Lifelong Seattle resident Matthew Phillips has seen Car Pros, a family business started by his father, grow from a single small used car lot into a seven-store automotive retail group operating in both Washington and Southern California and totaling $1 billion in annual sales. Under Matthew’s stewardship, Car Pros has become the top Kia retailer in the country. Matthew also has an educational background that’s as impressive as his auto industry success, including MBAs from Cornell University and Queen’s University of Ontario as well as an MA in organizational psychology from Columbia University’s Teachers College.

In this episode, Matthew talks with our host Derek D about why sticking with the Kia and Hyundai brands during tough times was rewarding in the long run, why electric vehicles may not be for everyone yet but are a great choice for many people currently, and why auto dealers therefore need to educate their customer base on electrification. They also discuss why automakers that are more vertically integrated have fared better under supply chain pressure, why Matthew’s favorite recent car is the Kia Stinger, and more.

Matthew Phillips | Car Pros Automotive Group

Episode Highlights:

• How Matthew’s organizational psychology degree taught him the vital importance of change management
• Why supply chain problems go deeper than microchips - and why even paint is affected
• The “irregular situation” Car Pros dealt with regarding their recently-sold VW franchise
• What makes customers leave dealerships with “less car than they came in for”

“Normalize change in your culture - let’s make it so that change isn’t scary… let’s try to give people tools to deal with it.”

— Matthew Phillips

|| Dealer News Today is a Dave Cantin Group production