Did you always aspire to be in the car business? How did you become a dealer?
My father and grandfather were both auto dealers, but I didn’t aspire to that. I always wanted to be a coach. I was almost 25 when I got home from my mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from Glasgow, Scotland. Soon after, I got married and needed what I thought would be a summer job, so I went to work at the family auto dealership.
Working at the dealership was enjoyable right from the start. I enjoyed working with the public, the people I worked with and especially with my family. Automotive became my occupation for life.
What did you learn from your father and grandfather?
They were big on always giving the customers the benefit of the doubt. My dad, who was the dealer, wanted us to handle problems before they got to him. If a problem did get to him, he would give the customer whatever they desired.
Everybody wants to feel good about purchasing their vehicle and how they are treated after the sale. Whenever there was a dispute with service or other problems, our dad always taught us that the customer was always right, even if they were wrong.
Would you please tell us about your education?
I graduated from Clearfield High School and went to BYU on a football scholarship. I studied pre-med/physical therapy because I liked how doctors handled sports injuries. Coach Lavell Edwards was the coach when I began my university experience. He recommended that I play for four years before my mission, and then he would give me a free year or a “redshirt” year. I took his advice, but Coach Edwards asked me to coach with him when I came back. During that time, he paid for school and all my school-related expenses.
Did you have mentors?
My father was my mentor in the car business, and then I had two coaches who were helpful to me, too. The first was Carl Clayton, a junior high coach. The second was Kyle Whittingham’s father, Fred Whittingham, who was the linebacker coach at BYU when I was there as a linebacker.
What three pieces of advice would you give someone you were mentoring?
- Go to work to work. You should always have a purpose or a goal.
- Have high regard for integrity and trust. You instill loyalty if people trust you.
- Always treat people like you like to be treated.
How will COVID-19 affect the car industry in the future?
From a business perspective, the pandemic has been positive. Due to it, we’ve made changes in our business model. We have reduced our overhead, flooring expense is down, and our service business is up. The retail market has been surprisingly strong, especially with the shortage of new cars to sell.
However, with the reduction of new cars, the used car market is extremely strong and has helped us find ways to procure more used cars at higher profit margins.
Because of the pandemic, the manufacturers want the dealers to live on a less-day supply of new cars. Doing that will help the cost of flooring both for the manufacturer and the dealer.
It is hard to predict the future and when the supply chain will be restored to full production.
What is the biggest issue facing dealerships in the next three to five years?
We need the infrastructure for charging electric vehicles. The infrastructure must get better for electric cars to be successful. The federal government and manufacturers are pushing for electric vehicles. However, there are still open questions about electric vehicles, such as how far they can go without charging and how much it will cost to replace the batteries. New batteries are expensive. Right now, they can cost as much as $20,000 in some cases. Disposal is also a problem because the cells can release toxins from heavy metals, and recycling batteries can be hazardous. Also, service departments will be affected because an electric vehicle only has something like 17-21 moving parts.
The automobile industry is going through many changes in the next three years. Dealerships and the public will both affect how the U.S. manages those changes. Although I don’t know what will happen, the big push for switching over to electric vehicles will continue, and everyone will have to find new solutions for the opportunities we face.
What would you recommend to dealers to prepare for the future?
Be willing to change and adapt to the needs of the customer. Even though some people think 30% of all vehicles will be electric by 2025, I don’t see the change happening that quickly.
Manufacturers are already making dealers get ready for electric vehicles by ensuring they have electric charging stations and the tools they need. They are laying everything out, getting us ready.
How does membership in the NCDU association benefit members?
That’s a really easy answer: Craig and Jason Bickmore work extremely hard for the dealers. They are at the forefront of anything that happens in the car business. They get us ready for and fight our battles on Capitol Hill. They have experience with the things that happen with car manufacturers and all the various aspects of running dealerships.
The board has been really good over the years. Members can always feel comfortable talking to another dealer in the group because they are always amenable to helping you.
Do you have a favorite automobile?
For right now, I love the design and performance of the Genesis GV80.
What are you driving?
I have been driving a current model or one-year-old Ford F-150. They have a great ride, and I love how comfortable they are.
Would you tell us about your family?
I am married and have 10 children, seven daughters and three sons. My wife is Julie Weaver Murdock. My three sons are all in the car business. My older sons, Blake and Ben, own and operate the Murdock Auto Team’s seven dealerships. My youngest son Dain and I operate our newly acquired Murdock Ford Dealership in Santaquin, Utah.
We have 43 grandchildren. Hopefully, there will be enough car buyers to keep us in business for several years to come.
What do you like to do for fun?
I have always enjoyed sports, both watching and playing. But nowadays, I love to watch my grandkids, who have a minimum of three games a week. I also enjoy watching sports.
We have an annual summer vacation where we all go to Bear Lake and spend a week together with our children, their spouses and the 43 grandchildren. We boat, Jet Ski, play golf and bike there. We rent the same three houses every year because they are close together. We also take little trips throughout the year.
What’s the best book you’ve read in the last year?
The Man Who Ran Washington, the Life and Times of James A. Baker III. I enjoy reading self-help books.
