Business View Magazine | June 2022

97 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 6 O’ BR I EN AUTOMOT I VE TEAM employing around 500 professionals. Over the years, O’Brien has owned dealerships that have promoted as many as 15 auto brands. Today its dealerships sell a wide range of makes and models for such leading auto manufacturers as Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Genesis, Nissan, Kia, Honda, Lexus, Toyota, and Ford. “Working in the automotive retail industry can be extremely rewarding but it takes hard work,” Gremore admits. That has never been truer than since March 2020, with supply chain challenges turning the industry on its head. In past years, O’Brien dealerships might have as much as eight months of vehicle supply sitting on their lots when demand was lower. Now, vehicles are sold before they are even delivered. “It’s a completely different environment,” Gremore says, adding that in a perfect world there would be a better balance between supply and demand. He’s thankful that the dealerships’ customers in all three states are resilient and understanding. But the situation has forced all O’Brien locations to get more creative with their approach to selling. Many customers still want to see and touch vehicles and take them for a test drive before deciding, which can be hard to ensure these days. The O’Brien Team is spending more time than ever strategizing how to display the limited inventory it has. Fortunately, there is always a new technology or feature that excites customers, given how quickly advancements are being made in vehicle electronics every year. “No matter what is happening in the industry, there’s always a challenge that keeps us on our toes,” Gremore says. “But that’s why we like working here.” These days O’Brien Automotive Team dealers will trade for just about any used vehicle they can sell. Roughly 50 percent of their purchases will include a trade-in but even at that volume, the dealerships are always looking for vehicles to purchase. Being creative on where and how to find used vehicles being sold by consumers and businesses can keep dealers one step ahead of the competition.