Let's face it, the year 2009 was not the finest for the car industry and it's no secret. After what I like to call the "year from Hell", the car industry has been marked with empty car lots, bail-outs, and clunkers. The lucky dealers that were able to stay in business dealt with very low profit margins, salesmen struggling to keep their heads above water, and were given the terrible task of terminating employees. Personally, the toughest part for me was watching good people lose their jobs. Since I have been a child, I have been around the car business. My Grandfather, Al Sweet, was one of the first Toyota Dealers in Western PA and my father, Richard Flynn is currently the owner of the store I work at, Preston Ford Lincoln Mercury Hyundai. So you can basically understand that I have been around this business my entire life. I have formed relationships that cannot be matched in any other business. Regardless of the economic climate, the people that work in this business endure a lot of stress and long hours. So to my dismay, I had to watch these people go one by one. I can say, that was the hardest part of the "year from Hell".
Ok so 2009…..well to put it lightly, STUNK!! The great thing though is that it is a new decade! It is a new decade with a lot of room for improvement. We can come away from last decade with a lot of life lessons. The lesson that I learned is to not sweat the small stuff. Ok we had a bad run in the car business, but I am still here breathing air, playing golf, watching sports center, taking a hot shower, spending time with people I love, spending time with friends, and the list goes on. I think if we can all first realize all that we have, we can forget what we have lost the past couple years. One thing that usually really makes my day is when I get to talk to a buddy of mine who is active duty for the United States Army in Afghanistan. Due to the internet and facebook I have been able to stay in touch with Jake. When I am sitting here at work chatting with him on facebook, I become conscious of how good I have it because he is fighting to protect our freedoms. With that being said my friend Jake and his fellow comrades from the 82nd Airborne have come up with a pretty cool hobby. They contact businesses from the U.S. and ask them to send t-shirts and then they take picture with the t-shirts on over their fatigues and send it back via e-mail. Primanti Bros. and Sky Dive Rick’s are only a couple to mention that have participated. We printed our t-shirts and shipped them overseas to show our appreciation for what these men and women are doing for us. I am proud to have a friend like Jake and I think we all can be proud that we have men and women fighting for our freedoms. So on that note I hope everyone gets off to a great start this year and just remember to not sweat the small stuff.
Great post Chris!!
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