Over the next few weeks, TPS will share in-depth conversations with this year's seven nominees, detailing how they found their way to the truck dealer business, how they've navigated the industry, their efforts to lead their businesses and more. These conversations will lead up to the announcement of the 2024 ATD Truck Dealer of the Year Award, which will be announced Friday, Feb. 2, 2024, at the ATD Show in Las Vegas by Procede Software CEO Larry Kettler and TPS Editor Lucas Deal.
Our next dealer to be featured is Katie Hopkins, president and CEO of Truck Centers Inc., based in Troy, Ill.
Katie Hopkins, Truck Centers Inc.; ATD Truck Dealer of the Year nominee
How did you get into the truck dealer industry?
My journey into the truck dealer industry was paved by family heritage and shared values. My grandfather established Truck Centers Inc. (TCI) along with two partners in 1970. My father actively led the business for the past 48 years and infused his passion for customer service and visionary leadership into TCI, resulting in the company's monumental growth.
Being part of a family-owned business inherently meant Truck Centers was a crucial part of our family. From a young age, I worked part-time, filling various roles whenever school permitted, like holiday breaks and weekends. Having pride in my work, customer service, and a strong sense of teamwork were all cultivated by being part of TCI for most of my life.
Upon earning my business administration degree, joining TCI was a natural progression. It wasn't just about continuing a family tradition but about contributing to a business whose principles and values resonated deeply with my own and where I believed I could make an impact.
How have you risen in the industry and your company to reach where you are today?
My journey within the industry has been one of gradual and continuous learning. After college, I started in an entry-level accounts receivable collector role, where I began to understand the financial pulse of our business. I was promoted to office manager at our St. Louis dealership, followed by assistant general manager and then general manager of that location.
In these early years, I was fortunate to grow under the tutelage of several great mentors, including Mike Yates, my father's long-term partner and vice chairman of TCI, and Jan Krieger, the GM of our flagship location. I also participated in the ATD Dealer Academy as well as the unique executive education program for dealers crafted by NADA and Babson College in 2009.
Upon my promotion to executive vice president in 2012, president/COO in 2018, and eventually president/CEO in 2024, I have an increasing sense of responsibility to continue to build upon the legacy and traditions at the heart of TCI. Several unique opportunities, including participating in the inaugural Build with Kanbrick cohort led by Warren Buffett's protégé Tracy Britt-Cool, and Tugboat Institute (Evergreen) to work alongside skilled experts and other business leaders committed to building sustainable, multigenerational companies has provided me with a network of mentors and information. This has been a tremendous benefit to me as a steward of Truck Centers, and I will continue to respect our heritage and legacy while embracing innovation and agility as we move forward.
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What do you like most about being a truck dealer?
I love being a part of an industry that is essential to our nation and economy but is also rather unassuming. Trucks are the lifeblood of logistics and play such a crucial role in the supply chain, it is rewarding to be a part of that. The truck industry also has a heritage of hard work and practical needs driving innovation, which I appreciate. Our industry attracts a diverse group of can-doers, as evident in our team members and customers; I feel very fortunate to work with them and learn from them.
Describe your leadership style. How do you pilot your business?
My leadership approach is people-centric and collaborative. I aim to elevate our team members as the heroes of the TCI story and provide them with many opportunities to grow and lead. We encourage them to have ownership of their jobs. Collaborating closely with the other owners and our very talented leadership team, we collectively steer our business toward progress and innovation while giving back to the communities that we serve.
What do you believe is the most important skill for a truck dealer? How have you cultivated that skill?
The most important skill for a truck dealer, or any business, is the ability to listen to understand the needs and perspectives of our customers and team members. I have worked on cultivating that skill of listening to understand their needs by opening dialogue and asking questions. We survey customers in various ways to keep a pulse on how we are performing and if we are meeting their needs. We have close relationships with many of our customers, and they are very open with sharing things we do well and when there are areas to address, and we do our best to adapt accordingly.
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Similarly, we conduct team engagement surveys, and our leadership team solicits and welcomes feedback. Our team is our best asset and we try to listen objectively and fairly, ask questions and continually evaluate what we can offer that impacts the largest percentage of our team. We seek to make changes that can be lasting and meaningful, and keep going from there. Being honest and transparent with open dialogue during this progressive transformation is important because it is an unending journey we are on together.
How do you differentiate your business from your competitors?
We pride ourselves on delivering exceptional customer service by empowering our team to go above and beyond to not only meet but exceed customer needs. Whether it's a single truck owner-operator or a large fleet, we strive to be a reliable partner that can be entrusted with their business. Another key differentiator is our heavy investment in training. We have six full-time trainers between our standalone training center in Troy and our training subcenter in South Bend who conduct training courses for all of our technicians and other dealer techs and can be customized for private customer training designed specifically for their fleet and needs.
What is the most difficult part of your job?
The most challenging part of my job is time management. In particular, it isn't easy to find sufficient time to engage personally at each of our locations and connect with our customers. Directly interacting with the people who are the face of our company and those we serve is the foundation of our business, and that is very important to me.
How does ATD help you run your business?
ATD has been an indispensable partner for our company, providing support and a platform for many years. The association has contributed significantly to our success through its extensive educational programs, which have benefited me and our entire leadership team in various ways. We utilize ATD's performance measurement guides and comparative analysis tools for monthly benchmarking, which is integral to our strategic planning.
Additionally, ATD serves as a powerful impetus for change, advocating for truck dealers by representing our interests on a national level and engaging federal legislators.
Why do you believe you were nominated for the ATD Truck Dealer of the Year Award?
There are six other excellent dealers nominated this year and I am honored that Truck Centers was a part of such an esteemed group. We represent a strong, family-owned business that has grown sustainably for 50-plus years. As a second-generation leader, my father had the honor of being the ATD Truck Dealer of the Year in 1990. As responsible stewards and trusted partners, we are committed to delivering exceptional customer service and fostering a communal spirit of giving back. We have been continually recognized for our ongoing contributions to the industry and our communities as one of the largest privately-held companies in our region.
This heritage, along with our continued adoption of best practices to bolster efficiency as well as the customer and team experiences, I believe were instrumental factors in this most recent nomination. Lastly, we were able to recently navigate our leadership succession to the third generation of our family, a humbling accomplishment that an estimated 12% of family-owned companies are fortunate to complete.
