In 2021, when speaking with Jay Mealey, we discovered a lot of interesting information about him. He was candid and helped us understand what life is like in his dealership, his outside pursuits and with his family. He even shared with us some hidden talents that lie beneath the exterior of this quirky Florida dealer.
This article was originally published in 2021-2022 Issue 1.
Describe your educational background. What did you study?
I graduated from UCF with a four-year business degree. After graduation, I spent a year or so in the Dealership Sales Department before ultimately following a more entrepreneurial path and opening my own automotive performance and customizing business. I mention this because this was the best education I could ever have hoped to prepare me to run automobile dealerships. They say you never “fail” but only succeed or “learn.” I did a lot of learning during those entrepreneurial days.
You come from a car family, and the automotive industry would have been the obvious career choice. Did you always aspire to be part of the automotive industry?
Not necessarily; I was a car enthusiast for sure, but for whatever reason didn’t see myself being a long-term “car dealer” once I graduated from college. I am not even sure why this was the case, but I just felt a need to do something a little different from my father. At that time, I already had one brother very involved in the business, and I had grown up around the dealership performing odd jobs here and there. I still find it ironic that I was the one brother who wanted nothing to do with the car business. As it has turned out, I have been the most involved over the past 20 years, and now I run three dealerships in Central Florida, fairly hands-on while having an absolute blast!
Is your entire family in the auto industry?
Not exactly. I have three brothers. At present, two of the three are involved in the auto industry and family business. My oldest brother, Kevin, is the dealer principal at Don Mealey Chevrolet in Clermont, and my youngest brother, Robert, is the dealer at Sport Subaru and Champions Powersports in Oakland, Florida. My other brother, Mark, is a professional pilot.
Are there any specific individuals who had a major impact on your career?
Obviously my father, but looking beyond that, he also had a very strong team in place as I came up through the ranks. I worked under several individuals who helped shape my perspective and approach to the business. Above all else, our organization and the people who helped influence me had a deep sense of placing integrity and professionalism at the forefront. This emphasis was really the DNA of how my father approached the business and how he expected all of us to behave.
What is the most rewarding part of your career?
Well, you can always look at this as an overall accomplishment compared to your peers, similar brands in the marketplace, etc. Separate from that, the most rewarding part has been watching younger people commit to our industry and create lasting success. As a result, I have some exceptional people who believed in the vision and direction I laid out some years ago. The overall growth of our Mazda Dealership in South Orlando and the amount of respect we have earned from the manufacturer has been very rewarding. We were probably in the bottom third of all Mazda Dealers after purchasing the store in 2008. Hard to believe, but last year we finished Top Ten in the country in Sales Volume and have enjoyed some very positive recognition from Mazda in several areas along the way. Again, the best part is that most of the team so instrumental in this accomplishment still works for me.
What do you think will be some of the auto industry’s dominant trends in the next five to ten years?
Disruption and public companies continue to capitalize on any area of our business they see as profitable. The overall “perception” surrounding us conveys a belief that our work can be done “better” by some entity other than the car dealer. This perception is what should be keeping us up at night. Even though the vast majority of car dealerships today are run extremely well and strive to deliver a high level of customer satisfaction, as an industry, we are still very vulnerable in this area. The really difficult challenge here is that these “disruptors” are not playing by the same rules or competing as traditionally required. Capital is easily accessed, and profitability is not expected as millions or billions of dollars are spent analyzing our historical role in the retail automobile sales and service business.
I also believe that the rise of the EV auto business will coincide with the dealership’s need to evolve and consider additional imaginative ways to serve tomorrow’s customers. There are no doubt some significant changes coming to the way we sell and service our customers. Being open-minded and hyper-focused on the customer experience will be critical for us in the year ahead as car dealers.
What’s the secret sauce for you in running a successful dealership?
As the dealer, I need to communicate the right vision, be good news and expect the best from people. The last ingredient would probably be “Meet Your New Boss – the Customer!” meaning we all ultimately answer to the voice of the customer, and we need to continually let that shape our behaviors, processes and approach to the business. In the end, our long-term success is all about our culture.
If you look back at your career and life, what would be three things you have learned that you would pass on to a younger member of the auto industry?
Stay very in touch with the voice of your customer and continually let your employees know how important the customer experience is to everyone’s success.
Believe in your employees, and encourage and compliment them often. Every accomplishment in the dealership goes back to them. Ensure they feel appreciated and always look to catch somebody doing the “right” thing.
The car business is a great business. Do your best to remove stress from your employees’ day-to-day jobs and your customers’ in-store experiences. Handling stress is easier said than done, especially on a busy Saturday. Let’s face it: the prospect of visiting a car dealership is stressful to many people. It is 100% up to us as dealers to remove as many pain points as possible for our customers and employees. Along these same lines, do your best to ensure good pay plans. Employee motivation is a positive influencer here. I have often seen that some traditional pay plans in our industry can be counterproductive to creating exceptional customer experiences.
What are two things you have learned from past experiences that are helping you navigate now?
Deal with any customer concern absolutely as quickly as possible and stay accessible as the dealer, owner, etc. There are rarely any “wrong” answers as long as you have an honest conversation with a customer that makes them feel like they are important and are being “heard.”
As a leader in your store, be consistent and do your best to properly communicate and get “buy-in” anytime significant changes are considered where your employees are involved in the business.
Believe in your employees, and encourage and compliment them often. Every accomplishment in the dealership goes back to them.
How did you weather the pandemic storm?
I focused immediately on two things during the pandemic onset: cost control and sanitizing. Both were exceptionally difficult. One involved temporary layoffs, and the other involved shopping on eBay for disinfectants at unbelievably high “gouge” prices. Really, from day one forward, my priority was having a healthy and sanitized dealership and communicating this fact to our customers. It was a pretty crazy period I will never forget. Nobody had a playbook here, and it was a very challenging period to be the leader and head of a business. You had to act decisively, and much of it was a “gut” feeling versus known “best practices” for the first week or so.
What is the takeaway for you from the pandemic that will guide your future business decisions as a small-business owner and leader?
When you think you have seen everything, you have not!
Are you involved in any civic or charitable organizations?
We do support several charitable organizations currently. “One Woman, One Heart” and “Now Matters More” are two that come to mind immediately. These are very worthwhile causes covering real needs in our community. In addition to whatever factory involvement we can generate, we typically donate $25 per vehicle to a local cause of some kind. My staff stays very involved in this area, determining how and who we partner with on an ongoing basis.
Why is it important to be a CFADA member? What makes it beneficial?
Really, just considering my statement above, industry challenges make CFADA membership a significant and worthwhile effort. We are all in this together.
Describe your all-time favorite vehicle (it can be one you’ve owned or something on your wish list). What are you driving now?
Hmmm. This question will get me in trouble with my Mazda executive friends. My current vehicle is my all-time favorite, I think. I was fortunate enough to order the new 2020 C8 Corvette from our Chevrolet store in early 2020 before the pandemic hit. Even with all the chaos and delays, I received mine in December last year. Not only is it an amazing vehicle, but it’s also worth substantially more than I paid for it, and we all know any car dealer loves that!
Tell us about your family.
I have been married to an amazing woman now for over 28 years. I actually married my cat’s veterinarian. I have been a big fan and supporter of her as she practiced veterinary medicine and opened up two of her own pet clinics here in Central Florida. Anne (Dr. Scholl Mealey) sold both clinics a couple of years back and is now doing her best to be semi-retired these days but still practices a day or so a week. We have two boys, and I am happy to report they have just graduated from FSU with Business/Marketing Degrees. The older one is pursuing a postgraduate degree in Miami. The younger is currently involved in some in-house digital marketing efforts (with his dad) as he contemplates his next steps after graduation.
What is your favorite way to spend your free time? Any unusual hobbies?
I enjoy my down time just hanging out with my wife, whether relaxing, exercising, or taking in a social outing. We do a ton together and enjoy many of the same things – music, food, church, and just enjoying the simpler things in life.
I tend to be more of a creative person and am also a musician. Rather than read a book, I would prefer to be playing guitar, jamming 80s-style lead electric, or composing something original and probably quirky on acoustic guitar.
When a “creative” personality runs car dealerships, it can get interesting. I have a trophy on my desk that was given to me by my old website vendor: it’s the “Mad Scientist” award. I admit to learning to moderate and simplify and, most importantly, keep my employees in the loop as my left side of the brain would wrestle with the right. Luckily, I have had the leeway to experiment, and my employees have proven very understanding and resilient. They have made me look better than I deserve over the years. I was never short on ideas, and was continually amazed by how well my management teams could accomplish the results and realize the vision.
For that, I will always be thankful.
