// PROFILES IN LEADERSHIP aligned with my own family values . I was fortunate to work 15 years in an environment built on solid trust .
After starting my own dealership , perhaps the most influential person in my career was David Parker of Parker Business Planning . I joined his 20 Group in 2011 , and he helped me shape the foundation and infrastructure of the dealership . I continue to consult with him on a yearly basis to establish budgets and discuss personnel , products , and overall strategy . He ’ s a very good friend and mentor .
BI : What led to the launch of your own dealership ? JH : After 15 great years at SECC , I realized we had no room to grow . Our business was capped out in space , people , and number of units we could sell in the current property . I had a vision for the Nautique brand , but our ownership was unwilling to invest in a larger property to grow the business . I left in May of 2008 and within a few months , Bill Yeargin called and offered me the Nautique brand , which was a natural fit . After lots of planning and diligence , we opened the dealership in September 2008 .
BI : What was your top challenge as a new retail owner ? JH : When I started in 2008 , the country was facing economic collapse . In July 2008 , we were pre-approved for a $ 5M floorplan by TransAmerica , but when we opened , Transamerica was out of business . We turned to our local bank , whom we knew very well . They laughed and said , “ You guys are crazy going in the boat business … we are not loaning you any money .” We pooled
Creating a positive work culture is paramount for Husby and has led to RNO being named among MRAA ’ s Top Dealership to Work For in North America for five years , among many additional industry accolades . Team RNO photo in front of the new state-of-the-art downtown Orlando sales and service facility .
together some cash and bought and sold a few boats , repeating that process until we had a track record . After about nine months , our local bank gave us a small line of credit … and the rest is history . It took lots of hard work to keep the inventory turning and prove the doubters wrong . We took a massive risk , at a risky time .
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