Kunes Auto Group

5 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 10 Group when he began working as an assistant lot manager. “I think we are in more of a customer service industry than a retail one,” Kunes explains. “So, I gained a lot of useful knowledge during my career as a chef around things like inventory control, purchasing, and people management. That’s why I love hiring people from the restaurant industry to this day.” With 40 locations, Kunes Auto Group has around 2,000 employees in total, made up of both full- time and part-time workers. The size of the workforce demands efficient management, with employees spread across approximately 500 miles north to south and about 200 miles east to west. “We cover a pretty large geographic territory,” Kunes acknowledges. “In the past three years, we’ve experienced some rapid expansion, which has been accompanied by some growing pains. We’ve been working out how to manage this growth as we go.” The last two years, in particular, have presented new challenges that nobody could have predicted, of course. Whereas dealerships like Kunes Auto Group would have become accustomed to seeing lots full of vehicles and prospective customers, the COVID-19 pandemic changed all that. Then supply chain issues came along to cause further disruption. “Obviously, everyone is feeling the tightening of inventory,” Kunes says. “Fortunately, we were very proactive, purchasing a lot of new vehicles and used cars to ensure we always had pretty full lots. It’s a new era of selling and most manufacturers have experienced this change. But this has actually led to higher profits in some cases, with manufacturers finding that if they don’t build so many products, they don’t have to rebate them to get them sold.” The automotive industry is certainly experiencing an interesting period, but it is one that many consumers are already coming to grips with. Kunes Auto Group has taken a lot more new car orders lately, especially on Scotty Kunes, COO