Latest / Auto Collabs / There Are No EV Chargers At The US Capitol with Hilary Haron
Transcript
- 0:00Michael, have you been to Washington, DC yet? [upbeat music] This is Auto Collabs. I have. Yes. What was your first... Tell us about your first trip to Washington, DC as a, uh, now US resident.
- 0:17Or with the prior- Um, well, I went when I was not yet a US resident. Um, so I was enamored by all of it. I was like, "Oh, man, this mystery." Storm the gates. Yeah, exactly. I was like, "Oh, my gosh."
- 0:26I don't think Canada does that kind of thing. But go ahead. [laughs] And then it... And then I was like, "Wait, am I in Europe or am I in America?" Because this all looks like France right now. Really?
- 0:36Yeah, like- Well, because, you know, we- There's the Washington Monument that looks- Yeah... exactly like where Marie Antoinette...
- 0:41Like, so basically the lo- But we wanted to be France back when we built all that stuff originally. That's right. Yeah. Yeah. It's the, that whole, like, passageway- Yeah...
- 0:49right to the Abe Lincoln Memorial, like- Even the water. Yep, everything... the water, everything. Like, the Abe Lincoln Memorial would essentially be the Arc de Triomphe- Yes... in Paris. But it's just that. Exactly.
- 1:00So it, but it's cool. And the Champs-Élysées is the big pool, you know? That's right. Exactly. Yeah. Yep, exactly. But it was cool. If you say so. I loved it.
- 1:06You know what I f- what I love about Washington is there's definitely an energy shift there. Like, I, I felt like I could feel a different energy in that city. Like, there is stuff happening here. Yeah.
- 1:16I mean, today's guest, uh, Hillary Herron, has actually spent a good bit of time, uh, advocating for dealers in Washington, DC. Interesting to get her insights here. Um, also multi-generational dealer.
- 1:28You know, all the, all the ingredients for a great podcast. So we hope you enjoy this interview we have with Hillary Herron. [upbeat music] Hillary, thank you so much for joining us today on Auto Collabs.
- 1:41Thank you very much for having me. I'm excited to be here. So, um, you, you kind of have, uh, an automotive career that has now really cycled one full gamut, uh, as I would put it.
- 1:52So can you just summarize your journey in, in the auto industry, like kind of from the beginning to like where you are now? Um, uh, I will do my best to, to keep it concise. It's all right. A summary. Yeah.
- 2:03[laughs] There is this one summer- Like air quotes summary... yeah, goals notes. The cliff notes. Um, so my grandfather, he was a mechanic. He consigned a car. That, um, that seemed a little bit easier than wrenching.
- 2:15He was a mechanic when it was traditional wrenching, right? Um, and our family is Armenian. Uh, so at the time there was quite a bit of persecution.
- 2:24And so that kind of set his goals lofty, and he was like, "I don't wanna be a used car dealer. I wanna be a new car dealer." So he kind of went about doing that.
- 2:32Um, got a few new car franchises, settled with Jaguar, brought Land Rover over. Um, over rover. Um, and then- Already I'm like- Sorry... this is clearly a summary... I put a little feather in there.
- 2:45No, man, co-sign the, consign the car- Yeah... to Has a JLR dealer. Yeah. [laughs] Yeah. Right? Like, clearly a summary. All right. Yeah. Keep going.
- 2:51So my dad, uh, joins the business when he's in college and, um, my grandfather passed as, as my dad was acquiring the store from him. So my cousin and I got into the store.
- 3:04I worked there through high school, through college. Um, and yeah, I, that, that's the summary. I... When I was pregnant with my daughter... Well, let me take it back just a, just a hitch.
- 3:16In 2015, CNCDA invited me with them, um, to a lobbying trip in Washington, DC. That kind of changed my life. Uh, and I found advocacy so fulfilling, um- Mm...
- 3:30especially because I look a little different than the people that they normally see doing advocacy, you know? You gotta, you gotta earn your, your age, your gray hairs, whatever it is so that- Yeah...
- 3:41you can leave the store and go do things. Um- Yeah... and I found that it was impactful. And, uh, when I was pregnant with my daughter, I, something, like, lit on fire in me and I was elected to the CNCDA board.
- 3:56I, uh, ran for the NADA board. Eventually was elected to the NADA board. Uh, sat on our local Central California New Car Dealership board. Um, so that, that's it in a... That's the best I can do at summarizing.
- 4:10Apologies. Yeah. What I would love to hear is go back to that week or whatever it was with the CNCDA- Mm-hmm...
- 4:17and, 'cause I think people know, people maybe know in their mind in, in the dealership world that, okay, we have these ADAs working for us, lobbying for- Mm-hmm... could be any number of things at any given time.
- 4:30Right now we know a lot of, like, EV conversations, affordability, all of that. Mm-hmm. Franchise laws is, is happening, right?
- 4:37But when you were there, what were the things that, like, the CNCDA and you were passionate about that had the impact on you in that week of advocacy?
- 4:48Um, so I don't know necessarily if it was the things that we were talking about- Mm-hmm...
- 4:54as much as it was being able to relate to people and, and kind of getting a feel for what it was like at the Capitol and why people find it so intimidating.
- 5:06Um, because once you're in it, once you're there, you're like, "Why did I find, why did I, why was I so nervous?" Now, I'm a natural introvert. I need to be by myself to recharge. I'm...
- 5:18All of the everything else is learned, right? I'm with you on that. Um, so, and, and you learn and you can do it, but then you need, you know, you need your space to recharge. So I was scared out of my mind.
- 5:30Um, but it really built me up to say, to tell myself, like, "You may feel out of place, and this may really suck and be uncomfortable, but you're doing it. You're going and you're doing it anyway."
- 5:42Um, and then, you know, Brian Maas, CNCDA's, uh, president, he's just a great guy. And his very, like, level personality really kind of helped me.
- 5:55Like, he, he's not bouncing all over the pra- place, so it helped me, like, not get into my own feels. Um- Mm-hmm... so at the time, I think we were talking about the CFPB and rules that they wanted- Yeah...
- 6:07to implement andOne, uh, I got a couple people to sign on, which was, which was fantastic to get some co-sponsors. Um,
- 6:16but one of 'em, what the most impactful conversation I think was with a staffer, like a younger staffer, in a hallway explaining to them what would happen if they were trying to buy a car that had been grounded, um, because, uh, it had like a recall for a sticker on it.
- 6:34And what that would do to the price of cars and, you know, where that person was in their life, like relating it to them.
- 6:40And that young man saying, "Nobody's ever talked to me like I matter, and nobody has ever explained it to me in a way that I could understand." And I was like- Come on now...
- 6:54"Well, I've never talked to anybody either, and I'm just as scared and freaked out." [laughs] So yeah, like I, like I, I get goosebumps even thinking about that moment in a ha- in a dingy, weird hallway, you know?
- 7:06Mm-hmm. Um, and that legislator signed on as a, as a co-sponsor. So that, that's what changed. That's what moved- There's, there's a huge point in there because, um, I don't know, Kyle- Absolutely...
- 7:20if, if you remember when we were talking ab- to, um, to... It was, um, it was a dealer advocate in Delaware.
- 7:28They were talking about the fact that most legislators don't have a lot of time to really look into the issues and the bills, and they're advised largely- Mm-hmm...
- 7:36by younger staffers, who a lot of times are interns, who also have believed like a pop culture narrative- Mm-hmm... about our industry, and they aren't fully informed.
- 7:46They're actually just letting that pop culture narrative go through to their decision-making. They're influencing. And it sounds like what you just did was you just broke that chain- No-...
- 7:56like legitimately to a support... nobody has ever encapsulated that better than you just did. Um, l- like that is- Well, the guy that said it to me, I'll remember his name before this podcast- Yeah. Like-...
- 8:07is over, Dan. Thanks, Dan But I'll take credit for it right now. [laughs] There's, there's a lot of like little anecdotes or really long explanations, but that encapsulates it perfectly.
- 8:16Um, the amount of bills that go across the floor, they don't have time to read about.
- 8:20Like, and as long as bills get, and then you have other things, you have other organizations that are trying to make rules that, you know, we're asking a- as dealers or consumers, we're asking them to pay attention to these other organizations that they're supposed to have oversight of.
- 8:36Nobody has the capacity for that. So they- That's right... they hire staffers that they think they align with.
- 8:43Um, but the, but a lot of times the staffers do have like a, a pop culture, and I don't wanna say they have pop culture politics, but they kind of have pop culture politics. Like it's- [laughs] Yeah...
- 8:54when you're, when you're- Well, it's-... on your algorithm, right? It's, it's like story of origin. It's just like- Yeah... that's their story of origin for the automotive industry.
- 9:02They've never been told a different story. Right. Right?
- 9:04Well, and some of them don't have cars, or some of them have never purchased a car, or, you know, some of them- Especially in DC, right, yeah It's an- This is as close as I've ever been to experiencing an episode of House of Cards in real life.
- 9:16[laughs] I gotta know, like is it worth it? I mean, you wanna go to DC with me? Is it like House of Cards? I would love to take you. Yes. Done. Awesome. And his, and his name was Santosh Viswanathan.
- 9:26[laughs] I need to know- That was him... is it a total blood bath down there? Like are they just, just fighting each other over different things they care about? No.
- 9:36The, and that's the problem is that what we see is so sensationalized. Yeah. What we, what we are fed is to get an emotional reaction out of us, right? Right. That's the only way they're gonna raise money from us.
- 9:46That's the only way that they're gonna get, you know, people to argue with each other and ignore what's really going on. And w- without getting too far into my own political views, um, I... It's not.
- 9:57It's, it's largely friendly. It's- Yeah...
- 10:00you know, I was in a legislator's office last year, the year, last September or the September before, talking to the chief of staff who I've become friends with, and he was gonna buy an EV.
- 10:10And, uh, my opinion on EVs I have kept largely to myself, um, because I've represented organizations that are very supportive of it.
- 10:17But at the capital, if every legislator were to buy an EV, where are they gonna charge it? Right. At the capital, right. They, they- At the capital... they, and they can't. They don't have it. No.
- 10:28Not in, not in the US, not in California. Like they don't- Oh, not-... have the infrastructure. And- I'm so excited you chose our sho- show to like finally express your political views. Sorry.
- 10:38[laughs] And announce your run for office. [laughs] So great. 2024. Appreciate this. [laughs] Um, and, and they, you know...
- 10:47So we were talking about that, and e- they, both the chief of staff for his DC office and his California office were there. And they were like, "You know, I didn't really think about it that way."
- 10:57And I was like, "You know, why are we missing the boat on hybrids? This is like the transition technology." Like I get that we're shooting, you know, shooting for the other,
- 11:07the other world and hopefully landing somewhere acceptable. [laughs] I guess. Golly. Well, I didn't expect the conversation to go that way. I had no clue we were going there. I'm like all done.
- 11:18You're like, "Okay, here's what we're gonna do." My mind is buzzing. I'm like, "I gotta go to Capitol Hill. I got stories to tell." [laughs] I- I wanna talk to some people- Do you guys, I mean-...
- 11:25who are all like parking their EVs three miles away, then getting a gas-powered Uber to take them the rest of the way to the Hill. [laughs] Or what happens when you get stuck in that kind of traffic?
- 11:34I think this is something that we're, that practically we're gonna run into in, especially in the big metros, which is where most of the EVs are. The traffic is crazy. And in, in my opinion,
- 11:46they're not, the safety isn't there yet. Um- Mm... and I think that those are things that need to be talked about at the capital. They don't know.
- 11:54How are they gonna know that you need special safety equipment to, to treat an EV accident? Because until- That's true... Mercedes did it, they had never published a, an accident report of two EVs. Like- Mm...
- 12:07and that was last year. Mm.They're not gonna know unless somebody goes and tells them So what is your- Yeah... like, tell, tell the, the little tail end of the story. Kyle brought us back. Yeah.
- 12:19What is your position role in the auto industry right now? What has happened over the last 12 months? Things have changed a little bit. They have.
- 12:26Um, so we sold our store at the end, or our stores at the end of last year, at the end of 2023. Um, and what I'm doing now is I, I'm a passionate advocate for the industry.
- 12:39Um, so still having some of those conversations with legislators, just not in the same capacity. Um, launched my own podcast, uh, really highlighting women in male-dominated [laughs] industries, thank you.
- 12:51Um, and other advocates. So it's not just about
- 12:55the, the woman in the male-dominated industry, but also about people who are making space for that, who see the value and who have practically seen it reflected in their bottom line.
- 13:07Um, and that's, you know, that's, that's where I'm at right now. Um- What's the podcast called? It's called The Road Less Traveled. The Road Less- It's on YouTube, it's on anywhere you can get your podcasts. Spotify.
- 13:18Yep. The Road Less Traveled. Mm-hmm. Mm. Good. We gotta make sure people- I love it... people find the way- A Road Less Traveled. A Road Less Traveled. A. I'm sorry. Not The Road Less- Look, I already ruined it.
- 13:25That's why people don't give me things to do. [laughs] Just tell me where to show up. Yeah.
- 13:28What's, what, uh, give us some insight into the conversations that you've had there, because I'm sure, uh, you know, 'cause it's multi-vertical, right? You're not just looking at the automotive industry- Right... there.
- 13:37There's probably been some insights. Because, you know, like around here- Mm...
- 13:42at So Do More Than Cars, we definitely recognize that there are disparities in the working gap between the community and the employee set, right? Mm-hmm.
- 13:53And no matter what that community employee set makeup is, whether it's like, you know, a, a disparity in the gender gap or the racial gap- Mm-hmm... of the community to the employee set, right?
- 14:04That's like, when we think about it, that's the map for us. What, what are practical things that you're hearing or seeing that people are doing to, to shorten that gap?
- 14:16So one of the things that impacted me, um, is I wrote service for a while. I was, you know, in the line, like online, greeting customers, doing, writing actual repair orders- Yeah...
- 14:27doing the whole thing, interacting with the shop. Um, and it's be- it's the, the people, it's the interaction with your clients, right? 'Cause the, the goal is to have a happy public.
- 14:40I mean, overall, the overarching goal. Um, a happy mobile public. And when you see the difference when, like for example, I had one woman walk in and she was visibly uncomfortable.
- 14:55Um, and it turns out, you know, you find out later, like somebody had talked down to her and, you know, somebody called her honey. Um- Ah... and
- 15:04eventually, like we had a pretty good relationship and she felt comfortable with the way that I had explained things to her.
- 15:11And, and I think some of that comes from the comfort, you know, comfort with the people you know or people that look like you. That's pretty general, um, a pretty general human behavior. But- Yeah...
- 15:23one, one of the things that when I was, like said, things changed when I was pregnant with my daughter. I got, I got real hyphy. Um, and- You got real what? I got real, I got real hyphy. Um- Hyphy.
- 15:35I've never heard that word in my life. What does that mean? Um, I might have just aged myself quite a bit. Uh. [laughs] [laughs] They weren't gonna ask. Do you guys know? No clue. Okay. Okay.
- 15:45I got real jacked up on Mountain Dew. Like I was... I got, you know- Hyphy. I got- Hyphy. It could be a West Coast/East Coast thing too. It could be. Just so you know. It could be.
- 15:54Um- I wouldn't put yourself in that bucket. Yeah. That, that may be it. But I, you know, one of the goals that I had was to get a female in every department.
- 16:03You know, we had a female parts manager, we had female service writers, we had a female saleswoman, we had, you know, women in the business office. We had, we ended up with a female technician.
- 16:13One of the things that I had expressed to my partner was that that was something that was important to me. And while I was out, um,
- 16:21you know, for the whole two weeks I was out, uh, we had a female mechanic apply, or technician apply, and she ended up being the top performer. You know, so being able to like see it and implement it is one thing.
- 16:36W- something that I have heard that other dealers are doing that we did not have the opportunity to do, um, is their ch- working hours, they have changed the way that you're expected to work in those roles.
- 16:50They have changed, uh, pay plans specifically related to, you know, people with families and how they're paid and what the goals are, you know?
- 17:00Uh, I think those are all things that people need, that we need to be looking at. Mm-hmm.
- 17:05And I will say that m- in my experience, what I have seen is that most female mechanics, technicians that are very good have gone independent. Um- Yeah... so we have to think about- Mm...
- 17:16the way that we're playing, paying technicians and the way that their working environment is. If they're good enough to go out on their own and be on their own in their own shops- Mm-hmm...
- 17:25why would we not want to court them into ours? Like that- Right. 'Cause that's not an easy thing to do. No. Right? If they can handle that- Wow Yeah... we should be able to take care of them.
- 17:35So then we have to look at what's wrong with the environment. Mm-hmm. Because the pay is not that bad, even on a regular pay.
- 17:40You know, the average person in the automotive industry makes, what, $107,000 a year or something? Um- Yeah... like that's, and that's the average, right? So- Right... um, w- what- It's there...
- 17:52then what's wrong with the environment? How do we change that? How do we get more in there? And I know- You know, time and time a- I- I'm sorry to cut you off. Go ahead. No, you're good. Go ahead.
- 18:00I was gonna say, time and time again, we have seen and have so much exposure to dealers who have really embraced what you're talking about right now. Mm-hmm.Head & Shoulders have better reviews, retention- Mm-hmm...
- 18:13customer experience, um, better company culture. Like, Head & Shoulders, it's not even close. Mm-hmm.
- 18:18Whenev- like, our episode two was at a, a dealership, uh, called Beaver Toyota in Cumming, Georgia, and they have specific intentionality towards exactly what you're talking about.
- 18:28Uh, Toyota of Marysville, another West Coast dealership, 50% of their staff- Mm-hmm... um, female throughout the entire dealership.
- 18:36And when you look at what they're able to accomplish from a business sense, from a profit and loss sense, from a retention sense, I mean, it just blows everybody else out of the water.
- 18:45So, uh, maybe it is an indicator, like you're advocating for it here, but there are real business cases throughout our industry that- Mm-hmm... prove it's a viable and, and desirable way forward.
- 18:56I mean, even if you look at the biggest companies in the world, their, their bottom lines are reflective of it when their boards change. When- Yeah... they're, I mean, it, not just- Yeah...
- 19:07the automotive industry, but think about where you shop. When you walk in, you don't wanna feel like a leper. Mm-hmm. I mean, sorry to the lepers, but y- you don't wanna feel like- [laughs]... you're isolated, you know?
- 19:19You, you wanna feel like, "Oh, this is a place I belong," you know? You need to be, like, embraced. Just alienating our core audience. [laughs] Dang it. The newspaper. My bad, again. Uh-oh.
- 19:29I knew, I knew Michael- Well, let me, let me ask you-... was cooking up a zinger after that. [laughs] But let me ask you this, because our human nature tends to ruin everything, right? Mm-hmm.
- 19:36So, we have this conversation. You know, I grew up m- I, I have four sisters, no brothers. I have four sister-in-laws.
- 19:45And, and so the minute I said, "I do," I went from four to eight, and that just felt so normal to me- Yeah... because of how, my upbringing. So- Mm-hmm...
- 19:55i- in some ways, it's difficult for me to understand why this is e- even an issue, because I'm like, okay. This is the way it is. On the flip side, I understand why it's an issue, and I understand what you're saying.
- 20:05How do we make it n- normal and not ruined? Here's what I mean by that, 'cause you're gonna have some dealership who wants to implement all of this and says, "This is a great idea." Mm-hmm.
- 20:18And then they're gonna overcompensate. Yeah. They're gonna be like, "You know, you are, you're, you're such a great mechanic for, you know, for a human." You know, they're, they're gonna, like- Yeah...
- 20:30overcompensate everything, which makes it even more uncomfortable. How do we encourage people that, like, just, just, can you be normal? I mean, boy, that's a, that's a whole episode in and of itself.
- 20:42Um, but, and I actually think that that, for me, uh, ties into, like, a whole mental healthcare thing. [laughs] Mm-hmm. Um, but I think it starts at home. It's the way that we talk to our kids.
- 20:53It's the way that we encourage our kids to talk to other people. It's the way that they see us interact with people, even when we're uncomfortable. Mm-hmm. Uh, and it's partially calling people out when you see it.
- 21:03Uh, you know, if we're doing a board training on, I don't know, sexual harassment, it's being like, "I'm sorry, is this really necessary? So you're telling me that, like, this is still, like, a thing that people do?
- 21:18And, and I haven't heard anything about any broken noses. So, you know, really?" Hmm. So I think- Hmm. Interesting. Oh. I think- I don't think you... Yeah, that was good. I mean, I think a lot of it- Yeah, right.
- 21:30Like, like, we don't, we don't run around the office breaking people's noses- Yeah... but sexual harassment is still a thing. So this goes much deeper than...
- 21:37And I think why you're, you're talking multi-vertical with your podcast- Mm-hmm... is like, this goes much deeper than just how do you create an environment at the store. Mm-hmm.
- 21:45Um, but how do you potentially, as an employer, go deeper and serve the, like, family narrative- Mm-hmm... or the human narrative- Mm-hmm... of the people in your stores, uh, to craft that?
- 21:57Well, you, and you have to keep your chill, right? Like, like you said. Yeah. You can't, like, overshoot it, but keep your chill and think about how you would wanna be treated. Uh, you know- I love that...
- 22:08we're a pivotal generation. We're, we're, like, the shift. So what you guys are doing is, is saying that, "Look, this industry that's amazing, that moves everybody around in a way that they wanna move,
- 22:22we're also people, uh, and we're humans with human needs and human wants and human desires, and we wanna be treated fairly and normally." Like, uh, I think that that's, I think that's a big part of it. That's fantastic.
- 22:36I agree. Yeah. I, no, I agree, like, that there is a shift going on in this kind of, like, transitional generation that we're in right now, that for the first time ever...
- 22:46And I think some of this was brought upon us by market forces and things like Carvana, you know, coming to the market and, like, bringing the conversation to the surface. Mm-hmm. Right?
- 22:56And saying, "It's okay to talk about it." And what has happened is a lot of dealers have come out of the woodwork saying, like, "Yeah, customers shouldn't feel like that.
- 23:04Like, we should be embarrassed that customers think that about our industry, and we should do something about it." 100%. So without a doubt, like, this is the generation where I think it will be different.
- 23:12Like, fast-forward 10 years, I think the industry is fundamentally different- Mm-hmm... and the perception of it is fundamentally different because of the work that has been, being done for, like...
- 23:22Uh, I'll, I'll be a little gratuitous and I'll say, like, 10 years ago to 10 years from now, that, like, 20-year period- Mm-hmm... as, like, a generation, um, I agree. This is, this is it.
- 23:3110 years from now, no one will look at the auto industry the same as they have. And- Not only that, there's gonna be a bunch of EV chargers up on the hill as a result. [laughs] I think so. After this podcast- Yeah.
- 23:40That's true... I don't want Hillary coming back there. Maybe. Maybe. Hey, Hillary- Uh, yeah... we had so much fun, uh, with you on the show today. Um, uh, tremendous conversation.
- 23:49And to your point, and Paul, and like everything we're talking about, this conversation needs to be happening more often so that it becomes the norm.
- 23:55So we wanna thank you for joining us and bringing your wisdom to Auto Collabs today. I appreciate you guys. Thank you so much for having me.
- 24:07[upbeat music] Sometimes when we get into a podcastAbout seven minutes in, all of our minds are blown and we struggle to continue. [laughs] That j- I feel like that just happened. It was kinda like, "Whoa, whoa, whoa."
- 24:22Like, how, how do we not just, like, show up on Capitol Hill every day with Love People More Than You Love Cars shirts- Mm. Oh... walking around with... Right? I mean, like, that's the narrative.
- 24:33That's the story that she's saying, is, "Oh, no, no, no, no, they just don't realize that there's humanity- They just don't know...
- 24:38and that there's legitimacy, and that there's reasons for why the business is done the way that it's done.
- 24:43And if it gets changed in certain ways, it could seriously impact the actual, real, tangible buying experience that there's s- there's still actually a lot of good in, even though we know that there's things to fix and change.
- 24:55Yeah, for sure. I- It reminded me of our mission at A So to More Than Cars, which is to have meaningful conversations about topics that matter, right? Mm.
- 25:06Like, bad things happen when we don't have conversations, so, like, let's actually have conversations. That was just something that resonated with me as I was listening to her talk. Yeah.
- 25:15I th- I think there's a lot of, like, pockets in the industry with people like Hillary who had n- have not been, like, proponents, or not proponents, but haven't been, like, engaged in that level of advocacy.
- 25:29And I think everybody has the opportunity to do that on a regular basis, right? Like, you don't have to go to Washington C- DC to do it. You don't have to be involved with your dealer association to that level.
- 25:41But the reality is, is, is we're all campaigning every single day, which is why we put it on a shirt, right?
- 25:47Because, I mean, Kyle, when you go to an airport with that shirt on, how many times do you get stopped and have a- Five times every airport. Like, I love that. I'm aligned with that. I like that. "What are you doing?
- 25:56Why is that that way?" Right. Without, without a doubt. It's... The last time, where were we? I was, I think it was a trip to the West Coast.
- 26:02Yeah, it was when we went, we were going to NADA, and we were in, like, one of the little transport vehicles in Vegas, and a couple of women were there, and they said, like, "Oh, what's that shirt?"
- 26:14I realized they, and I explained the shirt and explained the heart behind it, and I realized, like, they live, like, 10 minutes from my house in Syracuse. They were actually on the combination of flights that we were.
- 26:24Oh, man. And, and I was like, "Man, my hometown doesn't know about this." And so it just kind of, like, lit that back up, like we all advocate every single day for this industry. But, you know- Right...
- 26:33people like Hillary went all the way up to the Hill, no pun intended. But we're gonna vote for her when she decides to run in 2024. [laughs] Yeah. [laughs] Well... Yep. Mm-hmm. That time again.
- 26:48[laughs] Hey, on behalf of myself, Michael Cirillo, and Paul Jay Daly, we really hope you enjoyed, uh, this episode of Auto Collabs as much as we did. See you next time.
- 26:58Sign up for our free and fun-to-read daily email for a free shot of relevant news in automotive, retail, media, and pop culture. You can get it now at asotu.com. That's A-S-O-T-U.com.
- 27:11If you love this podcast, please leave us a review and share it with a friend. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you next time.
- 27:20[upbeat music] Welcome to Auto Collabs. Welcome to Auto Collabs. [laughs] Why are we recording? Are we rolling yet? Not yet.