Pub. 1 2018-2019 |Issue 4

19 Brett: I’ve learned how to work in every part of the company. At ten I was pulling up weeds and picking up trash at Merrill Bean Chevrolet. By the time I was 14 or 15, I was working at my dad’s dealership after school and doing things like washing cars. My dad passed away when I was 23. I went to the NADA Dealer Academy and started taking on a leadership role in the business. I’ve learned to be patient with decisions and to work through things. What has surprised you the most about working with family that you didn’t expect? Brett and Jewel Lee: We thought we would see each other more than we do. The dealership covers more than 10 acres and we have multiple businesses. We are usually all spread out working, and we are so busy that we often don’t see everyone on a regular basis. Jewel Lee: The lack of daily contact is why company parties and management retreats for employees and their spouses are so important. They give people a chance to bond. As a result of the friendships that have developed over time, there’s a lot of camaraderie among our employees. We include spouses as much as possible because we understand how hard it is when employees have to put in long hours. Some of the dealership jobs involve a huge time commitment. You are really working all day sometimes. Brett: We work well together. I have heard that it’s not like that at every business, but that’s how it is with us. There’s no angst. We divide up the work and we both do our own parts. What’s the one professional accomplishment that you have achieved that you are most proud of? Brett and Jewel Lee: We kept the business together, we all get along well with each other, and at least half of the current team has been working for us for decades. There have been two particularly tough times. The first was when Ed died. Our employees were worried that they were going to lose their jobs. The second was during the Great Recession, when 2,800 dealerships went out of business in the U.S. But we have never even had to lay anyone off. We treat our employees like family; the kind of family where everyone is treated the same way we would like to be treated. Jewel Lee: When Ed died, I didn’t want to let anyone down. Ed and I lost our daughter Anya to cancer in 1990, when she was 16. The employees all stood beside me and helped me through that difficult time, so protecting their jobs was very personal for me. It helped me focus and gave me a reason to live even though I had been seriously injured in the same crash that took Ed’s life. I also wanted to protect Ed’s legacy and make sure I could pass the business on to Brett. Today, he’s the one who is really managing the bulk of the day-to-day business while I focus on administration issues. Of the 13 managers who were working for us when Ed died, eight are still here and three have retired. The general manager, Doug Laub, has been with us since 1983. Some of the employees even call me “Mother K.” I am also proud of representing Utah as one of five finalists for the national “Time Quality Dealer” award in 1997. There were 68 nominees nationally. To keep Ed’s name alive, we made a large donation, along with other donors and corporate sponsors, to help Layton build the Edward A. Kenley Centennial Amphitheater in 1995. I liked the thought of an amphitheater because Ed had great admiration for the Davis Arts Council. The amphitheater’s capacity is 1,800 people, and every summer there are shows for people in the community to attend. In 2018, for example, some of the big-name performers included the 5 Browns, Melissa Etheridge, The Lettermen, Jim Messina, and Boz Scaggs. 3 To keep Ed’s name alive, we made a large donation, along with other donors and corporate sponsors, to help Layton build the Edward A. Kenley Centennial Amphitheater in 1995.