Business View Magazine | Volume 9, Issue 2

69 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 2 WEST POINT L INCOLN milage used cars that dealers have access to.” Another area the dealership is exploring is online sales. According to various industry reports, the inventory crunch is pushing more people online to search for their preferred car, with most willing to travel hundreds of miles to buy it wherever they find it. In that regard, West Point has built online sales capabilities with their website and other technologies like DocuSign and remote test drives, so they can engage buyers anywhere in the country and complete most of the purchasing process online. Electric vehicles are an emotive topic spoken about in hushed tones in most auto dealerships, with many waiting to see how everything will play out instead of trying to steer opinions. “As auto dealers, EVs are still controversial because we understand customers’ sentiments about them,” says Poulos. “For one, range anxiety is a major issue here in Texas because the distance between cities like Houston and Dallas can be hundreds of miles, right at the edge of or exceeding the range of most EVs. It will take a lot of infrastructure upgrades and a change of mindset in buyers who might have to plan longer trips with more stops to accommodate charging.” Although EVs are in West Point Lincoln’s future (GM has an electric Hummer slated for release soon, as do most other manufacturers), Poulos has several more items on his wishlist for the next three to five years. “I’d like to see us join the top three dealers in the country, while our other two continue growing in the respective markets,” he shares. “If we continue to grow and an opportunity rises, I know I can count on our incredibly supportive ownership group to help us capitalize on it and grow even further. We’ve also got an excellent hiring formula and corporate culture, which I hope will continue cementing our position as one of the best employers in the city and state. With a solid team and more inventory, we plan to continue our excellent tenure as one of the premier luxury auto dealerships in the area.”