In June, Victoria Rusnak was named president and CEO of the Rusnak Automotive Group. Rusnak was formerly the COO of the company, which operates 14 dealerships in the San Gabriel/San Fernando valley region. The group, founded by Rusnak's father, Paul Rusnak, includes Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, BMW, Audi, and Porsche dealerships. A licensed attorney, Rusnak also made a bid for a California Assembly seat in 2012.
What will be your top priorities in your new position with the dealership?
As the leader of a family-owned organization, I intend to continue to build upon the tremendous foundation my father built over the past 50 years. Our growth will come from investment in associate training and use of technology. In addition we will continue to look for acquisitions that build on our core business of selling luxury automobiles with the best customer service in southern California.
What do you think are the top challenges that dealers face right now?
The automobile industry has grown into a very complex business. With increased competition and regulation, having a laser focus on every department’s expense structure is paramount. Finding ways to improve our customer experience while controlling expenses and becoming more efficient will directly impact our bottom line. I also believe strongly that we are in the people business. Recruiting and training is one of our biggest challenges and opportunities. There are incredible opportunities in the retail automotive business, and I hope to encourage young professionals and college graduates to consider joining our industry.
How has the importance of fixed-ops/service changed at Rusnak over the past several years?
The fixed operations of our business are critical to our profitability. We often refer to them as our annuity, especially as margins in the new car departments continue to shrink. There is no question that technology will assist in streamlining processes in the service drive, specifically in the write up area. We will continue our long-standing practices of training our technicians to the highest certification levels and holding service clinics to educate our customers about vehicle maintenance and improve their ownership experience.
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