Dealer leverages personal success to lift others

As CEO and sole owner of Mills Automotive Group, based in Charlotte, N.C., Damian Mills has plenty of reasons to be proud.

After all, Mills Automotive — the largest Black-owned dealership group in the country with a single principal, according to the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers — operates 14 stores in Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and West Virginia. Mills, 47, also was named Black Enterprise magazine's auto dealer of the year in 2019 and an Automotive News 40 Under 40 honoree in 2013.

But it's particularly telling that despite his business accomplishments, there's something he's even more proud of: In the last two years, two young Black employees mentored by Mills bought their first dealerships.

"I'm very humbled by that," he said.

Mills also proudly points out that his dealership group has one of the most diverse groups of general managers in the country, with women, Asian American and Black store leaders in that category.

"And that's because we're very intentional about it," he told Automotive News. "And most of them were developed from within our organization.

"Diversity must be purposeful and intentional — not reactionary, the flavor of the day," Mills said. "It has to be institutionalized into organizations. We all should be mirroring our clients and the communities we serve."

Mills describes himself as a man of faith and someone who's goal-oriented, focused and driven. His career trajectory reflects that: He was a general manager of a dealership by age 25 and became a partner in a dealership at 28.

But his biggest move came in 2004, when he used his life savings to buy Classic Ford in Smithfield, N.C., aided by a loan from Ford Motor Co.

"It wasn't the scariest thing I've ever done, but it required the most faith," said Mills, who added that the move meant a 60 percent pay cut at that time.

"If you have a strong faith in God and bet on yourself, good things happen."

Damon Lester, president of NAMAD, has known Mills for 20 years.

"To accumulate that number of stores he has is a testament to his hard work, dedication and character," Lester said.

"He has the drive and the ambition to be great."

Mills' road to success is a "true story of grit," Lester said.

"He took stores that historically were poor performers and turned them into profitable businesses. And while doing that, he's been able to attract some of the best and brightest automotive minds to his dealer group and also provide opportunities for growth," Lester said.

"He's definitely a humble, spiritual man — and an awesome businessman."

Mills clearly relishes his role as a mentor.

He's a longtime member of NAMAD's board of directors as well as its incoming chairman. As former president of the Chrysler Minority Dealers Association, he helped establish that group's Future Dealers Alliance to mentor budding minority dealership managers.

"I help develop people across the board," Mills said. "I'm mentoring anywhere from six to 10 people at a time."

He looks at that as doing his part "among a lot of other quiet champions."

"At NAMAD, part of our core values center on increasing diversity at all levels, including ownership of dealerships with all OEMs," Mills said.

Mills knows all too well the obstacles that face minorities in the automotive industry — such as lack of opportunities, not enough guidance and mentoring and insufficient access to capital.

Championing the cause of diversity at every opportunity is both a privilege and a duty, he said.

What fuels Mills' passion for inclusion and his drive to succeed?

His late father, Joseph, who was a minor league pitcher in the St. Louis Cardinals system, and his mother, Carol, who was a school teacher for more than 50 years, he said.

"They instilled in me that it's not where you come from, it's where you end up," he said. "And it's not what you have, but what you give. That helped foster qualities such as character, integrity, work ethic and teamwork."

Another source of pride for Mills: His success allows his dealership group to perform charitable work that has included helping victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Harvey, building homes for poor people in the Bahamas and providing financial support for organizations such as Salvation Army, Samaritan's Purse and Convoy of Hope.

"We've been able to do things that I never could've fathomed when I first started this journey," Mills said. "I've learned over the years that most of life's journey is for us, not about us."

He's not alone.

"There are a lot of diverse dealers doing great things in their communities, too, which lends credence to the belief that when they win, we all win," Mills said.