Pub. 1 Issue 4

VIRGINIA AUTO DEALER www.vada.com 16 VADA’s TIME Dealer of the Year Nominee How did you become a car dealer? Did you always aspire to be part of the automotive industry? It all started when my father, Bruce Farrell, began work- ing at Berglund Chevrolet in 1975, and ultimately became the dealer. I began working in the parts department of the Chevrolet store in Roanoke at the age of 14 and spent every school break working and learning. I sold my first car at age 17 and knew at that moment that I wanted to spend my ca- reer in a dealership. I gained experience by attending a Chrysler dealer acade- my in 1988 and working at a Ford store in Atlanta, as well as at Pat Ryan & Associates in Chicago as an F&I (Finance & Insurance) specialist. Armed with a deeper knowledge of the industry, I rejoined the family dealership in 1992 and worked in F&I and in the service and parts department, rising to vice president. In 2002, I bought my first dealership in Spartanburg, South Carolina, then after seeing success with the Kia and Chevrolet store, I returned to Roanoke in 2006 to run and grow Berglund Automotive. Do you have family members in the auto industry? I do. I come from a family auto dealership, so the business is in my blood. Working with family is a joy for me. Describe your educationbackground.What did you study? I graduated from Salem High School in Salem in 1984, and attended Radford University in Radford, Virginia. But I always knew I wanted to follow in the footsteps of my father, Bruce Farrell, and become an auto dealer. Are there any specific individuals that had a major impact on your career? My father, Bruce, of course, is my best and first mentor. I’ve al- ways been very fortunate to have my father in my life to show me the way. But along the way I’ve had other mentors and friends who have made a big difference in my life — peer mentors, automotive dealers who are owners of multiple dealerships across the coun- try that I’ve tried to get to know and align myself with. There are always organizations in your chosen industry that you can join to make those kinds of connections, so you can see the highs and lows of all aspects of your business. The 20Groups have been particularly helpful. It’s a great system for learning from each other and finding peer mentors. But mentors can also be other community business owners, people you just aspire to be more like. Believe it or not, people like that are always glad to take that call and talk to you. Truly successful people are successful because they also want to give back by sharing those stories, because they want to make a difference for the future. What is the most rewarding part of your career? When I realize that there are more than 600 families we touch directly through employment at our dealerships, I think that is probably the most rewarding and truly humbling part. The grati- fication is seeing employees and their families fulfill their dreams. What do you think will be some of the dominant trends within the auto industry in the next 5-10 years? Electrification of cars, ride-sharing, and of course, autonomous vehicles. There are and will continue to be a lot of disruptors in TIME 2020 Dealer of the Year Award William Farrell Roanoke, Virginia Awarded by Virginia Automobile Dealers Association William Farrell