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COWETTE Autowietic, leather, digital bete cesiette I«« cert miles vX . ̂ NISSAN LEASING AVAILABLE ON ALL MODELS 0 / / i »MMf 9 »0% M / 1040 E. CHICAGO ST., ELGIN, IL 888-2030 HRSiftOO-ftOO Mon.-Fri. ».00-7:00 Sat SCRVICE ft PARTS AK OPEN ON SATURDAY FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE TIU1PM, Friday, September 27,1985 Section C Five relatives due! in car sales All in the family By Steve Metsch Herald staff writer / They're squared off against one another, trying to top the other guys and attract as many custom­ ers as possible to their lots. All in all. it's a normal part of selling cars. But you wouldn't expect the unique circum­ stances facing the owners of these car dealer­ ships. Five men. all related by blood or marriage, are in the business of selling cars to area customers. Mike McGrath owns Heritage Village, which has four locations: Heritage Dodge. Heritage Pontiac-GMC-Mazda. and Heritage Lincoln-Mer­ cury in Elgin, along with Heritage Subaru in Algonquin. His brother, Gary, owns McGrath Buick-Honda in Elgin. He was recently named the Acura dealer for the North Shore of Chicago. Acura is Honda's newest luxury car. His dealership will open in March and will be the largest in the Midwest. Jim McGrath manages Gary's Honda dealership. Scott McGrath is part-owner and manager of Heritage Subaru. Ron Hopkins, owner of Subur­ ban Ford in Elgin, completed the quintet when he married Deborah McGrath. "Sure, the competition is more stringent be­ tween us and more than anyone else. We've all got pretty big egos, no doubt about It. Even managing for Mike. 1 still want to beat his sales records on a given day in any store, Just for ego's sake. Everybody gets in their jabs (at family get- togethers). It's kind of like a prize fight, but no one throws any heavy punches." said Scott, who's been selling cars nine of his 26 years. Leo McGrath was the one who got the ball rolling. The father of the clan. Leo introduced them to the business of selling cars and gave thr m a chance to gain a toehold. „ "My dad is the one who got us started. He started Buick in Elgin back in '64. When 1 got out of college, he and 1 got together at Lincoln- Mercury in Elgin back in 1970 I bought him out in 1975,'^Mike recalled. "Well, cars are the one thing in common we have. We air have separate ownerships, so we compete probably stronger with each other than if we weren't related. At family reunions, you don't want to be low man on the totem pole, that sort of thing. We're related, but we're all like individual owners," said Mike, eldest of the clan. Hopkins stressed the individual aspect: "It's pretty competitive. It is. 1 think all five will say the same thing. We'd do almost anything to take a deal from each other " - Hopkins was running a large Buick dealership in Chicago when he met his future wife, who was a friend of his brother Hopkins' father. Bernie. got him started in the car business since he owned a dealership while Hopkins was growing up i go} out of college one day and went to one end of Grove Avenue one day and got a job." Hopkins. 37. recalled of his start in the business Starting out with your family's support is nice, but there can be drawbacks "Ah. when you're younger and first starting out. you've gotta work a little harder and got to. well, you've got to do a little more than the other guy. You bide your time like all the other broth­ ers did." Scott said. Gary. 33. was unavailable for comment Jim. manager of the Honda dealership, talked about his start in the automobile business and working with Gary. "I washed cars for my father. It's the only way to get in there." Jim said. Jim. 29. started with his sponges when he was 14. He's been working in the automobile sales business full-time since 1977. "It takes up all my time. Any time I have is in there." he said Working with family members can prove interesting. "It's not too bad. It's a family-owned organiza­ tion, but quite frankly we all know our responsi­ bilities, who's in charge, and we attack it sensibly. "1 work for Gary and report to him It's a good situation from a business aspect. There are no quarrels because everyone knows what his lob responsibilities are If I don't do my job. It's Gary's responsibility to tell me - and vice versa," Jim said. So far. the family approach is working. The numbers the McGraths have racked up are enough to put them in an automotive hall of lame. Mike's Heritage Auto Village will sell around 5,000 new and used models this year. Gary's Honda-Buick will sell around 2,300, and the Ford dealership will move In the vicinity of 2.000 models, according to Mike. "That's 9,300 cars. Of course, with all the service departments, body shops and parts, we estimate our annual sales volume is in the vicini­ ty of 93 million. Not bad numbers, not bad at all. "Well, we had some opportunities. A lot of FAMILY-Page8C 1984 DATSUN PICKUP fully equipped 1981 FORD FAIRMONT 2 OR AM/fM cfitdtf briMf. steering, Herald News Service photo by Scott J Brooks Meet the area's car-selling family (top to bottom): coln-Mercury-Dodge-Mazda-Subaru-GMC truck; Jim McGrath, Honda; Ron Hopkins, Ford; Scott and Gary McGrath, Buick-Honda. , McGrath, Subaru; Mike McGrath, Pontiac-Lin- I' 4 tfd , power power bfittt It If eo 1W DATSUN mn i m MM i*n 1983 NISSAN STANZA XE 4 DR Hetchbick, mtoRiitic. power steering. pown bfihes. tilt, crunt. stereo 1984 NISSAN 200 SUE AauaillK power steeri>|. power bnles in. nerto crane, tilt IMS cert Mites 1982 TOYOTA STARLET S spd.. stereo can., lit. wheel dine i DUMP 4 spd . power ttNfm|. poeot brtkes. heevy detjr pk| Mil cert milts 1984 OLDS CUTLASS CALAIS *1, leteeetK. fewer wiedewi pewei Mr tilt 1)14 TOYOTA COROLLA SR5 Sip4*e«rit*«rw( power krtbM. CM . ML COM. •« '75311 1983 MITSUBISHI M«Ut«. p»«er MtrMf. powei Intel tM umie en Mrw. ttUee