Chris Strong

Experience

• 

  White's Used Cars

  Apr 1994 - Sept 2000

  Used Car Sales

  White's Used Cars is where I received my formal education and was the springboard to my present position at Jim Burke Ford. I started with White's Used Cars at just 19 years old, almost 20. Mike took me in and gave me an opportunity to learn the business from the ground up. Since this was a small Buy Here / Pay Here lot I was able to experience car sales from an entirely different perspective than the average person. I attended auctions, purchased car wholesale from other dealers, sold cars wholesale to other dealers, reconditioned cars for retail sale, advertising, managed accounts receivable and even repossessed cars from time to time. I really did learn the business from start to finish. Show less

• 

  United States Postal Service

  Apr 1998 - Jun 2001

  Distribution Clerk / Letter Carrier
• 

  Jim Burke Ford Lincoln

  Jun 2001 - now

  Used Vehicle Sales, Finance Manager, Used Vehicle Sales Manager

  As the Used Car Manager at Jim Burke Ford I manage an inventory of approximately 200 vehicles. Those 200 units usually carry a value between $3.5 and $4.5 million. I purchase vehicles from a variety of sources including wholesale auctions, Ford Credit Accelerate, other dealers we have relationships with and trade-ins from customers. Managing the inventory includes proper display, advertising, controlling the aging and maintaining a proper balance and mix of vehicles offered for sale. One of the sales achievements I am most proud of is our standing nationally regarding Certified Pre-Owned sales. Every year since 2008 we have been among the top 100 dealers in the nation based on volume. That is the transaction based part of my role at Jim Burke Ford. The most exciting part of my role at Jim Burke Ford has been the Consumer Experience Movement. This is the part of my role that transforms me. From the top down we have embarked on a mission to completely transform the experience for our customers. We have broken down barriers between departments resulting in cooperation rather than competition. We constantly strive to implement new procedures and processes to make a smoother more transparent experience for our customer. What has happened along the way is that each of us has become a better, more well rounded person. We are learning new ways to interact with fellow team members and customers as well. The end result is that everyone has a much better experience at Jim Burke Ford. What we are gaining from this experience translates seamlessly into our everyday actions outside of Jim Burke Ford. That is the best part, we all become better citizens and as a result this project is helping to improve our community. Show less