I must say, I am proud of our SD Auto Advisor Team at Schneider Downs. I remember thinking to myself at one point: How did I go from being the younger person in our auto industry group to now helping to lead it?
In the last six years, we have seen a few Schneider Downs shareholders from the automotive group retire. Paul Matvey retired in 2017; then Joe Patrick and Kathy Petrucci retired shortly afterward.
Our automotive industry group is now seeing the positive results of our efforts over the past 10 to 15 years. The changing of the guards included Trevor Warren and Steve Barber being promoted to shareholder in 2017. Then, Carl Scharf was promoted in 2018. Now, we would love to welcome Brett Cubellis to the shareholder group this year. Also, let’s not forget our automotive practice director Henry Szymanski, who has been with Schneider Downs since 1986. We call him our liaison from one generation to another.
Succession planning is crucial to any business, ours included. We work with many dealerships to make sure that their success continues for generations. The first step to any succession is an open line of communication. Our team does this on a continuous basis. I am proud of this team, and I look for the next team members to progress.
We encourage you to keep talking about your teams’ succession. We can help. Please reach out to any of our SD Auto Advisors to discuss.
About Schneider Downs Automotive Industry Group
The Schneider Downs Automotive industry group serves dealers of all sizes, from single-point locations to mega-dealerships. Our members cross departments and meet regularly to ensure efficiencies in the services provided to our clients and discuss issues, regulations and trends affecting the automotive industry.
To learn more, visit our Automotive Industry Group page.
About Schneider Downs Exit and Succession Planning
Schneider Downs’ Exit and Succession Planning services are multi-disciplined, fully integrated and holistic exit planning and succession solutions that are customized and designed for business owners by business owners.
To learn more, visit our dedicated Exit and Succession Planning page.
