You oughta know
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Steven McGlothlin is business development director for Gerber Collision & Glass in the Southeast U.S. Market. Operating as Boyd in Canada and Gerber Collision & Glass in the U.S., the Elmhurst, Ill.-based company has 475 collision repair centers in 21 states and Canada.
Opening his first auto body facility in 1979, Steve has worked in the automotive industry for 38 years and began to assist with consolidation of the collision-repair industry in 1996. As a student participant in vocational training programs such as industrial cooperative training during high school, he believes in our state’s career and technical strength to develop skilled employees necessary for continued economic growth. Through organizations like the North Carolina Business Committee for Education, Steve believes our state has the tools and staff necessary to assist in our continued workforce development.
5 Questions:
What do you like best about your job?
Diversity in the role and the people I work with make it great! Business development allows me to assist in creating succession plans for existing collision repair business owners while also engaging in exciting opportunities for students to find lifetime career pathways through our participation with education for the automotive industry. It is interesting to interact with new talent to continually discover solutions together for the increased complexity facing the collision-repair industry through new vehicle designs and advanced manufacturing. We work hard to be properly prepared for repairing new technology.
What inspires you?
Helping a lifelong business owner or entrepreneur successfully transfer their enterprise into our company is a wonderful experience. You learn how critical good communication — along with an environment of “trust and comfort” — is to every new team member. It is an experience that teaches me something new with each business acquisition. Helping owners achieve their lifetime goals through an exit strategy for their business while growing a strong company for their employees through the acquisition process is a winning outcome for all involved.
Who is a role model?
On the personal side, my dad, a retired CPA/CFO who helped me understand business at an early age by engaging me in the tax-return process at 19. He taught me profit and loss statements, balance sheets, along with the work ethic necessary to start your own business at an early age. I’m blessed to still have him around (and advising me)!
On a broader prospective, entrepreneurs like Steven Jobs and Richard Branson were always individuals that I enjoyed following. Their ability to blend ingenuity with the right people to create innovative cultures in their individual company profiles captured my attention. Today, we have business models with Google, Apple and Amazon that integrate new talent to continually expand into other business spaces, including automotive. The speed of technology will continue to make ingenuity and creativity extremely valuable.
What was your biggest challenge this week?
Locating the right acquisition candidates that create a “strategic partnership” when combined. You always look for the 1 + 1 equals 3 opportunity for accretive value.
What is your favorite N.C. vacation spot?
It would be Asheville. We’ve enjoyed the Biltmore Estate and the inn for several years. It is an amazing example of achievement and preservation that exists within our driving distance. I’m very thankful for the vision of the Cecil family to preserve this work of art, along with a beautiful property that so many of us can enjoy.