In part three of this multi-part series, aftermarketNews sits down with Richard "Dick" Morgan, a 48-year veteran of the automotive aftermarket industry who on Dec. 31, 2009, celebrated his retirement from the position of president and CEO of Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance, a position he held for the past 16 years. In this exclusive interview, Morgan reflects on the accomplishments he’s most proud of, the changes he has seen in the nearly half a century that he’s been in the industry and what he hopes and expects of the future. In this final part of our interview, Morgan touches on what to expect from new car dealerships in the next five to 10 years, as well as the value and role of industry associations. He also gives his advice on training and retaining good employees. 
To read Part One of the interview, click here.
To read Part Two of the interview, click here.
What do you think the aftermarket landscape is going to look like in the next five-to-10 years in terms of the following segments?
New car dealerships
New car dealerships are going to be so involved in staying in business and selling automobiles that I don’t think they are going to devote as much attention on trying to sell wholesale parts. This is just an opinion, but I believe the threat is going to be direct from the car manufacturer.
Aftermarket Associations
As far as associations go, I was a real proponent of having one industry association that takes care of everybody. We’re practically there now with the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) and I think there’s always going to be a need of an industry association for government affairs, consumer affairs and education. Although, education is harder to address, because program groups commonly have their own education programs and it’s a competitive advantage for one group over another. But, I think we’ll always need a good solid industry association.
I remember when there was ASIA, and AAPA and AWDA, and most of the states had big strong associations, and I think we’re going to see more and more things come under the umbrella of AAIA and I think that’s the right thing to do.
With your extensive history in the aftermarket and broad range of experiences to pull from, what advice would you give to the next generation of leaders coming up in the aftermarket?
It all goes back to people. I say don’t try to be too creative. Take the things that work and continue to use them, but mainly it’s about hiring the right people. I never worried about trying to hire someone from the parts business. I tried to hire the right person whom I could train to do what I wanted done because if you don’t have the right person, it doesn’t matter how good they are and how knowledgeable they are. Eventually, you’re not going to be happy with them because they’re not the type of person you want.
Training, really, is telling and teaching people what you expect of them and holding them accountable. People basically want to do a good job. People basically are good. I hear too many people complain about an employee and I ask them, “Does he really know what you expect of him? Does he really know the overall scheme of what the company is trying to accomplish?” To me, that’s the key – letting people understand what’s expected and supporting them. But hold them accountable. When you don’t hold them accountable you’re hurting five or six good people around them. Sometimes you’re not popular being the boss, but the boss isn’t supposed to be popular, necessarily.
Train them. Let them do their jobs. It’s still about who executes the best. That’s really my philosophy. It’s not rocket science – most business isn’t.
