Courtney and Katie Lovegreen are fourth generation car dealers at Lovegreen Ford Chrysler in Kirksville, Missouri. These sisters grew up in the dealership, parted ways for a bit, and then reunited to keep this family business going strong. And now they share their stories and advice from their collective experience with us.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY?
Courtney: I was moving to Orlando, FL to pursue a golf career. A car accident put golf on hold and I found myself working at an upscale wine bar. One of my regular clients introduced me to Fields Auto Group and I started in sales at Land Rover of Orlando. Three years later, with a new passion for the car industry, it was time to move home and work side by side with Bill & Katie.
Katie: I grew up in the dealership. I spent almost every Saturday at the store working with my dad and siblings. We did all the fun stuff like picking up trash, mopping floors, cleaning up cars and painting parking blocks. When I got older, I would work during the summer in the office filing and answering phones. During college, my dad asked if I would help out in the finance office. That is where I started to fall in love with the car business. I enjoyed working with our customers and getting them into their new vehicles. Three days after graduating college I started full time in sales at the dealership.
HOW DOES YOUR DEALERSHIP STAFF WORK TOGETHER TO TACKLE OBSTACLES?
Katie: We are a family owned and operated dealership. I work very closely with my father and sister. It is a great feeling to know they always have my back and are willing to help solve problems and tackle obstacles. There are many days where we sit in the office and bounce ideas off each other for new sales promotions or how to fix an issue. Aside from that, we have a great staff who really feel like part of the family. Everyone works really great together from service to sales to clean up.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT BEING IN THE MISSOURI AUTO INDUSTRY?
Courtney: It all starts with the Missouri Auto Dealers Association: Growing up going to summer conventions at Lodge of Four Seasons and making friends and relationships I still have today. Missouri has an awesome group of dealers.
Katie: My favorite part is the people. I have met so many amazing people through sales and our service department. I love hearing people’s stories, where they come from and what they are going to do next. On the other side, people who work in the automotive industry are really great. We have great relationships with other dealers in the state and vendors. MADA events are some of my favorite events of the year.
WHAT IS YOUR DEALERSHIP’S INVOLVEMENT WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY?
Katie: We have a lot of involvement in our community. One of our biggest is the Drive 4 UR School event we hold every fall. We have raised over $15,000 for Kirksville and Brashear Schools. We give to over 50 local organizations and schools every year. This year, we are partnering with our local fire department for the Adopt-A-Child event — a program that organizes gifts for families in need during the holidays. We call it “fill up the truck” and this year we actually ran out of room in the bed of the truck as the toys stacked up all the way to the roof.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR SOMEONE LOOKING TO JOIN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY?
Courtney: Find a mentor and ask questions.
Katie: Don’t feel like you have to know everything about cars to work at a dealership. I think that’s the biggest deterrent for women thinking about joining the auto industry, especially in sales. It’s less about cars and more about connecting with people and building relationships.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF ABOUT YOUR DEALERSHIP?
Katie: I am very proud to be the 4th generation in our family business along with Courtney. I don’t think our great-grandfather, Elmer D. Lovegreen ever thought that his great-granddaughters would be continuing on his legacy. My family has been serving our community for the last 86 years and it is such an honor to be a part of it.
WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU CAN GIVE TO SOMEONE MAKING THEIR FIRST CAR PURCHASE?
Courtney: Finding the “perfect” vehicle to fit all your wants and needs is frustrating. Sometimes it’s easier to find out what you don’t like. Cross it off the list and go to the next option.
WHICH VEHICLE SERVICE REPAIR DO YOU FEEL IS MOST ESSENTIAL TO YOUR VEHICLE’S LONGEVITY?
Katie: Regular maintenance! Take your vehicle to the dealership for regular maintenance, oil changes, tire rotations etc. We do a multi-point inspection on every oil change where we check fluids, brakes, tires and batteries. It is a great way to monitor your vehicle by certified technicians and it helps you plan for bigger maintenance costs like tires and brakes down the road.
TELL US A STORY OR MEMORY YOUR TIME AT THE DEALERSHIP THAT IS SPECIAL TO YOU.
Courtney: Every month Katie and I shoot four commercials for TV. This is not my favorite thing as I struggle being in front of a camera. Every six months we would have enough bloopers to put together a 3–4 minute video, starring me (they are on our Facebook page.) These blooper reels get more views, likes and comments than the actual commercials. The car business is usually so serious, it’s okay to get out of your comfort zone and have fun and laugh sometimes.
Katie: I have a ton of memories of the dealership. Everything from catching birds in the service department to riding in the snowplow truck when school was cancelled. My favorite story has to be when I was 10 or 11 years old. It was my job to paint the yellow parking barriers in front of the store, which I was not very fond of. I thought I would get out of it by wearing my nice shoes Saturday morning to work. My father quickly solved that by giving me Walmart plastic bags and rubber bands to tie around my shoes so I would not ruin my new shoes. That day I painted the yellow parking barriers in my new shoes and Walmart plastic bags around them. From that day forward I realized some days you’re going to have to do things that are not your favorite but it’s better to do them without plastic bags around your feet.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CAR OF ALL TIME?
Katie: My favorite car has to be the Jeep Wrangler. There is not another vehicle out there that represents so much fun and adventure. It’s one vehicle that ties so many generations together, everyone has a Jeep Wrangler story. I drove one through high school and college and I definitely have some fond memories of driving with my doors and top off, getting stuck in a rainstorm or finding the biggest snowbank to drive over.
Courtney: Any vehicle with a third row. Being the middle child, I always got the middle seat.
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