Cathy Anderson has been CEO of Woody Anderson Ford for exactly five years and earned her dealer certification less than four years ago. But put her in a showroom and behold the transformation from “I married into this” into “I was born to do this.”
“Have you seen our new Flex? Isn’t it beautiful? And it can seat seven. This is going to be the hot car next year. Go ahead – take a look inside.”
“Well, I É¢
“No, go ahead. Here, let me show you how the back seats fold up. É That’s where you can put the refrigerator and É¢
“That’s nice, but I know you’re busy É¢
“You need to sit in the driver’s seat to get a real feel for it. Let me open the door for you.”
“No, really, I É¢
“Go ahead and sit in there for a minute and tell me what you think. …”
I think if she had not been called away to a meeting, I probably would own a 2009 Ford Flex now.
Anderson, 53, is celebrating her fifth anniversary at the Jordan Lane dealership – named for her late husband – by expanding the Woody Anderson brand. She’s building a 10-bay service center in Madison and just bought Landers McLarty Ford in Fayetteville, Tenn. She’s also working with Ford executives in Michigan and a select group of dealers nationwide to help design and choose future models.
Business Editor Steve Byers spoke recently with Anderson, a former social worker, in her office, where she keeps a lit candle on her desk and memorabilia from her father’s achievements during World War II. The conversation has been edited for space and clarity:
Why the move into Tennessee?
Our company is most interested in meeting our customers’ needs, and we have many customers in the Tennessee area. It expands our market and allows us to go into areas that we have not been able to go into with our product. Plus, I grew up on the mountain in a small, agrarian area, so it’s a perfect fit for me. I love it up there.
What’s the transition been like? Have you had to do much restructuring or reorganizing?
There isn’t a great deal of reorganizing because we’ve maintained the employees in the Fayetteville store. And our management team here is training those employees in the Woody Anderson Ford way: The customer is always right, and we’re the home of red-carpet service. We also want to make certain that if you go to Woody Anderson Ford of Fayetteville, you’re going to have the same experience there as you do here. That’s really important to us. That’s why it was five years before we expanded.
Given the state of the economy, any second thoughts about expanding?
There never is a perfect time to expand. In my view, if you focus on taking care of the customer and don’t make it about the economy, you become successful in the endeavor. The whole philosophy behind our business is to stay focused on what we have control over. If we provide service and TLC to our customers, then the people of Fayetteville and Madison and Huntsville will want to do business with us.
Still, Ford and other U.S. automakers continue to bleed money, cut jobs and lose market share to their Asian rivals. Experts cite reliability, fuel efficiency, design and other factors.
When we sit down with the leaders of Ford and view the vehicles that are being made right now for next year and the next year, Ford is on target with what’s most important. As the automotive world goes, so goes the economy. The message to the American public is: We should be more self-reliant.
Because of my position, I can’t reveal much, but let’s just say Ford is pro-environment, pro-emissions control and pro-power. We’re making the different vehicles to meet customers’ needs without losing sight of what we’re about with the environment. It’s easy for me to expand, it’s easy for me to build, because I know my brand’s going to be here a long time.
Have customers’ tastes changed with the economy?
Obviously, people would like to have a more fuel-efficient vehicle, but they don’t compromise safety and reliability for fuel efficiency. And a family of four does not necessarily want a small car because they need the extra space. The SUV is a big part of this community. I don’t know of anyone right now I can call who owns an Expedition who would say to me, “I’m going to trade that in for something more fuel-efficient.” Most people know what their needs are, and that decision’s made when they come in here.
You obviously have a good relationship with Ford executives in Michigan, who appointed you to the Product Advisory Committee and have given you top-dealer awards. What’s behind that?
It’s a very close, family-oriented business. (Ford CEO) Alan Mulally, as you know, was the head of Boeing, and he was in Huntsville before and loves this town. He’s very much hands-on with his dealers. Here’s a good example: Recently, our general manager (Bobby White) did a commercial with his daughter about Sync (a voice-activated mobile phone and digital music system that Ford offers). It was so good that I sent it to Alan to look at. He didn’t e-mail me back – he called to say he really liked the commercial, and he e-mailed Bobby and commented that he had a lovely daughter and that she did a great job. That’s the way he is.
Why build a service center in Madison?
If I have people coming into Woody Anderson Ford, and they live in Madison, doesn’t it make sense for me to take care of their car in Madison? I don’t mind buying my vehicle from one place, but make it more convenient for me to have it serviced. That’s how I look at it. I want our environments to be conducive to relaxation and not so sterile. I think they should feel more like home.
Similarly, I believe that since our employees stay here a great deal, it should be more relaxing. So we cook here – we have lunch on Saturdays, sometimes in the middle of the week. Anything good happens, we cook. We have fun. If it’s not fun, I’m not going to do it. It’s not all about money, I assure you.
What do you look for in a prospective salesperson?
I look for them to have drive. I look for them to have character. I look for them to have talent. I look for them to have energy. I look for them to be people-oriented. I like someone who likes to be involved in many things, is a constant learner, who spends time on personal growth. I look for someone who’s a team player, someone who sees the big vision of what we’re doing. And we have a vision. When you have a vision, you get empowerment.
Talk a little bit about the learning curve that you faced succeeding your husband, who was a larger-than-life figure in this community.
My husband’s health was failing, and I was bringing him to work, and I had not been in the Ford store at all before then. And one day I learned that he had requested that I be his successor, which was really an honor and a privilege. I never expected that. He died soon after that (in 2003 at age 81).
After we did a business plan, I went to Ford and said, “Please give me the opportunity. I’ll do my best, and I promise if in six months you don’t think it’s the right place for me, I will graciously step down, and we’ll work toward getting someone else to do this, or buy the store, whatever it had to be.”
In six months, we both agreed that I could do this, that I had a passion for it. Any success I have has a direct relationship to Ford, my staff and the staff that Woody had grown and built. A retired Ford employee mentored and coached me and helped me learn everything about the business. And I graduated from the NADA (National Automobile Dealers Association) Dealer Certificate Academy, which was a yearlong program. I equate it to drinking water from a fire hose. It was a humbling experience at first because I didn’t know anything about this business. I had no embarrassment in saying, “I don’t know about that. Just tell me. I’ll try to remember.”
What did you learn from Woody?
He was a remarkable man because he had a psychology degree and didn’t know it. He genuinely cared about people. He taught me to truly respect the individual differences in people. He was a visionary. He didn’t let negativity enter his mind. So I learned to be positive and have a true appreciation and love of people.
And he loved to sell cars and trucks. I do, too.
