Still Driven

0

Bert Boeckmann is still trucking with Ford 57 years after he entered the auto industry. He’s taken Galpin Ford from a small outlet with a three-car showroom selling about 600 cars annually to one that sold more than 4,905 cars last year, tallying $300 million in revenue. Though business is substantially down from the peak 12,000 vehicles sold in 2003, Galpin remains the No. 1 volume Ford dealership in the world. Boeckmann also owns eight other dealerships around the L.A. basin, including Aston Martin, Honda, Saturn and Volvo. He admits the recession and auto industry crisis have left him shaken, but says he leans on his family and faith in God for support. Boeckmann is a San Fernando Valley institution, whose political endorsement means both money and often a boost in public support. Although he counts himself a Republican, he also has supported Democrats, from L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to state Sen. Alex Padilla. While he is of retirement age, he celebrated his 79th birthday this year, Boeckmann still comes in daily to work, selling cars to longtime clients and meeting with his sons, Brad and Beau, who have take over much of the day-to-day business. He recently sat down with the Business Journal at his North Hills headquarters to discuss his view on the battered auto industry, what keeps him motivated and what it was like meeting Mother Teresa.

Question: Galpin Ford has been the No. 1 volume dealer for Ford for 19 years. Is there pressure to keep that title?

Answer: Oh, I think there is pride. I think the pressure comes in running your business well. Winning the top spot is kind of like the frosting on the cake. And we like the frosting, which you can probably tell by my weight. (Laugh)

Q: How are you handling all the tumult in the auto industry?

A: It’s very difficult during these times. The drop in sales that has happened in California has been very dramatic, as we are the biggest market. And California is one of the states doing the worst in this recession. It can be pretty depressing.

Q: Is it affecting you personally?

A: I’ve been in the business since 1952 and there’s never been anything to match this. GM and Chrysler cancelled out a lot of great dealers that could have helped them in the long run. I don’t know how you end up saving a lot of money by going out and taking out dealers in parts of the country where you don’t have enough representation. Many lost not only their dealership but also their properties or homes they used to help finance them staying in the business. That’s devastating to watch.

Q: What do you see as the future of the industry?

A: With every downturn, there is always a comeback. We have a line of cars that can compete very well with the imports. As for the corporate leadership, I think (CEO Alan) Mulally is doing an outstanding job and is listening to his dealers.

Q: What would you tell someone wanting to get into the business today?

A: The profit in the pricing is so small that on the majority of cars sold nowadays you don’t make that much money. That doesn’t make much sense to me. If I were looking at it today, I would be reluctant to get into the business. If you can’t have the margins that you need to make a profit, why would you want to get in that business?

Q: Yet your sons are in it.

A: Two of my five children, Brad and Beau, joined me in the auto business running this. My brother, a grandson and one of my nephews all work here, too. It’s a wonderful asset having someone working with you that you truly know and love. Their interest is in the business and its well-being in the future. If it wasn’t for my two sons, I would probably not be in the business today.

Q: What do your children bring to the company?

A: You always need to listen to new ideas and listen to the younger generations. I hate change but I am open to it. You get in a comfort zone, but life changes so you have to be willing to as well.

Q: How involved are you?

A: I am here every day, first thing in the morning, which often surprises people. I work always a full day, and on Saturdays plan out the following week.

Q: Do you still deal with the customers regularly?

A: Yes. I’ve got customers that go back four generations. Sometimes I know things about people’s families that they don’t know themselves. I don’t necessarily work the deal by demonstrating the car, but we always chat a little bit and usually I oversee the transaction to make sure it goes smoothly.

Q: Beau has been on MTV’s show “Pimp My Ride” because Galpin Auto Sports is the car garage featured on the program. What did you think of the name of the show?

A: I told him that if someone had told me that term when I was his age, I would have knocked ’em on their ass. But I wasn’t familiar with the term being used in that way. Beau had to explain it to me. But, yes, Beau is in charge of our business in “Galpinizing” – which is the term we use to describe customizations of cars.

Q: Let’s talk about your outside interests. I’m curious about how you make your coveted political endorsements.

A: I won’t endorse someone I don’t believe in. I don’t give a lot of thought to what other people think or say in making them. If I believe in you, I will support you.

Q: What about political affiliation?

A: I started out as a Democrat as young man but gradually realized my more conservative beliefs were more closely aligned with the Republican Party. I just think Republicans are more standing-up-for-what-they-believe-in kind-of people.

Q: Were you ever tempted to go into politics?

A: Some people had suggested it to me. But I remember there were two things I wouldn’t like about it: I didn’t look forward to running and I didn’t look forward to serving. And the reason for it seemed to be a lot of wasted time where things were not resolved.

Q: You’re also involved in other civic activities and philanthropy. Do you feel some sort of responsibility?

A: Well, first of all you have access to income and certainly that is a benefit because you can determine where the money goes, including charitable causes that we support. Professionally, when you own your own business, you can make decisions and take stands without having to worry about someone telling you you can’t. That’s more freedom than being in office.

Q: Tell me about some of your philanthropic endeavors.

A: In 1991, the Prince of Peace Foundation that I am president of presented Mother Teresa with an award and $1 million for food and medical supplies. The following year (wife) Jane and I arranged to fly more than 56,000 pounds of seeds to farmers on the outskirts of Moscow. We’ve also donated 80,000 Spanish-language books to USC’s library, and the funding of Galpin Hall at the Valley Presbyterian School.

Q: How was it meeting Mother Teresa?

A: She was such a tiny woman but could command a room with her eloquence and passion. I had to adjust the microphone down to the floor she was so short. But I remember that she moved two people I knew that had never given a dime to charity to donate for many years after that to her cause.

Q: Are you particularly religious?

A: I’m Christian. I go to more than one church, but mainly attend Church on the Way in Van Nuys.

Q: How do your values affect your business?

A: Sometimes decisions are difficult if you want to live a proper life; that no doubt does come up. My wife and I pray about how best to conduct our lives every day. I don’t think you have to compromise your beliefs or your values to be successful in business. I don’t understand why some people think that. Just because you are making money doesn’t mean you are doing something wrong. That’s ridiculous. Some make money dishonestly, but I don’t.

Q: Let’s talk about your childhood. What was it like?

A: Although I was born at my aunt’s house in South Gate, I grew up in Glendale. My mother was from Pennsylvania and my father was from Boyle Heights, but both were of German ancestry and met here. I have one younger brother, Karl, five years my junior, who works here with me since 1966. I was a newspaper boy and Boy Scout. Our parents were wonderfully supportive. They didn’t have much money but my dad stowed away money from every paycheck to send us to college. I mowed yards and worked the graveyard shift at Lockheed to help out, too.

Q: Did you think you would ever end up in this position while you were in college?

A: I thought I was going to end up in military service, the Air Force to be exact. In my last year in college, I didn’t go into college to finish because I thought I would go into the service. But it turned out I was reclassified. So a friend of mine said Galpin was hiring and suggested we go apply. I thought I wouldn’t want to be an auto salesman but he kept talking it up. We got hired in together. He lasted two weeks and I lasted 57 years.

Q: So you discovered you enjoyed sales?

A: First of all, I listen to people and try to find out what will make them happy. I can’t stand to have anyone angry at me either so I don’t like disappointing customers. I’m a pretty sensitive person so I try to be sensitive to other people’s feelings. Maybe that’s what has kept people coming back. Being aggressive isn’t my technique.

Q: How did you become the owner of Galpin?

A: After a few years working as a salesman, in 1957 and at age 26, I became general manager of Galpin. In 1960, Frank Galpin began offering a buyout of the corporation, so I purchased stock with my own earnings, which were based on a percentage of the profit of the company. By 1968, the buyout was complete, and I’ve owned it ever since.

Q: What do you think should be a person’s outlook if wanting to be successful in business?

A: I feel strongly that you have to get your life in order. God is No. 1. Family is No. 2. And work is No. 3. Everything comes after that, including yourself.

Q: What is your definition of success?

A: Success is self-defined, I think. It comes from within that person, a feeling that you have reached some satisfaction in what you have accomplished. But that can vary from one person to another so there is not set definition I think.

Q: Do you ever see yourself retiring?

A: No, I don’t. Maybe I’ll cut my hours in the future as my sons take over more of the day-to-day activities. But I love what I do. And, yes, I do want to help us stay No. 1 in the nation.

Bert Boeckmann

Title: Owner and President

Company: Galpin Motors

Born: 1930; South Gate

Education: Studied at USC for three years

Career Turning Point: Becoming president of Galpin in 1963

Most Influential People: His family; his father, who set aside money from his paycheck for tuition for Boeckmann and his brother to go to college; his wife of 42 years, Jane

Personal: Lives in Northridge with Jane, with whom he has raised five children; 10 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren

Hobbies: Said he doesn’t have any aside from work, but likes attending church, going to the beach and working on his

philanthropic causes

No posts to display