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his car being serviced. I never have the feeling that they are trying
to talk me into having work done just so they could tack on some
more charges. They will call up the mechanic working on your car to
answer any questions you might have. One thing I’ve learned over
the years is that an automobile is only as good as the mechanic that
maintains it. I have had the same service rep now for 15 years; his
name is Aaron Vuu. I know I can call him on the phone if I have
a question. He’s become my friend, actually. I knew when he was
getting engaged, then getting married. I look forward to going in to
see him.

Q: Have you noticed anything about the way Nalley staff work
together as a team to create a positive customer experience?
Strawinski: Yes. If I came in and Aaron wasn’t there, another ser-
vice rep would come up and take care of me. You can see there are no
turf battles going on there. I have never sensed any tension between
service and parts or between Aaron and other mechanics. Everyone
seems happy there. Employees seem to be treated well, and they treat
clients the way they want to be treated. They are just a first-class op-
eration. People talk about car dealerships in the community—who’s
good and who’s bad—and I have heard lots of bad stuff about other
dealerships, but have only heard good things about Nalley.

Postscript
We received the following update from Nalley Automotive in mid-
2009 describing how the company had dealt with wrenching changes
in the automotive industry:

Since our original thoughts were recorded last year, things have
obviously changed in our industry. Survival and maintaining
as much of our market position as possible have preceded outright
growth.
Recently, as a result of the Chrysler situation, we had to close
one store that housed many valuable employees. We worked suc-