Bart Warner developed a passion for the car business at an early age working for our father at Rick Warner Ford. Much of this passion can be attributed to the thrill of working on commission rather than an hourly wage.
Some of Bart’s essential business tools include:
- Steven Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Successful People: In the mid-1990s, Bart hired Jim Cox who became a certified trainer for the Seven Habits program and trained all the managers and many employees.
- Dale Carnegie’s Personal Development Course: Bart loves this 12-week course and has personally taught it many times to small groups of employees over the past 25 years.
- Weekly Manager and Sales Training Meetings: Bart must have conducted thousands over his career. Typically, he would share and discuss the ideas from the latest business book he had read or other industry articles he had studied.
- His HP-12C financial calculator: He makes sure his managers and sales teams are schooled in how to use the HP-12C to be able to calculate loan payments. For the more advanced students, the calculator helps them understand and calculate Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return.
Early Career
Bart was given opportunities to solve problems as a manager. He excelled and gained a reputation for being a problem solver. Those who know Bart well will understand that you better not bring a problem to him that you don’t want to be solved. He likes to dive into the details and find solutions quickly.
Bart gained notoriety with the manufacturers as the dealership became a top performer. With this came opportunities to serve in leadership roles on National Truck Dealer Councils and Manufacturer Association Boards.
Career Influences
Rick Warner: Our father had a unique way of building relationships and hiring talented people. He also set a high bar for integrity and customer care.
Harry Pritchard: Harry is a dealer consultant based out of Detroit. He taught Bart Principles of Management that included profit centering (also know as The Management Charts) and getting the right people in the right roles with the right incentives.
Jerry Zmyslo: Bart and Jerry were long time business partners. Jerry was working for Ford Motor Company in the late 1970s and explains, “Bart was traveling to Detroit to buy used trucks. My father-in-law, Harry Pritchard, who was a consultant to Rick Warner, called and asked me to assist Bart in any way I could. Bart came out quite often; we got to know each other. I was able to ‘bootleg’ him some new trucks. I also introduced him to several used car managers at dealerships I worked with to give him an opportunity to expand his network.”
In 1980, at Bart’s request, Rick Warner invited Jerry out to Salt Lake City for an interview, which led to Jerry accepting a Controller position at Rick Warner Ford.
Jerry became an amazing business partner for Bart, working in various capacities such as Controller, CFO, and COO. Jerry set a high bar for everyone with his work ethic and standard of excellence. He is highly respected and loved by his former coworkers and employees.
Russ Castleberry: Russ is a longtime employee and Sales Manager of Bart’s. Russ shared, “On March 1, 1984, Bart Warner allowed me to begin the ‘truck transportation journey’ with him and his team. Bart has done a great deal in the past 39 years to encourage and help not only me, but many others towards goals and self-improvement —occupationally, personally, and spiritually … Bart understands that if you want to achieve your goals, you need the right people in your life. If you want to be successful, you will need some help along the way … Bart has been the ‘right person’ to help, encourage, and inspire me to reach higher on many levels.”
Family
Bart could not survive the demands of his career, his church service, and raising four children without the steadfast love and support of his wife, Liz. She has stood by his side through the good and the tough times, including challenges that come through family business transitions, health scares like when Bart had a pulmonary embolism in the late 1990s, and the many financial risks that come with being married to an entrepreneur with big ideas like building the biggest truck dealership facility in the country.
Bart’s son, Tony, shares this about his dad:
“I’m grateful for the example and legacy that my father has created and established. He has shown us the benefits of forward and progressive thinking, taking calculated risks, discipline, and employee focus within all the organizations he’s established. He seeks to share the work and the success of his dealerships with the employees and is personally dedicated to each employee becoming the best version of themselves, often seeing and developing potential they didn’t know they had.”
Personality
Bart is resourceful. When he could not find any more diesel mechanics to hire for his new giant freightliner dealership, he approached DATC (Davis Applied Technology College) to help create more and better diesel mechanic training programs; Bart even sponsored some scholarships. Subsequently, Bart was asked to serve on the DATC Board of Directors, which he did for four years. Later, he convinced the SLT-ATC (Salt Lake Tooele) to become a Tenant at the Warner Truck Center with a dedicated mechanic training center.
Bart has a deep drive to give back. He and Liz have had a long history of supporting many charitable causes in our community including:
- Sponsoring the Youth Enrichment Foundation in 1994 which continues today, providing for full-time teachers of music and art in inner-city schools.
- Volunteering his time with the LDS Employment Services for several years. Bart has been very generous with his time and dedicates one afternoon a week to coaching individuals seeking employment.
Bart loves to learn. But more than that, he loves to teach. This dialogue illustrates Bart’s philosophy on training:
“What if we train them and they leave? What if we don’t train them and they stay?” — Unknown.
A Legacy
Bart was 37 years old when he was presented with the opportunity to buy “Rick Warner Ford.” At the grand opening
of the newly constructed Ford Dealership on 7th S. and
W. Temple, Bart commented, “Only in American can someone as young as me acquire so much debt …”
Now, I pause and look back at the flourishing businesses he has built and hundreds of jobs he has created over many decades and think about how fortunate I have been to be part of it.
Closing Remarks
Let me close with one last quote from James Logan, General Sales Manager at Utah Tank & Trailer, which expresses so well the influence Bart has on those with whom he works:
“I’ll keep it brief, although I could write a novel on the gratitude that I have for Bart.
Bart is always a glass-half-full kind of guy. He sees potential in everyone and tries to give them the opportunities to show it. His nickname should be ‘the librarian’ as he is always giving out books to everyone to expand their way of thinking. He is excited by what he learns and wants to share it with all of us.
He has changed my life, personally, for the better. I was always a goal-driven person. Under Bart’s tutelage, I have learned that processes are more important than goals. ‘Results without processes can’t be duplicated, and processes without results are worthless.’ – Steve Ewing (One of Bart’s favorite quotes).
Instead of setting goals, I create processes in my life that will lead to successes that I never knew were even obtainable. He has opened my eyes to a higher plane of thinking, and I will forever be in his debt for it. He is my boss, mentor, and friend.
I will always be grateful for him. So glad that he is being recognized for his achievements.”
Congratulations, Bart!
