Automotive News Canada - October 2022 - 9

* OCTOBER 2022
9
HOW DEALERSHIPS CAN NURTURE
A KIN-DO ATTITUDE
Start the next generation at the
bottom, but be sure they want it
By DOUG FIRBY
CALGARY CORRESPONDENT
STARTING CHILDREN IN JUNIOR ROLES AND
maintaining transparency about the family business are
among the key factors contributing to
enduring multigenerational dealerships.
However, effective succession requires
offspring who are both willing and fully
able to take on the challenge of running
dealership groups that need to pivot
quickly in the ever-shifting auto retail
environment, say dealers and an industry
buy-and-sell executive.
Vaughn Wyant said that if his two
sons had not decided to follow in his footsteps,
" Perhaps I wouldn't be in the business
today. "
The Wyant Group began in 1983 in
Saskatoon, Sask., with the purchase of
Jubilee Ford. Today, the group employs
about 500 people in 18 stores across western
Canada. Wyant, 69, is CEO, but the
day-to-day decisions are in the hands of
CFO Phillip and COO Michael, he said.
" I have the perfect mix here, " Wyant
Wyant:
Waited until
his sons said
they wanted
to work in
the family
business
before
giving them
responsibility.
FILE PHOTO
said of his sons. " They're best friends; they make the perfect
team. "
BEST PRACTICES
SPOTLIGHT
The Wyant Group has become
nimble in a period when directsales-to-consumer
models are
growing and relationships with
automakers are evolving, Wyant
said. He thinks his sons are highly
motivated to navigate turbulent waters while keeping
a steady eye on the company's core values of trust and
respect for staff and customers.
" Who do you trust more than your family? " said the
Vaughn Wyant, whose partner, Lori Leach, also works for
the group as a graphic artist.
DAUGHTERS PAY THEIR DUES
Those comments are echoed by Laura Zanchin, principal
and executive vice-president of the 38-dealership
Zanchin Automotive Group in Vaughan, Ont., north of
Toronto. Both she and her sister Andria, who is also principal
and executive vice-president, chose senior roles with
the company that their father, Joe Zanchin, founded in
1973 after immigrating from Italy.
The sisters grew up in the business, starting in reception
and then taking on increasingly senior roles, Laura
Zanchin said. Coming up through the ranks helps them
keep in touch with employees.
" We try very hard to be a part of everything that's going
on. "
The family connection gives the group a competitive
edge because " we're invested enough to know that we
have to stay with what we do, " Zanchin said. " And we're
doing it. "
The group also treats its employees like family.
" We've got people who've been with us for 30 to 40
years, " she said. " We respect them for their loyalty and
integrity. "
If the family business has a downside, she said, it's at
the dinner table. " It's business 24/7, " she said. " You almost
have to turn it off. "
Both dealership groups say succession plans are in
place, and shares are secured in a family trust. Laura
Zanchin expects to continue in the business. " We have a
SEE GROOMING PAGE 18
Laura Zanchin, left, began in
reception, as did her sister,
Andria, before advancing to more
senior positions at the group
founded by her father, Joe.
SUPPLIED PHOTO
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Automotive News Canada - October 2022

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