Dealership finds fulfillment in charity
It’s been eight years since Flip Torrez joined the Larry H. Miller dealership family and he couldn’t be happier. Torrez, general manager at the Southwest Hyundai dealership, recently returned from Utah where he participated in the 2017 Larry H. Miller Dealerships Golf Classic, which raised $350,000 for charities in the seven western states where the car company has dealerships.
And while the golf was less than stellar, the message resonated, said Torrez, who is an admitted duffer on the links.
“It was miserable,” he said. “There were 40 mph winds, monsoon rain. But we stuck it out, played all the 18 holes. It kind of worked out for me so I had a built in excuse for my golf game.”
Helping have that kind of impact on worthy organizations, however, made it all worthwhile.
“For an organization, it can change the whole path of their course,” Torrez said. “The company’s goal is to be the best place in town to work and to be the best place in town to do business. We’re not just earning a living, we’re giving back and that goes a long way in life.”
The fundraising golf game is part of an annual general managers and managing general partner’s meeting.
“They have a welcome dinner to get to know everybody again,” Torrez said. “Monday is the charity event. It invigorates all of us from our day-to-day grind and reminds us that there’s a bigger purpose to all of it.”
Indeed, Hyundai has started its own little donation to the community, giving away a used car on the third Saturday of each month. Company employees from the service and parts department make sure the vehicle is ready to hit the road.
“The first time we did it was for a promotion, get some traffic through the dealership,” Torrez said. “The person who won it was a single mom who had her vehicle stolen; she was crying. It was such an emotional, uplifting experience that we decided it was something we were going to do every month.”
In addition to the car, the company gives away tanks of gas and oil changes.
“We really try to make it an event,” he said. We have the barbeque going with hamburgers and hot dogs. It’s a cool thing to watch for sure.”