40 Under 40

Morris Smith dreamed of owning his own dealership for years. 

But when he finally got that chance, it nearly turned into a nightmare. 

He joined Janssen Ford of Larned in Kansas as an operating partner in August 2020, with the understanding that he eventually could purchase the store if he did well. The dealership was unprofitable, the coronavirus pandemic had begun to wreak havoc on inventory, and the previous general manager had taken all the salespeople with him, leaving Smith with a skeleton crew of three people. His wife — who had no automotive experience — had to step in as a parts and service manager for about three months. 

“It was absolutely, positively, a challenge,” Smith said. “We had to start from scratch.” 

Smith hired salespeople with backgrounds in customer service and retail to build relationships and better serve his would-be buyers. He attracted technicians by offering a hybrid pay plan that guaranteed a certain hourly salary instead of basing compensation entirely on commission. 

He offered customers transparent, no-haggle pricing and helped boost his store’s online presence to attract more out-of-state business. And he placed a greater emphasis on the store’s struggling fixed operations department by allowing workers to take extra time to ensure they completed a job correctly. 

The end result? A 40 percent sales increase and 80 percent jump in fixed ops profit after one year. Smith purchased the store in September 2021 and renamed it Morris Smith Ford of Larned. 

“In all honestly, I was able to turn the store around pretty quickly by just following the basics,” Smith said. “Culture is a big part of the dealership and it’s always been a big focal point.” 

For Smith, acquiring his first store was the culmination of more than two decades in an industry in which he never really expected to work. 

At 16, he was selling cellphones to pay for college. He had a knack for upselling customers with data plans and accessories. 

Some of those customers turned out to be employees of a nearby Ford dealership who would stop in on their lunch breaks. Eventually, the general manager of the dealership noticed and recruited Smith. 

He then worked at multiple stores in various leadership roles. He said he enjoys building relationships with his customers and likes the challenge of overcoming obstacles. 

“One of the biggest things for me is that it’s different every day,” Smith said. “The car business is very dynamic.”

— Michael Martinez