what did you do before? Mike Olari: 02:28 I did construction for almost 20 years. I’m electrical for 15 to 16 years of that. Enjoyed what I did, loved it. Just had some health issues come about, which ended up putting me out of that business. John Haggard: 02:47 Understand. And so then what brought you to Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram? Mike Olari: 02:51 Well, I actually came out here to visit my mom one time, and drove by, and I’d been wanting to get out here. Mike Olari: 02:58 So I in and talked to one of the sales reps that was here and found out how many cars they’ve sold and how many, you know, salesman they had. It was pretty much what I had out in California at the time, so I made a jump. John Haggard: 03:11 There you go. So as the commercial fleet manager, what does your day typically look like? Mike Olari: 03:17 As you know, I am over the Ram store, but I am also over the Ford store as well. So I do a lot of running back and forth, have bids that I’ve got to get out almost daily now. And you know, if I get a phone call, hey, we’ve got a customer over here that’s looking at a van, I run back over and, and help that customer out and you know, do the best I can to, to make sure everybody is helped quickly. John Haggard: 03:45 All right. So now how long have you had a fleet department at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram? Mike Olari: 03:51 We’ve had a fleet department here for right at about a year and a half. John Haggard: 03:56 Okay, so relatively new. Mike Olari: 03:58 Yes. John Haggard: 03:59 And then so what, what was the decision, tell me about how that came about where obviously you’re sitting around a table I guess one day talking with people and they say, you know what, we need to do a fleet department here. How did that come about? Mike Olari: 04:11 Well, they had, they had already kind of been working on it. In a sense already. And I just brought up the fact that there is a lot of, you know, a lot of businesses out here, and I watched a friend of mine out in California build his up out there. I know there’s plenty of people that we can help out here in this area and that’s what I like to do. Mike Olari: 04:33 So that’s why we ended up doing it. As soon as we started talking about it, built the back end of the building on, they went gung ho, we got business link and we been blowing and going ever since. John Haggard: 04:44 All right. Then you said you also handle Miracle Ford as well as for their fleet department and how long has that been going on? Mike Olari: 04:52 But two to three months. They’ve done fleet before in the past, but never really had anybody to take the grasp and just run with it. So right now that’s what’s going on. John Haggard: 05:02 So you’re doing both stores… Are you getting any sleep? Mike Olari: 05:06 It doesn’t feel like it. No. John Haggard: 05:09 Ha, I hear you. Now, what are some of the companies that you work with, those who have are doing fleet management with you? Mike Olari: 05:15 One of the biggest ones. We have Servpro. We’ve got them, we’ve got people, US Pest is another huge one, Assure Heating and Air. There’s quite a few that we actually work with, but the two big ones that we do are a Servpro and US Pest. Those are the ones that they do purchase a lot of vehicles. John Haggard: 05:36 You know, today people are sensitive about pricing. They say, Hey Mike I could use 10, 20, 30 vehicles. You know, how can somebody get a good deal with a commercial fleet today? Mike Olari: 05:48 In that aspect that they’ve got that many vehicles that they’re looking at. What I do is I go through and I set them up with a Fan number at Ram or a Fin number at Ford. What that is, it’s a fleet number that they get from the manufacturers and whatever they get off on, on the vehicles, that’s what they get. So it’s already a set in stone number. Say it’s $5,000 per vehicle that they get off. That’s what they get. John Haggard: 06:15 And that comes directly from the manufacturers, is that right? Mike Olari: 06:19 Yes sir. John Haggard: 06:20 Got It. All right. And would you say it’s better in a fleet situation to purchase or to lease? Mike Olari: 06:26 Most of the time it’s better for them to purchase. There are some times that the lease will work out better for them because there’s a program called track lease, and what that is, is it’ll give them the ability to set their own residual at the beginning and at the end of it, when it’s sent to auction, if they owe less than what it got at auction, they actually get money back. If it gets less than what they owe, then they got to pay. At that point. You got to make your decision on if that’s good for your company, but it is 100% tax write off. So that’s the way things are starting to go is to that track lease. John Haggard: 07:04 What about trade in’s on fleets at the end of that term, do you take those vehicles you mentioned earlier or do you take them all to auction? How does that work? Mike Olari: 07:13 Well a lot a lot of them will keep their old vehicles because they’re still running. So they say, no, I’m just going to write you a check. I’m not trading nothing in. And that’s mostly what I’ve been dealing with. Do they trade them in? Yes. most of the time they are going to be the auction vehicles. Cause you’ve got 250, 300,000 miles on a vehicle. John Haggard: 07:36 Is there any one question that customers ask you, Mike? A lot to clear up confusion on what they thought or understood or do understand or they’ve heard about? Maybe they’ve never done a fleet purchase, but just a typical question or two that most people will ask you. Mike Olari: 07:52 Well, most of the questions I get asked is what’s the difference between commercial and fleet? You kind of run those two departments. You say, I, you know we’ve got a commercial fleet department. Well, the commercial side is, it’s going to be your heavy trucks. Your 350s, 450s, 550s is 3500s it’s 4500s 5500s now with the fleet, what a lot of people think is, well, I’ve got a full fleet of five. Well, if you have less than a fleet of 15 there’s some manufacturers that go, well that’s not a fleet of five is not a fleet unless you buy them all in one year, and that’s what a lot of people don’t understand it as. They go, I have five in my fleet, I should get a number. Well, it’s hard for me to say no, I can’t give you that number, but I kind of have to at a point in time, they got to understand that there’s, you have to have a certain amount of vehicles to be a fleet account. John Haggard: 08:49 All right. To qualify as what you’re seeing there, Mike Olari: 08:51 Yes sir. John Haggard: 08:52 Got You. Now everybody of course looking for discounts if they buy in volume. It’s kind of like, you know, the more I buy the better price I should get. Tell me about discounts on parts and service with fleets. Mike Olari: 09:04 Well, we have, we have a program that goes through Ram that what they do is they have a thing called business link. And what business link does is that gives you 5% off of your parks and 5% off your labor, your service, but it gives you an extra added bonus with, you get the next available bay when you do bring your vehicle in. John Haggard: 09:26 What about pickup and delivery service for fleets? Mike Olari: 09:29 I will do that, and again, if they are signed up for business link, I will actually take a vehicle to them, let them use it and I will bring it back and then take my art, take our vehicle back. So we do have a program that that sets that up. Makes it a lot easier on the customer. Now if it’s just an oil change, normally they sit and wait, and that’s fine. They’re fine with that. But if it’s something that we got to have the truck for, you know, a day or two to fix something on it or we have parts that we’ve got to order, I will put them in in a vehicle to where their business is not down. John Haggard: 10:03 So for Miracle Ford, is it pretty much the same in terms of the discounts and the way that’s done? Just like Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Mike Olari: 10:12 They do have a similar program. Yes, they do. John Haggard: 10:16 Hey, just a curious question. When you think about the Miracle family, is there anything that’s there I guess or something that’s unusual or something that’s like, here’s something that’s really neat about Miracle? If most folks maybe don’t know about, unless they come here. Mike Olari: 10:32 Being that I’ve worked here as long as I have on the Ram side, I’ve worked under the Galvin’s for quite a while in my head and they do care about their community. They have shown that to me and if something needs to be fixed, they do everything in their power to fix it. They’re a family owned business and to me, they run it like that. John Haggard: 10:54 And so what is it that just makes you get up out of bed every day that says, you know what, I love this business. I want to go, I want to go do this. What is it that gets you going? Mike Olari: 11:03 Knowing that I’m going to be able to help somebody out if, whether it’s a new business or a business has been there for 50 years. What gets me out of bed is I do love my job. You know, helping out people that that’s the biggest thing. John Haggard: 11:16 So what’s the one thing about Mike Olari? What is the, what is the one thing that people would be very surprised if they knew about you? Mike Olari: 11:24 I guess I could say the one thing is, is came real close to going professional baseball. A lot of people don’t know that. John Haggard: 11:31 Really. Okay. So tell us a little bit about that. That’s interesting. You said real close. So obviously you were very good to get up to the point to even be considered. Mike Olari: 11:40 I was, I was a decent pitcher. I don’t, I don’t pat myself on the back, but you know, I pitch between 96 and 98 and had seven pitches. So my pitching coach taught me very well. John Haggard: 11:55 What about your prediction for the Tennessee Titans this season? Mike Olari: 12:01 Oh, well, the way they looked last Sunday, if they keep that up. They’re gonna, they’re gonna go far John Haggard: 12:07 And you think they can make it, you think you can make it at least to the playoffs? I mean, what, what do you see out there? What do you see the positives and the negatives on what you’ve seen so far? Mike Olari: 12:15 I do think they can make it to the playoffs this year. Long as they can keep the quarterback healthy and keep him in the game and his head in the game, I think they will do very well and they will at least make it to the playoffs. John Haggard: 12:31 All right. You heard it folks. That’s the prediction for Michael Olari. Now he’s the commercial fleet manager at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Also at Miracle Ford. Join us again right here for other topics on the podcast. Throughout each month. Our goal here is to help you purchase lease service and maintain, accessorize and sell your vehicle, or if it’s fleet that you need to do as well for the highest resale value possible. When you’re ready. John Haggard: 12:55 By the way, Mike, is there any one tip you would give those who own a fleet now that they’ve gotten from you? How do they get that highest resale value possible? Any quick tips that you would say, hey look, you know, when it comes time, if you’ll keep these things in mind, your vehicle will be worth more money. Mike Olari: 13:12 Well, the biggest thing I tell people is, you know, take care of your vehicle like you take care of yourself. Give it a tune up, do all the oil changes, everything it needs to have. Just keep it, keep it, keep it up and you’ll get a higher resale value. John Haggard: 13:27 All right. Just treat it like you treat yourself. I think that’s pretty good advice. That’s Mike Olari, everybody. Once again, the commercial fleet manager at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Gallatin and also Miracle Ford. I’m your host John Haggard. We’ll see you next time.

Welcome to the 7th episode of our weekly podcast here at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram! In this episode, we talk with Robert Fleites, the Parts and Service Director at Miracle Auto Group. Topics Discussed: Robert’s BackstoryTechnology in the Service DepartmentSolutions in accessorizing your vehicleWarrantiesThe Miracle VIP Advantage ProgramWhat makes Miracle DifferentTop questions that people ask in the Service and Parts department Transcript John Haggard: 00:02 Welcome to the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram podcast, where each week you’ll be able to learn the best ways to purchase lease service and maintain and sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible when you’re ready, as well as accessorize your vehicle. I’m your host John Haggard and throughout each month, right here we’ll have different team members join us from Miracle to bring you tips you can use. And by the way, we will also post a transcript of each podcast so that you can easily refer to it for information that you would like to have right there at your fingertips on this podcast. John Haggard: 00:33 Today we’re talking with Robert Fleites. He’s the Parts and Service Director at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Hey Robert, welcome to the podcast. Robert Fleites: 00:41 How you doing? John Haggard: 00:42 Doing great. You know, a lot of people always want to know who is the man or the woman behind the curtain. And so the folks who could know a little bit more about you, Robert, tell us, where’d you grow up, by the way? Robert Fleites: 00:52 I grew up in south Florida. John Haggard: 00:53 So how did you get started in automotive service and repair? Robert Fleites: 00:57 I got started as a young man. When I finished high school, I joined the, Ford asset program. It’s about a two and a half year program. When you graduate, you have an associates and automotive and then you go to the participating dealership that trained you and, and started off as a technician and then moved my way up through the ranks, from a Technician to an Advisor to the Service Manager to a Parts and Service Director. John Haggard: 01:23 All right. As you look at technology, that seems to be one of the big things that when people are ready to trade, maybe it’s been two or three years, technology is moving so fast now these days. In the service department, compared to maybe just even three years ago, is there new technology in repair as well? Robert Fleites: 01:40 Oh yes. That technology changes quarterly, believe it or not, or yearly for sure. That’s why our technicians have to keep a certain level so they can perform certain repairs. So the training never stops. John Haggard: 01:54 Right. Right. And so what would be, if you were going to tell someone, hey, here’s one of the coolest things that’s going on now in repair that we didn’t have before. Something that’s new in the technology area, what would that be? Robert Fleites: 02:05 Man, there’s so many things. Technology-wise, I mean pretty much the car tells you everything. When it’s due for service, it’s got all kinds of icons or lights come on that’s gonna prep you on what’s going on with the vehicle. And even if the vehicle’s not operating the way you should at that time is going to notify you. So it’s really, really good for the consumer. John Haggard: 02:27 Gotcha. And so a lot of people, at least some people like to accessorize their vehicle. And what about the inventory of accessories? What do people like, what’s exciting that you can put on and accessorize a vehicle with? Robert Fleites: 02:41 Well, we’re fortunate that, with our lines, we have the Jeeps and we have the Rams. And even with our Dodges, most people, depending on the vehicle with the jeeps, they like to accessorize. Mostly the whole vehicle, you know, lifts. We do a two and a half inch lifts, four inch lifts, six inch lifts. Plus you might have guards and your bug deflectors, rain guards, weather mats, so many things… roof racks. So, with our line people do like to accessorize and, and we have everything in inventory, and on the Chrysler side it’s all Mopar or we do have the option if you do want to go after market as well. John Haggard: 03:22 And you know, some people think, well with accessorizing I’m going to need to take my vehicle somewhere else. Or is there another company that does that for Miracle. Do you do all the work there? Robert Fleites: 03:31 We do all the work here in house and all our technicians are trained on the installation. And it comes with the factory warranty when we do the Mopar accessories. John Haggard: 03:41 Right. Okay. And as we talk about warranties today, there are all types of warranties you hear about what they call aftermarket warranties or dealer warranties or manufacturer warranties. If you’re just going to say, look, here’s what you need to know about warranties, what would you say? Robert Fleites: 03:56 Well there are many different warranties that come with the vehicle. But basically when you purchase a brand new vehicle, the non wearable items, those are covered for three years, 36,000, bumper to bumper. Powertrain on all the new vehicles is five years, 60,000. But then we offer an after market warranty that we sell at our store. There’s the premiere warranty and then you can extend that up to a hundred thousand or seven years. 100,000. So there is many, many different options. And then you have the emissions warranty that comes from the factory, which is eight years, 80,000. And then you have your rust and proof a warranty that goes up to a hundred. So there’s many different, and depending on the model as well. John Haggard: 04:37 Now you have a VIP program. I understand that’s been changed or upgraded recently. Tell me about that. Robert Fleites: 04:45 Well, that is any customer that purchased a vehicle from us starting August 1st, they get a lifetime power train warranty as long as they own the vehicle. And then there’s an app that we would install on the customer’s phone and they can accumulate points that they can use those points towards service. And every time they come in for a service. John Haggard: 05:04 Like a discount? Robert Fleites: 05:06 It’s like a rewards program for our customers that they can use at the store. John Haggard: 05:12 Now, Robert, what if someone did not purchase a vehicle from Miracle CDJR or the Miracle Auto Group? And in terms of the rewards program that you are talking about there with VIP and the points, how does that work? Robert Fleites: 05:25 Well, when they come in for service, the advisor is going to ask them, that we’re gonna make them part of our rewards rewards program. We would then install the app in their phone and they can start accumulating points for future services. John Haggard: 05:40 Now back to vehicle repair. Some people say, well there are factory original parts, OEM, Mopar in the case of Chrysler. Or if someone says, you know, I just don’t want to spend the $400 or what it is for that part. And can you sell an aftermarket part? So I wondered what are the options for a person’s budget, I guess in the service department to be able to do what they want to do. Robert Fleites: 06:03 A lot of our vehicles are outfitted so you can purchase them already with all the accessories on them. When the vehicle comes with the Mopar accessories, all those accessories come with a three year 36,000 mile warranty cause they were installed before the time of purchase. If we install these items after the time of purchase, then you get a two year unlimited miles on the Mopar accessories. Now we do have the aftermarket cause some people don’t want to spend that much on the, on the Mopar portion. And those come with, on the average, a one year, 12,000 mile warranty on the parts and not the labor. John Haggard: 06:39 All right, so really, basically if you’re paying a little bit more for the warranty is because it’s factory, it’s a factory part, Mopar part, Chrysler part if you will. As opposed to a third party company saying, well we can manufacture that part. Would you say in today’s market or the aftermarket parts as good as the factory parts for the most part or can there be some real differences there? Robert Fleites: 07:03 No, there could be some differences, depending on what you want to do with the vehicle, we recommend to go with the factory parts. If you’re going to go a little bit off the road and those types of things. With the after market, it’s more for looks than anything else. John Haggard: 07:18 Gotcha. What would you tell people overall, Robert About Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, if you know they’ve got a lot of choices out there. A lot of dealers they can go to, but for service and accessorizing with the Miracle Auto Group, what is it about your operation there compared to everybody else who says, Hey, we’re the best we can do it too. Why should somebody come there to Miracle? Robert Fleites: 07:41 Well, we’ve been here for a long time, and we take care of our customers… whatever it takes to make it happen. A lot of times in the retail business, things go a little south when repairing a vehicle, especially then everything is so high tech. But we’re gonna back up our work and we’re going to back up the product that we sell and then we’re very family oriented and we don’t want anybody else going to anywhere else. But here, especially if you live here locally. John Haggard: 08:06 Is there any other question that people ask a lot when it comes to service or accessorizing a vehicle that I did not ask. Something that’s, you know, we always get these two or three questions. Robert Fleites: 08:18 Well you pretty much covered everything. On the accessory portion people have, there’s so many different questions that they ask us, because they just want to make sure what kind of warranty or, or how’s those parts are going to be covered and in the case that they fail. John Haggard: 08:34 So it really comes more down to warranty more than anything else. That’s the big differentiator with folks. That’s Robert Fleites. He’s the Parts and Service Director at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Hey Robert, by the way, if somebody wants to get ahold of you, how do they find you? Robert Fleites: 08:49 Well, they can call the store. I have my cell number: 321-403-7687. So anytime they want to call me, text me, they’ll be more than welcome to. John Haggard: 09:01 All right, well there he is, Robert Fleites everybody, the Parts and Service Director at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Join us again right here for other topics on the podcast throughout each month. Our goal here is to show you the best ways to purchase, maintain and accessorize your new or preowned vehicles, and how to sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible, when you’re ready. And don’t forget, we also post a transcript of the podcast right here on the website so that you can easily refer to it, get all the information you need right there at your fingertips. I’m your host John Haggard, and we’ll see you next time.

Welcome to the 6th episode of our weekly podcast here at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram! In this episode, we talk with Joe Smith in Commercial & Retail Sales at CDJR, where we discuss the Ram 1500. Topics Discussed: Joe’s backstory and how he got in the car businessJoe’s Role in the DealershipTop questions that people ask about the Ram 1500What differentiates the Ram 1500’s ride from it’s competitorsRam 1500 Gas MileageRam 1500 Interior TechnologyRam 1500 Safety TechnologyWhat differentiates Miracle CDJR and Miracle Auto Group from it’s competitorsWhat Joe likes to do on his time off Transcript Opening John Haggard: 00:02 Welcome to the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram podcast, where each week you’ll be able to learn the best ways to learn, purchase, or lease, maintain and accessorize, and really just how to sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible, when you’re ready to do so. I’m your host John Haggard and throughout each month right here we will have different team members join us from Miracle to bring you tips you can use. And by the way, we also post a transcript of each podcast. You can easily refer to it for information. If you want to go back and look without having to listen to the entire podcast, you can go right there and get the information that you were just listening to. John Haggard: 00:38 On this podcast, we’re talking with Joe Smith, he’s in commercial and retail sales at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Our topic today is the Ram 1500 and really what makes the Ram 1500 so different compared to all of the competitors. Hey Joe, welcome to the podcast. Joe Smith: 00:55 Hey John. Thank you. It’s a pleasure. How Did You Get Started in the Car Business John Haggard: 00:56 Well, glad to have you. And you know, we always like to know before somebody talks about what they’re doing. How did you get started in the car business? Did you grow up from age six washing cars and stuff or how did you get in? Joe Smith: 01:07 Oh, well it’s kind of a funny story. I’m actually prior military and when I was coming back from a tour over in Japan, my dad recently moved around here in this area. I bought my first vehicle from here, kind of enjoyed the experience. And then few years later when I moved back here, while I was going to school, I saw that the dealership had an opening. Again, I enjoyed the experience here, so I figured I’d apply and at least try and see how I fit into the automotive industry here. John Haggard: 01:32 Hey, by the way, thank you for your service. Joe Smith: 01:34 Thank you. I appreciate that. John Haggard: 01:35 What did you do when you were in the military? Joe Smith: 01:37 I was a structural civil engineer for the Air Force. What is Your Role in the Dealership John Haggard: 01:41 Gotcha. Gotcha. All right. And so tell us what your exact role is at the dealership. When we hear a commercial and retail sales that that seems to sort of explain itself, but is there anything else you do? Joe Smith: 01:53 I do a little bit of everything here, so yes, you’re right. I do the commercial sales as well as retail. I also help do dealer trades for other salesman if we don’t have the exact vehicle here that the customers want ,and I have the ability to find them one and get it here in a timely manner to make sure they are fully satisfied. And I also help out with the backup finance department here as well. What are the Top Three or Four Questions they You Get From Customers about the Ram 1500 John Haggard: 02:12 Okay, got it. What would you say today, Joe, are the top three or four questions that you get from people when they’re saying, “you know, I see a lot of truck ads on television and just trying to decide should I buy a Ram 1500 or should I buy another brand”? Seems like I see a Ram commercial, then I’ll see another commercial then another Ram commercials. Like everybody’s fighting it out. Joe Smith: 02:31 Yes, definitely. There’s definitely a competitive market out there today. And top three. I would say that most people will always try to factor in there is going to be the towing capacities, cause I mean the trucks they’re going to be used for that and they want to make sure that the towing is going to be suitable for what they need. Then the next two things that I always get as well would be like your creature comforts… basically what kind of features have been added into the vehicle as well as safety features too. What Makes the Ram 1500 Ride Different from it’s Competitors? John Haggard: 02:55 All right. And if you were going to say, speaking of that, what makes ride of the Ram 1500 really different from its competitors? Joe Smith: 03:04 So what Ram has done that really separate themselves from the other competitors is that the Ram actually uses the five link independent coil springs. So it’s going to be an active independent there. All the other brands, they still use the leaf spring suspension. Now the Rams use that on the heavy duty trucks just for the higher towing capacity. But that independent coil spring plus there’s an exclusive air ride suspension that you can get as well. And no other truck brand has that out on the market. And those two things alone definitely separate the ride. And that’s kind of what contributed to making the Ram the motor trend truck of the year. John Haggard: 03:39 Okay. So I think what you’re saying like in just super simple layman’s terms, that each shock is sort of its own suspension system. So just because the left front is moving, does it necessarily mean the right one is. Kind of what you’re saying there? Joe Smith: 03:52 Correct. So when we do test drives here, we like to take customers over railroad tracks because normally in a normal truck with the leaf spring suspension, if you hit a bump, the whole truck’s gonna move once you go over on one side. But with independent it’s going to hit it as each wheel goes over it on its own. It’s not gonna just rock back and forth for you. Ram 1500 Gas Mileage Compared to the Competitors? John Haggard: 04:11 Gotcha. Now you know, if you’re a truck lover, you are a truck lover. I mean that’s the way people are. And back in the old days, the gas mileage was really low. So what’s been done today? If you’re looking at the Ram competing with fuel ratings and towing capacity, you know, compared to the competitors out there. Joe Smith: 04:27 So what Ram has done is they had actually adapted to their current 5.7 Hemi and they’ve actually got a mild hybrid system and it’s called the Hemi with eTorque capability. And what that’s going to actually add for you is the stop start feature, which a lot of vehicles have nowadays. And with that, that does actually save about 10% of your average fuel consumption while you’re driving using your vehicle. Plus with that eTorque system, it will actually give you a little bit better in the boosting on your fuel ratings with that feature. And what’s Nice with the eTorque technologies, it’s also incorporated with your towing technology as well. With the eTorque, you’ll actually get an additional 130 pounds of torque starting off the line. So most vehicles, you’ll start at zero if you’re pulling something, but with the eTorque right off the gate, you start with 130 pounds of torque. So it gets you off the line faster when you’re pulling the load. What Features Has Ram Done to Compete in Today’s Technology? John Haggard: 05:19 Gotcha. Now what about if we go to the interior in terms of features that Ram has done to compete with technology that’s current today? Joe Smith: 05:28 Well Ram has definitely taken the advantage on that. We do have the exclusive 12 inch touchscreen. It’s not standard on everything, but you can get that and that does give you a dual display if you want it to. So you can have your radio on the top, you can have your navigation on the bottom, you can move it around wherever you’d like to. But one thing that they also did to the Ram is they actually made the body style about four inches longer. So that’s going to allow for the back seats to recline back. Sort of like a mega cab would, just for that comfort for whoever’s riding in the back there as well. John Haggard: 05:59 Yeah. You know, someone says, well, four inches doesn’t sound like a lot, but it really is when you look at your feet down, I suppose. Joe Smith: 06:06 Oh it does. You’ve got plenty of leg room in the back. Plus you can lay it out. They did add in the panoramic sunroof now too. So if you’ve got that all the way open, everybody gets a good view of what’s above you. Another nice thing that they did add on that radio is they’ve upgraded to the fourth generation Uconnect, and what that’s going to give the customers is your Apple CarPlay, Android Auto. So say you did get one that didn’t have the navigation built in, you can plug your phone in and you can actually still use your navigation or the Waze app if you have that, and that will actually pop up on the screen for you as well. What About Safety Technology? John Haggard: 06:37 Gotcha. Now what about safety technology? A lot of people want to know what are the new safety features? Joe Smith: 06:43 So on the old body style, they didn’t really have much, but on the new one, they did definitely bring the Ram back to life there. So the Ram’s actually gonna have your blind spot monitoring now that they’ve put on these trucks for you. You can actually get the surround view camera on these things too. I love that feature. You could literally have the windows completely blacked out in a parking lot and as long as you have that camera on you can park comfortably without even hitting anything cause you’re getting that three 60 surround view camera there for ya. They’ve also added on your adaptive cruise control. You’ve got lane sense, departure, parallel and perpendicular park assist of the trucks nowadays pretty much can drive themselves. You just got to control the gear and the gas and the brake. What are Ram’s top Competitors John Haggard: 07:26 Ha, that sounds fun. Who would you say are the top competitors to the Ram? I mean people come in and they say, well I’m looking into 1500 and I’m also looking at these other things. Who’s out there, where someone’s really trying to make a choice? Should I go this way or the Ram? Joe Smith: 07:39 I know Ram’s definitely in the top three. I do know Ram has probably one of the highest rebates out on the market right now because they are being very aggressive with this new body style and they’re just trying to really take that leap to take the lead there. What are the Top Changes in the Marketplace Today In Terms of Purchasing a Vehicle? (Buying vs Leasing) John Haggard: 07:51 Gotcha. What do you see in terms of changes in the marketplace today for people as they go about making a decision to buy or getting research? Should I buy, should I lease and which trucks should I get? Joe Smith: 08:02 Well, what I like to do with my customers is I always sit down with them for a few minutes before actually starting the process, trying to understand their wants and needs. If they’re planning on keeping the vehicle for awhile, the retail financing would be the best option for them. But with today’s market, a lot of people typically want to get in something new every few years and that’s when I would also show them at lease as well. Cause that’s gonna allow you to continue to get into new vehicles with new features. Leasing nowadays is definitely taking the advantage. I mean, I think about more than 60% of the staff at our dealership here, they all lease. Ha. John Haggard: 08:35 Somebody told me a story one time. If you’re going to buy something or you’re going to do something, ask the person who actually does it for a living. What do they have? You know, what do they do? So it’s that much about 60%.? Joe Smith: 08:45 Yeah, I know all of the management here does and some of our salesmen here do as well. What Differentiates Miracle CDJR and the Miracle Auto Group From it’s Competitors? John Haggard: 08:50 Gotcha. What would you tell people about Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in terms of why someone should buy from Miracle Auto Group? There are a lot of choices out there and everybody says, “Hey, we’re the best”. Joe Smith: 09:00 You can always shop around and you’ll find a good deal here and there, but we are a business, but at the end of the day, we’re more so trying to establish a relationship with our customers too. So that’s why we did incorporate our VIP program here. So as long as you own the vehicle, you’ll actually have a lifetime powertrain coverage on it as well. And we’ve got a concierge service for the local community. So if you work or live within 15 miles, we’ll actually pick the vehicle up from you, do the maintenance, drop it back off to you. Plus we offer discounts through service. We’ve got an exclusive referral program. We’ll send you $250 each time that you send somebody to your salesman and they get a vehicle. It doesn’t even have to be new. They can get something for $5,000, and we’re still sending them a check. John Haggard: 09:44 Wow. Joe Smith: 09:45 Yeah. Is There Anything That I Didn’t Ask You About the Ram 1500 Compared to Other Trucks? John Haggard: 09:46 Is there any question that I didn’t ask you that a lot of people ask when it comes to comparing? Let’s go back, say to the Ram 1500 to other trucks? Joe Smith: 09:54 Not so much. I mean the biggest thing that people usually want to get on their trucks is they want to know what it can tow, how it performs and what kind of safety features that they’ve added in. Just to kind of separate it and make that decision a lot easier for them. John Haggard: 10:07 So this is kind of the top one, two, three and if you get past that, now we’ll talk about which one. Joe Smith: 10:12 Once you get past all that, it really comes down to trying to find that unique truck for you. I mean, do you want a certain color on the outside and the inside? Do you want the big screen? Do you want a bench seat? Do you want the Captain’s Chair up front? They’ve included a lot of options on these Rams. That’s why, with these, I always like to again sit down with my customers finding exactly what they are looking for, because there’s just so many options out there on these trucks now. What Do You Like To Do On Your Time Off? John Haggard: 10:37 Gotcha. So Joe, what do you like to do on your time off? Do you have any hobbies, recreation, things you like that are fun for you? Joe Smith: 10:44 Well, my time off, I’m mainly spending it with my daughter or I’m going to the gym or playing some golf here and there. I try and stay a little busy, but most of my time is spent here trying to make sure my customers are happy. John Haggard: 10:56 So you, uh, tell me about that golf game. Joe Smith: 10:59 I’ve been golfing for about 12 years now. I mean, I do pretty good. It’s always fun trying to, I’m left-handed too, it’s always fun to try and teach somebody when they’re right-handed… it’s a little challenging. John Haggard: 11:10 I bet. Do you get to play once a week anyway? Joe Smith: 11:13 I try my best to when I can, but most of the time I’m usually spending it with my daughter. What Do You Do On The Commercial Side? John Haggard: 11:19 That’s great. That’s Joe Smith, everybody. He handles commercial and retail sales at Miracle Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep Ram. And by the way, we were talking a lot, you know about retail sales and so forth, but commercial? Can you tell the difference between commercial and retail? What do you do on the commercial side? Joe Smith: 11:32 So in commercial, I mean, whether it’s a big business or small town business, we’re really being aggressive out here too cause we’ve had our commercial side running for almost two years now. So I mean we’re just trying to help out. So if you own a business, doesn’t have to actually go in the business name, but there are additional rebates and some other stuff that we can actually use for you to help save you some money. Plus, Ram has what’s called a business link, completely free to enroll. There’s no annual fees, but it does give you some added benefits through our service department as well. Closing John Haggard: 12:04 All right, Joe Smith, everybody again handling commercial and retail sales at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Join us again right here for other topics on the podcast throughout each month. Our goal to show you the best ways to learn, purchase, maintain and accessorize your new or preowned vehicle and how to sell your vehicle for the highest resealed value possible, when you’re ready to do it. And don’t forget, we’ve also posted a transcript of each podcast right here on the website. You can easily refer back to it for information that you’d like to have right there at your fingertips. I’m your host John Haggard, and we’ll see you next time.

Welcome to the 5th episode of our weekly podcast here at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram! In this episode, we talk with Marcy Miller, a Business Development Center Representative. Topics Discussed: Marcy’s backstory and how she got in the car businessThe role of the BDC (Business Development Center)Frequently Asked Questions that customers askWorking with customers with challenged creditWhat makes Miracle differentThe difference between a “locally owned” dealership and a “corporate giant”What Marcy enjoy’s doing during her time off Transcript Opening John Haggard: 00:02 Welcome to the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram podcast, where each week you’ll be able to learn the best ways to purchase or lease, maintain and accessorize, and how to sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible, when you’re ready. I’m your host John Haggard, and throughout each month, right here we’ll have different team members join us from Miracle to bring you tips that you can actually use. John Haggard: 00:25 We do post a transcript of each podcast so you can easily refer to it for information. Maybe you heard something and you just want to get more detailed. What was it that he said or she said? Well, you can go right to the transcript and see it and not have to listen to the entire podcast to get back there, so we’ll have that for you. John Haggard: 00:42 On this podcast, we’re talking about what a Business Development Representative does at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Gallatin. We’ve got Marcy Miller with us here today. Hey Marcy. Marcy Miller: 00:52 Hey John. How are you? John Haggard: 00:54 I’m doing good. Hope you are too. Marcy Miller: 00:56 I’m doing great. Tell Us a Little Bit About Yourself John Haggard: 00:57 Great. Well, welcome to the podcast. You know, anytime we have a guest on the podcast, Marcy, people want to know something real about this person. It’s not just a talking head, if you will, but really get to know them. So tell us a little bit about you. Where’d you grow up? How did you get started in the car business? Marcy Miller: 01:12 Okay. Well I came here from Ohio, honestly. I grew up in Ohio. I’ve been around the country, lived in [inaudible], lived in Los Angeles and landed in Nashville 21 years ago, a singer. So I followed the music and ended up in Nashville. So… John Haggard: 01:30 You know, a lot of people do that. Don’t they. Say we’re going to come to Nashville. Do you still sing? I mean, do you do like any of that? Marcy Miller: 01:36 I do. I sing a lot. And I try to karaoke any time I can. I don’t do anything professionally, but I just do it for fun and enjoy it. How Did You You Get Into The Car Business? John Haggard: 01:46 Yeah. Yeah. So tell us how you wound up going to work for Miracle. Marcy Miller: 01:50 Okay. Well, I started in the car business 14 years ago. I’ve been in a lot of dealerships, and I have been a salesperson before. But I figured BDC was kind of my specialty. I was really good at being on the phones with customers and I’m great with people. So, I just got better and better at it and I’m still in the BDC, so I’ve been here for four years and I love Miracle. It’s a great company and it’s a great family owned dealership to work for. And I feel like I’m family. What Does BDC Mean, and What Is Your Role On The Miracle Team? John Haggard: 02:23 Yeah. And when you say BDC, just for the folks out there, that’s the Business Development Center that we’re talking about, is that right? Marcy Miller: 02:29 Yes sir. John Haggard: 02:29 Gotcha, Gotcha. So what is, what do you do exactly, cause people say, “well business development manager, I mean what does that really mean”? What do you do? Marcy Miller: 02:37 Basically when the phone rings I answer it, or when customers send in internet inquiries, I call them and I just try to see how I can help them answer their questions, and see if they can come on in and take a look at what they’re looking at online. So sometimes we have to work some things out on the phone first and sometimes they are just wanting to see if something’s available. So I check and make sure it’s available. They come in and get with the salesperson and purchase a vehicle. So it’s all about customer service and helping the customer in any aspect that they need. What Are Frequently Asked Questions That Customers Ask? John Haggard: 03:19 Okay. And what do you find when people are calling for information, what are the top say, three or four questions that people are asking today? Marcy Miller: 03:29 They will ask you first of all if the car is available that they’re looking at, unless they’re looking at new cars and they’re kind of in general looking at new cars and don’t know specifically what they want, and they have questions about those and the trim levels and that kind of thing. So the other questions: I would say typical questions would be about their financing and if they have to put money down and that kind of thing. Can You Work With Customers With Challenged Credit? John Haggard: 03:57 Now what if somebody has let’s say less than good or less than perfect credit? Maybe we’d call it challenged credit. What about folks like that? How can you help them? Marcy Miller: 04:06 Yeah, we help people with challenged credit all the time. We do have our bankruptcy programs through Rich Craycroft who is amazing. He’s the best in the business and we thank God we have him every day. A lot of times we can help them get into something right away. They don’t even need to be discharged. What Makes Miracle CDJR and the Miracle Auto Group Different? John Haggard: 04:26 So we have Marcy Miller, the Business Development Representative for Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram on the podcast today. And you know, Marcy, everybody says “we’re the best”. “We can get it done”. Come now. If you were going to tell people about Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, why they should deal with the Miracle Auto Group versus a lot of other people who say, “we’re the biggest, the best, the brightest” or whatever, what would you say? Marcy Miller: 04:50 I would say that we are transparent. We try to put our best foot forward and tell you everything upfront. We don’t hide anything. And I feel like people are so used to playing games. We don’t do that. We’re just very straightforward and real. And that’s why I can work for this company because I wouldn’t have it any other way. Is There a Difference Between a Locally Owned Dealership and A Large Corporate Giant Dealership? John Haggard: 05:15 And you talked about locally owned. Have you worked for dealerships that were like corporate giants, if you will, or parts of big corporations. Marcy Miller: 05:24 I sure have. John Haggard: 05:24 And what’s the difference there? Marcy Miller: 05:26 A difference is that you’re expendable. You’re not important to them and they make you feel like you’re not important, regardless of how great you are and how good of a job you do. It doesn’t matter. If you don’t fit into their mold, they’re not going to keep you. Miracle isn’t like that. They keep you, they try to make everything work for you. They care about their employees and I’ve always felt like I was important here. That’s definitely important to me. What Do You Do In Your Time Off? John Haggard: 05:56 We talked a little bit earlier, you said that you are a singer, came to Nashville a little over 20 years ago. So when you’re not working, is singing your hobby or are there other hobbies, fun things that you like to do on your time off? Marcy Miller: 06:09 Well I have three kids and one of them is leaving me on Saturday. She’s going to college. So I’m a mom, I’m a single mom. And, I love my kids and I try to spend as much time with them as I can. Other than that, I like to spend time outdoors, go kayaking, canoeing, anything I can on the water. This summer has been all about water for me. I’ve been on boat rides and everything else. So, I try to just stay busy and, and try to enjoy my life because I’m realizing that it’s just passing me by and I’m trying to enjoy every minute of it. I feel like I wasted way too many years not enjoying my life and that’s what I’m doing. I’m enjoying it. John Haggard: 06:58 You know, that hindsight, 2020 for all of us, it’s that sort of Woulda, Shoulda, coulda. If I had only… Is that what you’re saying? Marcy Miller: 07:05 Yeah, and that’s not what I’m saying anymore. I’m not saying it anymore. I’m doing it and I’m enjoying my life. Closing John Haggard: 07:12 Well thanks Marcy. That’s Marcy Miller, everybody the Business Development Representative for Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, and you know that you can join us right here for other topics on the podcast throughout each month because our goal is to show you the best ways to purchase, maintain and accessorize your new or preowned vehicle. Then how to sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible when you’re ready to do it. And don’t forget, we’ve also posted a transcript of each podcast right here on the website. You can easily refer to it and get all the information you need in summary form at your fingertips. I’m your host John Haggard, and we will see you next time.

Welcome to the 4th episode of our weekly podcast here at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram! In this episode, we talk with the Body Shop manager, Marty Denson. Both Miracle CDJR and Miracle Ford share the same body shop, located behind the Miracle Ford Dealership. This is another great episode, so enjoy! Topics Discussed: The types of vehicles that the body shop works onDealing with insurance, estimates, and Tennessee’s right to chooseThe Technology used in the body shopHow to preserve your vehicle’s paint jobWhat does Marty enjoy doing outside of work? Transcript Opening John Haggard: 00:03 Welcome to the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram podcast, where each week you’ll also be able to learn best ways to purchase or lease, maintain and accessorize, and how to sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible, when you’re ready to do that. I’m your host John Haggard, and throughout each month, right here, different team members will join us from Miracle and they will bring you tips that you can use. And by the way, we do post a transcript of every podcast so you’ll easily be able to refer to it for information on anything that you might’ve heard. And you said, gosh, I didn’t quite get that. What was it that he said or she said? Well, you’ll have it right there. Word for word On this podcast today we’re talking about body shop repair when there’s been an accident or other damage to a vehicle and what some of the misunderstandings are out there, what your rights are and what separates Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram from other body shops. So today on the podcast we have Marty Denson and he’s the Body Shop Manager, actually located at Miracle Ford. Marty, welcome to the podcast. Marty Denson: 01:00 Thank you John. Appreciate it. Nice talking with you. What Types of Vehicles Do You Work On? John Haggard: 01:03 Well glad you’re here. Folks want to find out some information here. Now you’re over at the Ford store. So, you only work on Ford vehicles, or how does that work? Because there is a Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram as well. Marty Denson: 01:16 Right, we work on everything. Of course we are located behind the Ford store, because that was the newest store that was built. But we do all the work for Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep as well. Actually we even do the work for the Toyota store here in town, but we’ll work on any make and model of any vehicle. John Haggard: 01:35 Right. And the Ram too as well, right? Marty Denson: 01:37 Oh yeah. Oh yeah, you do lots of Rams. Dealing With Warranties John Haggard: 01:39 Absolutely. You know, a lot of people today want to know about warranty. Is it factory authorized, or am I sure I’m going to get my warranty, or how does that work today? The warranty business, like let’s say if you work on a Toyota or Chevrolet or something like that. Marty Denson: 01:55 Right. Actually everything that we do, we give a limited lifetime warranty on our work. We try to keep everything, to use parts and everything that’s not going to affect your normal factory warranty, with whatever vehicle you have. So, as long as you take care of your car, even if you don’t take care of your paint or your vehicle. You know, we can’t cover regular wear and tear, but if it’s anything to do with anything we did, we definitely stand behind it. What Technology Do You Have in the Body Shop? John Haggard: 02:28 Gotcha, Gotcha. And another thing that people ask about today, especially with new vehicles is, “well, what kind of technology do you have in there, in that vehicle”, or if you think about a body shop, a lot of people think, “well there can’t be really anything too high tech in there”. But how is the body shop business, from a technology standpoint, or the equipment that you have in there, how’s that different from a few years ago? Marty Denson: 02:54 It’s quite a bit different. We try to stay up to date with all of our equipment and we have two brand new state of the art downdraft paint booths. We keep all the new modern welding equipment. We have a modern rise frame rack, if we do need any kind of frame repair and we keep all the modern scanners to help. All these new cars have a lot of sensors and codes and stuff on them. So we keep all the modern scanners so that we can keep everything programmed the way it needs to be. Body Shop Experience John Haggard: 03:24 Gotcha. Gotcha. And if you look at all the people who are there at the body shop, I guess the combined number of years of folks who have been in the business, what would that number be about? Marty Denson: 03:34 Yeah, we’ve got, with all the people that we have in the shop, we have over 200 years of experience with my staff. And then in the office we have 45 years of experience in the office. John Haggard: 03:47 Y’all are a bunch of old people. Ha! Marty Denson: 03:49 Yeah, I’ll tell ya, ha! Dealing With Insurance, Estimates, and Tennessee’s Right to Choose John Haggard: 03:49 You’ve been around for awhile. You know, depending upon where somebody may have lived, perhaps another state or maybe here in Tennessee and they just don’t know. Can you take your vehicle to any body shop or repair shop that you want to? Because I’ve heard in some cases, the insurance company will say, “well, if you don’t take that vehicle to one of our vendor approved body shops, then we’re not going to stand behind the warranty. We’re not going to help you if you have any problems”. How does that work here? Marty Denson: 04:22 Yeah. Unfortunately, that’s the kind of scare tactic that the insurance companies use to try to get people to take it to a certain shop that’s giving them discounts and different things like that. But in the state of Tennessee, it’s a right to choose state, so you can choose to take your car to any shop you want to and there’s nothing the insurance company can do about it. And actually, we give the same warranty that a shop that they’re trying to push them off to is giving. So you’re not missing out on any kind of warranty issues there. But you do have the right to choose, you can take your vehicle to any shop you want to. John Haggard: 04:54 All right. And what about the estimates? You know, because at one time, they always told you, “hey, go get three estimates, be sure you’re getting a deal”,and all this and that. How does that work now? Do you need to do that or can you just go to the body shop in back of Miracle Ford and just get one estimate or how does that work? Marty Denson: 05:13 Right. Before, usually when you got in a wreck you always went and got three estimates. You had to run all over town. It took you all day. But nowadays, insurance companies really don’t require that either. They’re going to send somebody out to look at your car and they’re going to do an estimate, or they’ll just have you come by and just maybe get one estimate to give to them. So they sort of know what they’re looking at. That keeps you from having to waste all day and run around different places trying to get estimates. A lot of that has changed. Tips to Preserve Your Vehicle’s Paint Job? John Haggard: 05:40 Gotcha. Gotcha. Now if you were just going to give two or three tips to people on how to preserve the paint job or things to look out for, or how or where you parked so you don’t get dented, or how to avoid potential body damage. Just overall preservation with the idea in mind that I want to have the highest resale value I can when I sell my vehicle. What would you tell them? Marty Denson: 06:04 I’d say, some of the most important things, especially with the paint is keep a good wax job on your car. If you keep it waxed, it keeps the paint in good shape and it won’t fade. Endeavor to keep the inside of your car clean. We see a lot of cars that come through here that it’s unbelievable how dirty they are on the inside. And try to park away from, or not to get underneath of trees where sap or different things can get on your paint. If you just keep it wiped and keep the inside clean, you’ll definitely get a whole lot more for your trade in when you do go to trade. What do You Do Outside Of Work? John Haggard: 06:39 All right, well when you’re not working eight days a week, what do you do for fun Marty? Marty Denson: 06:44 Well, I love to be outside, mainly playing golf. I love to play golf on weekends. Actually. That’s my big stress reliever. John Haggard: 06:50 So you chase that white ball on that green. Marty Denson: 06:52 Oh yeah. John Haggard: 06:53 Are you a champion golfer or what kind of score do you do? Marty Denson: 07:00 I usually stay in the low to mid eighties. But a lot of times I get just as aggravated on the course as I do everywhere else. Ha. John Haggard: 07:08 I understand there’s always, when you’re playing golf, that one out of 10 shot. If you’re a guy like me, “like, man, that felt so good”, and you think… I can do this. And then the next nine are like “I need to get off the green”, right? Marty Denson: 07:20 Oh yeah, exactly. Closing John Haggard: 07:22 All right, well that’s Marty Denson, everybody, the body shop manager for Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram located at the Miracle Ford store in the back. So join us again right here for other topics on the podcast throughout each month because our goal is to show you the best ways to purchase, maintain and accessorize your new or preowned vehicle and how to sell it vehicle for the highest resale value possible, when you’re ready to do that. And don’t forget, we will post and have posted a transcript of every podcast right here on the website. The reason we do that is if you heard something, you say, “well, I’m going to go back and catch what that was exactly, or really understand that”. The typewritten text is right there for you, so you’ll have that information instantly. I’m your host John Haggard, and we’ll see you next time.

Welcome to our third episode of a weekly podcast that we are doing here at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram! In this episode, we talk with the Owner Loyalty Manager of Miracle CDJR, Mike Woodruff. Mike is a Tennessee native, and has lived in Gallatin since 1987. In this episode, Mike talks about our VIP program, and our new service initiative, the Miracle Express Train. He also discusses the pro’s and con’s of purchasing a vehicle online in the digital world that we live in, and revisits the benefits of leasing as we spoke about in Episode 2. Enjoy! Transcript John Haggard: 00:02 Welcome to the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram podcast, where each week we hope you will be able to learn the best ways to purchase, maintain and accessorize your new or preowned vehicle and how to sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible, when you’re ready to do so. I’m your host John Haggard and throughout each month, right here we’re going to have different team members join us from Miracle to bring you tips that you can use. And by the way, we will also post a transcript of each podcast so that you can easily refer to it for information. Maybe something you heard on the podcast and you want to just go pick up that line, what was said, it will be right there for you right at your fingertips. On the podcast today we’re talking about different ways to own or lease a vehicle and how the process has changed over the last several years. And on today’s podcast we have Mike Woodruff, he’s the Owner Loyalty Manager at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Hey Mike, welcome to the podcast. Mike Woodruff: 00:59 How are you John, my friend? New Speaker: 01:00 I am doing well. Hey, you know, before we get started, folks like to know a little bit about you and just anybody who is on the podcast. Hey, who is this guy and how did he get started? How did they get in the car business? Where is he from? That type of thing. So give us a little bit of background about you, Mike. Mike Woodruff: 01:14 Well, actually I’ve lived in the community since 1987. My previous career was in healthcare management and actually retired from that some years ago. And then later, I was looking for something to do at the suggestion of my wife. Ha, Yeah. And I knew some people at the dealership, and I’d spoken with a couple of people there and they suggested maybe working for the dealership. I had never done anything like that before. And I thought, well, that’ll be different. I thought it would something I would probably do for a couple of years. And, seven years later, here I am. John Haggard: 01:54 Seven years later, you’re still there. So when you were doing healthcare, when you said a manager, what were you doing? Mike Woodruff: 02:00 I was in health care management. I was managing clinical areas of one of the local hospitals and later went into practice management with group of physicians. John Haggard: 02:09 Gotcha, Gotcha. So, you knew some people down at Miracle and that’s how you wound up actually going to work for them. Mike Woodruff: 02:17 Exactly. John Haggard: 02:18 Gotcha. So you say you are you from Gallatin? Mike Woodruff: 02:21 I’m originally from Donaldson right outside of Nashville of course and been up here since 1987. John Haggard: 02:29 Gotcha. Now somebody said in the notes here that I’m reading that you have, I think it’s nine grandchildren. Mike Woodruff: 02:34 I have nine grandchildren I sure do. Nine beautiful grandchildren and four children. And that keeps me busy during my off hours. John Haggard: 02:42 I was going to say, what do you do on your off hours? Do you have any, ha! Well, Mike, I understand you are the Owner Loyalty Manager for Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, and the title would seem obvious, but take us behind the scenes. What does that really mean? And really, what does it mean for customers? Mike Woodruff: 03:02 Well, it means not only that they purchased a vehicle, they’ve also become a member of the Miracle Family. That’s very, very important to us. They’ll be a part of our new customer service initiative that we call the Miracle Express Train through the Chrysler Corporation in conjunction with JD Power and Associates. So that’s something that we’re very proud to be working on right now. And that train is on a fast track to excellence. We want to be one of the premier examples of great customer service in the community and that’s whether it’s sales, service or parts. John Haggard: 03:47 All right. And when you say the express train, tell us a little bit more about that. What all’s involved? Mike Woodruff: 03:54 It’s a dealership wide program where we focus intently on customer service and what we can do to improve the different aspects of customer service, be it sales or service or parts. How we interact with the customer, how we follow up with a customer, and just that communication is key to maintaining the relationship that was begun when the customer purchased a vehicle from us. And we think that’s key to customer service and our success. John Haggard: 04:34 Yeah. A lot of lack of communication all over these days. That’s for sure. Just anywhere that you go. And are you responsible for training people on how to do that or do you handle all of that? How does that work? Mike Woodruff: 04:46 I do the training as well. Yes John Haggard: 04:48 You do. Okay. So you are trainers. Well, and do you also sell and lease vehicles yourself? Mike Woodruff: 04:59 In my spare time do that as well. I have a loyal base of customers that I continue to service and communicate with. But, yeah, I wear different hats, but it keeps me busy. It keeps me active, and I love it. John Haggard: 05:13 All right. Now on selling and leasing, what changes have you seen in the marketplace? I guess the way people go about making a decision to buy or lease a vehicle, say compared to a few years ago, has anything changed or is it pretty much the same? Mike Woodruff: 05:28 Well, I think the two biggest changes, John are, of course the Internet and the emergence of digital technologies that really have surfaced in the past two to three years. That’s been phenomenal. There are so many options that you can purchase with your vehicle now. And digital technology has driven a lot of the decision making. There are some people who really like a lot of technology and there are some people that still like the simple basics, but we can offer anything and everything. John Haggard: 06:11 All right. Now, as you see a lot of advertisements out there, speaking of I guess technology or different ways of doing things, there’ll be companies out there who tell people, “hey, you know, you can bypass the dealer and just buy online”. You’ve got these companies like Carvana and Cars Direct, Car Gurus, Vroom, is that really true or is there any advantage or what’s a pro and a con about buying a vehicle off the internet? Mike Woodruff: 06:38 Well, I think it does have a place in the industry, but it’s really a small niche market. Most people still like to see and touch any item. But before making a purchase, even minor items, you know, a small TV or article of clothing you want to try it on, you want to feel it, you want to actually see it in person. So buying a vehicle solely on internet photos and a little bit of information can be an uncomfortable experience for most people. And there are some times issues with, if you want to trade in a vehicle, some of those sites will accept trading and some will not, but they’re going to value your vehicle without having seen it. And many times, once we are able to put our hands on your trade and we’re able to look at it, that can result in more money for your trade John Haggard: 07:39 Alright, you know, sometimes those types of ads will also imply, “look, you can cut out the middleman or the middle woman by buying online” and with the inference that you get a better deal buying online cause you don’t have someone in between just you and the technology so to speak. Is that true? Mike Woodruff: 07:59 No, it really isn’t. You may save a small amount of money, and we’re talking about maybe two to $300. You’re going to lose a large amount of support and attention to detail after the sale. And, and that’s the critical portion. You know, there are pros and cons to buying off the Internet. The pros are you do have a larger selection and have convenient access because you can just sit at your computer and go from one dealership to another,, or one site to another. And it can be a great starting point to begin your research. But the cons are, you really don’t get a proper assessment for your trade in and you don’t get that personal attention during the sales process. And more importantly, afterwards you don’t get a proper delivery of the vehicle and training on all the different functions. John Haggard: 08:57 I know that, because I have a car and I didn’t realize, with what I drive that you could pop the key out of the electronic key. I didn’t know that for years, so when I was always handing my key off to a guy who parked my car and I’m trying to take it off the key chain and do all this and that. So I guess little things like that. Mike Woodruff: 09:15 Sure John Haggard: 09:15 Have you ever had anybody do that to you? Say, Hey, I didn’t know this thing came apart like this. Nice and easy. Mike Woodruff: 09:20 Ha! It happened to myself a couple of times John. John Haggard: 09:23 I gotcha. You know, a lot of people think that, or probably most people that car dealers will say anything to get somebody to come into the showroom. So if you were gonna tell people about Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in terms of why they should really deal with the Miracle Auto Group and not somebody else down the street, what would you say? Mike Woodruff: 09:44 Simple. I don’t want to just sell you a vehicle. We want to sell the experience and the dealership. Because it’s not just selling you a vehicle today. It’s developing that relationship where we can sell you a vehicle three or four years down the road where you’re comfortable, and selling one of your family members or friends or people that you go to church or work with. That’s the important part. You know, Gallatin is growing, but it’s still a fairly small community. And it’s very important to us to maintain those relationships that we begin with the sale of a car. It’s not just a one and done process for us. John Haggard: 10:29 Well I guess that makes sense because you want referrals and most of the time research shows if someone is referred in, there’s what a 40 to 60% chance they’ll buy from the person they’ve been told about, versus somebody who just walks in. And of course if they want to trade in three years, you’d like to have that customer back. So I guess that certainly makes some sense. So when you’re not working all the time, Mike, cause it sounds like you are on and off the job a little bit. What do you do in your spare time? What do you, what do you really like to do? Mike Woodruff: 10:59 Okay. Well, of course, I like to spend time with my grandchildren. In fact, I’m going to take a couple of them fishing this week. So, the weather has kind of held off, so I think we’re going to be able to do that this week and, spending time with my wife and just enjoying life. I mean, I’m unfortunately too old to play competitive sports at this point, but my brain still thinks I can, ha! John Haggard: 11:33 Ha! A lot of wisdom up there for all that age, right Mike? There you go. Well listen, thanks for joining us today. Mike Woodruff, the owner loyalty manager for Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Hey, by the way, before we go, is there anything I did not ask you that you would want people to know, or maybe there’s a question that people ask all the time that we didn’t cover today? Mike Woodruff: 11:56 Nothing I can think of off hand. John, I thank you. We’ve pretty well covered that aspect of the dealership. I do want to mention, we just briefly skimmed over leasing there, but in a previous podcast Mark Ledford, who is our general sales manager, went into a lot more depth about leasing. And we talked today a little bit about the technology and how fast it’s moving. And that’s one of the prime reasons that people may want to think about leasing. Because if they’re the type of people who like the latest in safety features and technology, leasing is certainly the way to go, and should be strongly considered. John Haggard: 12:36 Okay. So what’s the difference there? Just so that we all understand, if you lease? Mike Woodruff: 12:41 At the end of three years, you have options. And that’s one of my favorite words. I mean, it’s always nice to have options. You can turn the car in. You can go ahead and turn around and lease another three years on a three year newer vehicle. Or you can just simply throw us the keys and walk away. But you do have options, particularly for younger people whose life situations sometimes change a little more quickly. It’s nice to have that option three years down the road to do something different with your vehicle rather than to be tied into five, six or seven years on a car payment. John Haggard: 13:19 Got You. That’s the difference. All right, I get that. Mike Woodruff, everybody again, the Owner Loyalty Manager for Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. We invite you to join us again right here for other topics on the podcast throughout each month. And our goal is to show you the best ways to purchase, maintain and accessorize your new or preowned vehicle, or lease, and how to sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible when you’re ready. And don’t forget, we’ve also posted a transcript of each podcast right here on the website so that you can easily refer to it for information that you would like to have at your fingertips. I’m your host John Haggard and we’ll see ya next time.

Welcome to our second episode of a weekly podcast that we are doing here at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram! In this episode, we talk with General Sales Manager of both Miracle CDJR and Miracle Ford (Miracle Auto Group). Mark talks a little bit about his history in the car business, the benefits and details of leasing instead of purchasing a vehicle, and also shares what he enjoys doing in his spare time. This is a great episode that you do not what to miss! Enjoy! Transcript John Haggard: 00:02 Welcome to the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram podcast, where each week we hope you’ll be able to learn the best ways to purchase, maintain and accessorize your new or preowned vehicle and how to sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible. When you’re ready to do it. I’m your host John Haggard, and throughout each month, right here we’re going to have different team members join us from miracle to bring you tips that you can use. And by the way, we will also post a transcript of each podcast so that way you can easily refer to it for information that you would like to have right there at your fingertips. Today on the podcast we have Mark Ledford, the general sales manager at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Hey Mark, welcome to the podcast. Mark Ledford: 00:44 Hey John, how are you doing today buddy? John Haggard: 00:45 Good man. Glad to be here. You know, we always, when we bring somebody onto the podcast, before we start, people like to know, well, who is this guy that you’re getting ready to talk to? People just love to hear stories about how others got into a particular profession. So tell us a little bit about your background, how you started, how long you’ve been doing this, and how long you’ve been with Miracle Auto Group. Really specifically. How did you get into the car business? Mark Ledford: 01:10 Well, you know, it’s very similar to the Galvin’s, which you guys heard obviously before, which my father was very, very inspirational in making that happen for me. It’s funny, as I watched my father, when I was growing up, my comment, it was, I’m never getting in the car business. You know, he was very inspirational, you know, as far as me getting into this industry after college. And, you know, I watched his work ethics and, the thing that stood out to me most about, I saw the joy in watching him help others accomplish their goals. And I said, you know what? I think that’s me. I think that’s something I need to give a shot sometime soon. And, a little time after that, I was able to land my feet at a dealership and I spent many summers working at the dealership, washing cars, things like that back in high school. And, so I guess it was meant to be John, you know, just one thing led to another and then at an early age, popped in the business, been in it for about 25 years, been around it for about 35 years, and absolutely love it. John Haggard: 02:16 Alright, you’re about ready for some gray hair, aren’t you? 35 years. Ha! Mark Ledford: 02:19 Yes sir. It has started. You know, I can’t believe I’ve been able to hold it off this long. John Haggard: 02:25 Well there you go. There we go. Well today’s topic on the podcast is leasing versus buying a vehicle and while we won’t be able to cover every topic about leasing in just one podcast, we did ask Mark to help us understand some key components about the differences in leasing versus owning. So we’ll devote future podcasts to learning more about other aspects of leasing versus owning. So a lot of people today, Mark, you know, they’re looking for a better way to acquire a vehicle, perhaps a cheaper way. In other words, you know, save money the best way they can and folks always hear, well should I lease or should I own? I mean really, what would you say? What is the best way to do it? How could a person decide for them whether they should lease or own? Mark Ledford: 03:10 That is a, you know, John, that is a fantastic question. Probably one of the most exciting things I get so fired up about is just the discussion of lease, purchase options on vehicles. And it’s just such a great way, that we’ve been able to help customers decide and help them save money yet get the vehicles that they want. Obviously with the increase in vehicles in today’s world, in today’s society, everything continues to increase. However, I’m not sure incomes always continue to increase at that, right? Rapid, right. So what we’ve done is over the years, you know, we’ve tried to really hone in on what is going to be the best thing that benefits the customers at least as a purchase. So we like to try to have that discussion, you know, with our customers about a way to save money, yet get the vehicle that they want. And we have been able to really do that through leasing, as far as determining what is best for our customer, whether lease or buy. A lot of that will just depend on what is the consumers goals, you know, two, three, five, eight, 10 years down the road. And those are the discussions we’d like to try to have to try to set them up the best way that we can. John Haggard: 04:15 Gotcha. And do you see a trend? Is it that more people are leasing today versus a few years ago was right about, you know, 50, 50 lease purchase, how’s that shaking out? Mark Ledford: 04:26 We’re obviously still the dominant arm force is the purchase option, but leasing is becoming more and more prevalent than it ever has. You know, we have consumers walking in the door asking about leasing these days. And it’s something that we try to consistently talk about and train on so that we can equip ourselves to handle the right questions to help the customer make the right decision that is for them. But it is becoming more popular than ever. It’s not the old ways, I guess back 40 years ago when leasing was not a great option for people. It has really become, something that is just tailored for consumers looking for a less expensive way to purchase the vehicles they want. John Haggard: 05:11 All right. You know, you hear about anytime you’re getting ready to lease or purchase, there’s obviously something due at signing or in most cases, maybe some cases not on special offers, but are the amounts due at signing for a lease, would that be the same amount as if someone were purchasing a vehicle? Mark Ledford: 05:30 Yeah, that’s, that’s obviously a good question. Most consumers today that we work with, obviously are trying to come out as less out of pocket as possible. And that is absolutely the truth with leasing is that there are some upfront cost in some cases that is basically giving you your first payment. As you walk out the door, you’re making your first payment so that down payment money is already being applied to your first payment. However there you have the same on leasing that you do on purchasing, which is if you want to walk out of here today with zero money down. That’s an option that we can provide for you as well. John Haggard: 06:04 All right, so if you’re just going to say the difference between loan payments on a purchase versus lease payments, in terms of the monthly amount being paid, what’s the difference there? Mark Ledford: 06:16 Here’s just a, you know, one of the most exciting things is that there are many cases that I have seen, you know, over the years where payments are as low from anywhere from $50 up to $200 a month difference in between what a lease payment would be compared to what that purchase payment would be on the same vehicle. And when you talk about that with a consumer that they can save that kind of money on a lease option compared to a purchase option. It is just, you know, it’s mind boggling. It’s absolutely exciting that you can save that kind of money and there’s an option out there to do that. John Haggard: 06:52 So yeah, I mean if you have a, if I’m doing the math properly, I would say it is $200 there. And if you’ve got a, you know, maybe a three year lease, so 200 times 12, 2,400 times three, you’re talking $7,200 in cash that you’re keeping in your pocket might really be sometimes when you look at, well, how much money you’re saving, you have to earn to save. So if you’re in maybe in a 30% tax bracket, maybe you’re really saving a little over $10,000 because you have to earn 10 to pay the seven, if that makes sense. Mark Ledford: 07:21 Absolutely. Great Point. Yes. John Haggard: 07:23 How does it, in terms of the lease term today, I mean, you hear these three year leases, maybe I’ve heard a five, six, seven year lease. What’s the, what’s the standard or is there one there? Mark Ledford: 07:33 Well, the standard, traditionally is we like to traditionally stay between 36 and 42 months. However, there are leases that you can go up to 60 months on. Very rarely do we ever, you know, see a customer or talked to a customer that wants to go that long. Because one of the benefits to leasing is it’s, it’s a short term decision on what you’re going to do with your vehicle. So 36 to 42 is typically where the manufacturer is going to offer the most incentives, the best, what we call residual factors, money factors, things like that, that are driving that payment down for you. So 36 to 42 is the area that we love to live in, because that’s where the best incentives are for the consumers most of the time. John Haggard: 08:12 All right. And I would think so too. You know, you know, 36, 48 months, people are sort of thinking, they see the new models, they see the new body styles and they probably think, you know, I’d like to, I’d like to be able to get into a different vehicle. I guess you see that as well. Mark Ledford: 08:25 Absolutely. You know, obviously with today’s world, with the technology, the way that it changes, and how fast it changes, you know, more and more consumers are wanting to be, driving the vehicles and the models that have the updated features and options. And, that’s why leasing is becoming more and more prevalent is because it’s something that you can get into the average consumer. Just so people know, the average consumer that trades a vehicle in is trading every 30 months in our country. So it just makes sense to have the discussion and at least look at the option of a 36 to 42 month lease for you. John Haggard: 09:03 All right. You know, and people also sorta think, well what’s included in that monthly lease payment? Like how about maintenance? Cause you know, you do have to maintain the vehicle. And, and is that part of that payment or separate? How does that work? Mark Ledford: 09:16 Well, obviously the maintenance side of it is something that you still do, that you would normally do on your vehicle anyway. What is covered, obviously is you tend to stay under the manufacturer’s warranty throughout leasing. So that is just another absolutely great benefit. I’m not financing this car for 72, 75, 84 months and I know that I’m going to be out of warranty right in this vehicle, you know, in two to three years. Whereas if I’m leasing this vehicle and I’m leasing a new car every year, three years, let’s say, I’m staying under the manufacturer’s warranty. So the only thing my cost of ownership is extremely low. So not only am I saving on payments every month, I’m also saving on cost of ownership on that vehicle. John Haggard: 09:57 All right. Let’s say that someone has a three year lease and then life changes, you know, maybe a new baby comes along or there’s some issue and someone says, you know, I’ve been in this two years and I need more space. Or you know, maybe I got married and the wife likes, well you know, a color and I, you know, I want a red color or whatever it might be. How, or can you, if you’re in a three year lease, can you upgrade or change into another vehicle? How does that work? Mark Ledford: 10:22 The answer to that question is yes. It is no different than if you’re in a purchase right now, and you come in and you want to trade that vehicle in two years. We can then have options to work with you. If you decide in a couple of years that I want to look at something different or maybe I want to go from a lease to a purchase, I’m doing something different, my life has changed. We can definitely sit down with you to discuss those options with you to upgrade or just trade that vehicle in and, and change things. John Haggard: 10:47 All right. You know, one of the things you hear where people say when they go on the Internet and they read about leasing versus owning, they say, oh, watch out about the mileage limit. If you go over the mileage limit, you know, it’s going to cost you a fortune or whatever. So what happens if somebody does go over the mileage limit? Mark Ledford: 11:05 That is, that is probably John, the number one thing that a lot of folks, you know, as they’re trying to understand leasing more, that’s probably one of the things that they have the biggest concern about is, you know, the mileage restrictions that they’re under. And it’s not that the fact that you’re going to drive a vehicle, so the standard mileage on a lease is 15,000 miles per year. So obviously on a three year term, you know, you’re talking about 45,000 miles, but for example, it’s just that you drive 54 55,000 miles over the term of that lease, the only thing that’s going to happen at the end of that lease is you’re going to have what they call, a mileage adjustment, which is going to be about 20 to 25 cents per mile depending on the manufacturers, they all can be different. Mark Ledford: 11:47 Sometimes I see anywhere from 15 to 25 cents per mile that you would pay. So when you break that down, let’s just use for example, I think you know, some you did 54,000 miles, compared to a 45,000 mile lease, that’s 9,000 miles. I believe that comes out to somewhere around $1,800 in a penalty. But if you break that down over a 36 month term, that’s about $50 a month. All that extra mileage on it. You’re already saving all that on the front end anyway. Sso as you walk in and there, the other part of that that I want customers to always understand too is that a lot of times the manufacturers are going to forgive that mileage if you upgrade with their vehicle the next time around. But there are ways around it. John Haggard: 12:34 Yeah. Wow. Okay. That, that’s an incentive right there. They’ll forgive that if, if you do certain things and stay within the family so to speak. Mark Ledford: 12:42 There are many cases where they will do that. A lot of times the manufacturer of course wants to keep you and keep your business. So there are cases where we will just allow you to trade that vehicle in and then obviously that mileage is no longer an option for you and having to pay. John Haggard: 12:58 Gotcha. So if you’re just going to recap is a quick summary, when is the best time to lease versus the best time to own for somebody? Mark Ledford: 13:08 Well, I think as far as the best time to lease or the best time to purchases, obviously it just depends on what your goals are. If I’m in my twenties, thirties, even forties, and I’m going to, and my life’s going to change here and there and I know that I like the latest and greatest technology, and I like to have a new car every three, four years. Lleasing is going to be a way that you really need to consider in your next vehicles and for many vehicles to come. There are those clients that say, you know what? This is gonna be my last car, or I like to hold onto my cars for 10 years. I would say the customer then at that point, probably a lot of times purchase is the best option for them if it’s going to be long term. Like you’re saying. Correct. In what we’re trying to stay away from. The ultimate goal of what we’re trying to stay away from for the customers that like to have the new cars every two, three, four years, John is we’re trying to set them up where they don’t have to deal with the negative equity. Oh, we all know that, you know, an automobile is a depreciating asset, so, let’s let the manufacturer handle that at the end of three years and not the consumer. John Haggard: 14:14 Gotcha. You know, you said about 35 years Mark, that you’ve been in this business now, so you know, when you’re not working, what do you like to do? Do you have any hobbies? Are you working seven days a week? What do you like to do? Mark Ledford: 14:26 Well, I do work a lot. However, when I am off, I try to enjoy myself by, always been a lake, big lake guy. Love to hike. Have some aspirations to hike the Appalachian one day. I’m a big sports fan. Football and hockey are my two favorite sports to be involved in. And, outside of that, you know, I’ve got two fantastic daughters and I just absolutely love being around my family. John Haggard: 14:50 Gotcha. Did you play sports in high school or college or anything? Mark Ledford: 14:54 I did. I played sports all through from the time I was probably five and up until I was 20, 21 years old. Played football in college for a little bit as well. John Haggard: 15:04 What position? Mark Ledford: 15:05 I actually, started out as a quarterback but then was moved into defensive back. John Haggard: 15:11 Wow. So rough, tough and hard to bluff. Is that it? Mark Ledford: 15:15 No, I found out, I found out real quick buddy. It was time for me to get out of the game of football. John Haggard: 15:20 Are you and me both on that? Hey, let me ask you one more question here. You know, there are a lot of choices out there today when somebody is going to get ready to lease or purchase a vehicle and all the dealers out there say, you know, we’re the one, we’ll treat your right, come by, you know, all this type of thing. And some think car dealers will say about anything to get somebody in the door. And what would you tell folks about Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram? Just in terms of really why they should deal with the Miracle Auto Group? Mark Ledford: 15:49 That is a fantastic question because I know you see it everywhere. You hear it everywhere. But the biggest thing is, is that, what we try to focus on is that we invest a lot of time in learning and mastering our craft. And what I mean by that, we just wanna make sure that when a consumer comes in, we’re able to sit down and consult and discuss with you what is the best way for you to move forward on the purchase or lease of a vehicle. And we try real hard to make sure we have the communication skills that we understand, our staff understands leasing, they understand the difference between leasing and purchasing so that we can try to set the customer in the right direction. Not only for today but for the years to come. And honestly, John, I just think that we outwork the competition in a lot of ways. You know, we’re never going to try to sell you a car. We just try to assist and helping you buy a car. And that is our motto year. John Haggard: 16:43 And one thing about Miracle Auto Group that I’ve come to learn is it is a local family that lives in the local community. You’re not dealing with some big corporate conglomerate where the owners in another city and you’re sort of a, I don’t know, maybe faceless or a number instead of a person. Mark Ledford: 17:00 Absolutely. You know, you hear of a million big cities and things like that that we’re a part of these days. You know, there are the big corporate, companies out there. The benefit that we feel like we have is again, that we are family owned. We are right here local in the community. You’ve been in the community for years and years and years and you know, ultimately where you definitely want to take care of our customers. We know that customer retention is something that special. It takes a lot of work, and it is extremely important to us in the community to make sure we’re trying to do the right things. John Haggard: 17:32 Well there it is. That’s Mark Ledford, general sales manager for the Miracle Auto Group, including Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. And join us again right here for other topics on the podcast throughout each month, right here where you are. And our goal is to show you the best ways to purchase, maintain and accessorize your new or preowned vehicle and how to sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible when you’re ready. And don’t forget, we’ve also posted the transcript of each podcast right here on the website so you can easily refer to it for information that you would like to have right there at your fingertips. I’m your host John Haggard. We will see you next time.

Welcome to the first episode of a weekly podcast that we will be doing here at Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram! In this episode, we talk with General Manager and part owner of Miracle, Tim Galvin. Tim talks about his beginnings in the business, the history of Miracle CDJR, the values that have held strong in the company from day 1, and even about what he likes to do in his spare time. Enjoy! Transcript John Haggard: Welcome to the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Gallatin podcast, where each week we hope you’ll be able to learn the best ways to purchase, maintain and accessorize your new or preowned vehicle and how to sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible, when you’re ready to do that. I’m your host John Haggard, and throughout each month, right here we’ll have different team members join us from Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram to bring you tips you can use. And by the way, we will also post a transcript of each podcast and that way you can easily refer to it for information that you would like to have right there at your fingertips. So today on the podcast we have Tim Galvin, the general manager of Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Hey Tim. Tim Galvin: Hey John. How are you doing? John Haggard: Doing good man. Hope you are… Tim Galvin: Doing great, doing great. John Haggard: All right, great. You know people may not know this about you, but you’re actually more than just the general manager. You’re part of the local family that owns Miracle. So I thought it would be fun for folks to know you a little bit better since you are home town, you’re there at the store as opposed to some, you know, corporate owner who lives in another city. And the first question is, people always want to know about someone is how did you get started in the business? Tim Galvin: John, that’s a great question. I actually grew up in the car business. When I was in high school. I worked for my dad who bought the Ford dealership in 1980. I’ve worked every department in the dealership from washing cars to writing up service, worked in the parts department for two years, sold cars, did F & I… I was the F & I manager and worked my way up to the general sales manager. And then in 1994, February of 1994, we saw an opportunity to grow the Miracle franchise by purchasing a Chrysler Dodge Jeep store on the other side of town. So we purchased that in 1994, February of 1994, and I became the dealer principal over there, which was 25 years ago,. John Haggard: 25 years. You got any gray hair yet? Tim Galvin: No. Ha. I’ll tell you, this business just keeps getting funner every day. I tell you, it’s all about dealing with people and taking care of the people. John Haggard: Yeah, speaking of that, what do you see that’s changed, with a lot of technologies here now. You know, there are companies like Amazon that deliver to your front door and all of these types of things. What big changes have you seen in the car business? Tim Galvin: Well, John, customers, they just don’t drive around car lots like they used to. A customer doesn’t pick two or three dealerships to drive around. The Internet has made it, very convenient for the customer to go online. And we do a great job of, putting all our vehicles online to make it easy for them to have easy access so they can pull up a new vehicle or a used vehicle. And, we have the one pricing… we are very competitive in pricing. Our theory is we’ll take care of the customer on the price when they come into the dealership, treat them like family and then take care of them in the service department. And that’s where we really win the customers over, John… It’s in the service department. Anybody can sell a car. It’s what you do after the sale that wins the customers over, time and time again. John Haggard: Gotcha. You know, for a lot of people, Tim, a vehicle actually is the second largest investment they ever make besides a home mortgage. You hear a lot of dealers say, “we’re different”. Come see us, we’ll treat you right. What would you say to folks really that makes Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram different from all the others out there that are saying, hey, come see us. Tim Galvin: Well, one of the things that we pride ourselves on is the Miracle VIP Advantage. And that includes, starting in August, we’re going to add another thing to the VIP. We’re going to cover the, the powertrain of your vehicle as long as you own the vehicle. So if you buy a new Ram from us, as long as you own that vehicle, your powertrain is going to be covered the entire time. The other thing is we have different oil change packages and stuff that we provide our customers. So the customer comes back over and over for service and we’re gonna provide with VIP points that they can get to use in our service department or if they want to buy accessories, that type deal. John Haggard: So in other words, like the points that would apply toward the purchase of or discounts that type of thing? Tim Galvin: It can be, yes. It can be used at any one of our stores. The Miracle Automotive Group, Chrysler and Ford. So, they can have the vehicle serviced at any one of the dealerships. John Haggard: All right. And so having grown up in the business when you are not working in the business, like taking time off, what are some of the hobbies you have and the fun things you like to do? Tim Galvin: John, I like to spend time with my family and we have a farm that I live on… you might call it a farm. It’s five acres so there’s a lot of yard work we do. I like to that, and I like to play a little golf. I’m also a part time real estate investor. We buy properties and stuff and resell them. John Haggard: Oh, you do? Okay, like the, fix them up, and resell them type thing. Tim Galvin: Exactly. John Haggard: Gotcha. Okay. If you were going to say that there’s one thing that, as you leave people, that you would want to have in their mind… one thing about Miracle Chrysler Dodge, Jeep, Ram. If they don’t remember anything else, this one thing you’d want them to remember, what is it? Tim Galvin: I want them to remember when they come into Miracle Chrysler or Miracle Ford, that they walk away with the Miracle experience. That’s what they’re going to receive when they come to these dealerships is: we’re going to treat them like family, we’re going to give them the best price and the the easiest way to purchase it. We’re not going to play a bunch of games with them. You can come in here and buy a car and be out within an hour. And then when they get their vehicles serviced after the sale, we’re going to do our best to provide them with the Miracle experience that they deserve from the service department time and time again. John Haggard: All right. Tim Galvin, everybody, the general manager of Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. So join us again right here. We will have associates from Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram on the podcast throughout each month. Our goal is to show you the best ways to purchase, maintain and accessorize your new or preowned vehicle, and how to sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible, when you’re ready. And don’t forget, we have also posted a transcript of each podcast so that you can easily refer to it for information that you would like to have right there at your fingertips. I’m your host John Haggard, and we’ll see you next time.