Digital Dealer - January 2019 - 13

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY KRAMER

Performance Lexus, of Cincinnati, Ohio, is an 18-time winner of
the Elite of Lexus Award. The store is part of the Performance
Automotive Network, a family-owned business operating for
over 40 years. The network has enjoyed steady growth and
is currently listed by Automotive News as one of the top 50
automotive dealership groups in the U.S.
Dan Kommeth, General Manager at Performance Lexus, a store
with 68 employees, has been in retail automotive for 24 years.
For three consecutive years (2015-2018) Performance Lexus has
won Dealer of the Year in Ohio, as selected by DealerRater. Dan
initially started his career in automotive on the manufacturing
side of the table, moved over to retail in 1999 and since then
worked in every department. In the below interview, Dan talks
about the importance of discipline and process, and shares his
insights on customer service, including lessons learned while in
Tokyo, and his store's game-changing Wow Fund.
DEALER MAGAZINE: Thank
you for agreeing to be interviewed,
Dan. To start, could you fill us in
briefly on your background? In other
words, what did you do before retail
automotive and how did you end
up where you are today, as general
manager at Performance Lexus?
DAN: My original start in the car
business dates back to when one of
my uncles had a Chevrolet dealership
in Traverse City, Michigan. During
the summers when I was a kid, he
bought one of those hot dog rollers,
the kind you see at 7-Eleven. So, I
was the Saturday hot dog cook. I was
handing out hot dogs and cokes to the
customers at the Chevy-Honda store,
and I was probably about 10 or 11

years old at the time.
After graduating from college, I
went to work for General Motors
on the factory side. I worked for
about six years for Cadillac as a field
rep and some other jobs. I had the
chance in late 1999 to jump into
the retail side of the business with
Lexus in Albuquerque, New Mexico,
and started selling cars there. I was
fortunate enough to be mentored by
a great guy who is still there today.
He showed me the retail side of the
car business. I worked in all the
departments: used car manager,
service manager, new car manager,
finance manager.
Then, when they were awarded a
companion store in Santa Fe, New

Mexico, that became my first general
manager job. I got to help with the
launching of that store, which was a
great experience.
My wife and I had a son, a little
more than eight years ago, and we're
both from the Midwest. We wanted
to get back here to the Midwest, and
the job at Performance Lexus opened
up in 2010. I flew here, interviewed
for the job, and a few weeks later,
in September of 2010, started at
Performance Lexus and have been
here ever since.
DEALER MAGAZINE: What do
you like most about working in the
industry?
DAN: From a young age, like a lot

D I G I TA L D E A L E R . C O M

Continued on pg. 14

JANUARY 2019

13
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Digital Dealer - January 2019

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