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Better Times

Dealers weather the economic storm and eye a calmer forecast.

Harry Kirsbaum
Special to the Jewish News

and Isuzu brands.
"It's been a slow, gradual recovery:'
Tamaroff said. "If you call last year the
absolute bottom of the barrel, this has
been a lot better. I hope it continues.
The deals out there are the best I've ever
seen.
Tamaroff thinks the domestic auto
industry will eventually recover in
Detroit, "but they won't expand their
dealerships. They're going to make do
with what they've got."
George Glassman of the Glassman
Automotive Group in Southfield started
as a General Motors-only dealer in 1980;
at one time, it was the
No. 1 Oldsmobile dealer
in the country.
The dealership now
sells Saab — once
owned by GM —
Hyundai, Kia and
Subaru.
His sales figures
George
have been even with
Glassman
last year, which is good
news for him.
"Last year, when GM killed Saab off, I
thought that would be a severe hit to our
volume because a lot of GM employees
and family members were the primary
buyers of Saab:' Glassman said.
"While my Saab volume has been
dramatically affected, Hyundai, Kia and
Subaru volume have all increased signifi-
cantly. We are almost identical in volume,
but the mix is different."

The national average for Hyundai
was up 45 percent, Kia rose 48 percent,
Subaru increased 22 percent and Saab
increased 7 percent.
Glassman believes the dealership will
increase sales in the next year because of
the quality of the brands.
"Hyundai's redesigned models have
received an incredible number of awards.
Kia, its sister company, shares the same
10-year 100,000-mile warranty. Subaru
remains the most fuel-efficient, all-
wheel-drive car company in the world:'
Glassman said. "And Saab has products
coming out that compete with the BMW
and Lexus brands."

Life After Oldsmobile
Glassman faces challenges as they come
along. "I didn't think there was life after
Oldsmobile, and there is," he said. "I was
concerned about GM divesting itself of
Saab, and fortunately the other three
brands have picked up the slack. Could
I have predicted that last year? Certainly
not."
"There are still challenges ahead:' he
said. "We're still in a difficult climate,
and there are still people concerned with
their housing and employment situation
— and that's going to take a while to play
out but, hopefully, we've seen the worst
behind us:'
Wally Schwartz of Superior Buick GMC
in Dearborn has been in business since
1981. He started with a GM Pontiac deal-
ership. He now sells Buicks, GMC and

Nissan. He said 2008
was the worst year ever,
2009 was OK and 2010
was much better.
"Let's face it: Whoever
thought GM was going
to have the difficulty
they were going to
Wally
have?" he said. "They
Schwartz
were a blue-chip stock
when I was growing up."
His GM sales figures were up 20 per-
cent from last year, matching the national
average; and his Nissan sales were steady,
compared to a 27 percent increase
nationally.
"Detroit is a different market than any-
where else he said. "Detroit has always
been a primarily domestic car market."
He knows the Big Three will recover.
"The real question is whether I think the
Big Three will ever get in trouble again.
Everything that goes around comes
around. I think it naturally evolves. The
manufacturers all took a big shock treat-
ment; and they're doing what they have
to do, and it's producing."
The number of people in America has
not diminished, their need to drive has
not diminished and we still scrap 12 mil-
lion cars a year, he said.
"Obviously, people can hold onto their
cars longer — no question about that.
But they want to feel good, and they still
like cars; and frankly, the manufacturers
are building some good product and the
people will respond."

WSU/MIBB internship

research analyst, reviewing new techno-
logical patents from Israel to see if they
can be successfully commercialized here
in southeast Michigan. If a new technolo-
gy is deemed a good candidate for a busi-
ness startup in Michigan, the analyst will
work with faculty and MIBB to recruit
possible business partners.
Edward Rosenbaum, partner in
Rosenbaum, Rollins & Associates, C.P.A.
and owner of Abby Park Senior Specialty
Services, LLC., is also funding a paid intern
to work with the MIBB. Rosenbaum is a
WSU alumnus and longtime supporter of
the WSU School of Business Administration.
"The kindness of those like Edward
Rosenbaum and the William Schumer
family make unique opportunities like

this partnership with MIBB possible for
our students:' said David Williams, dean,
WSU School of Business Administration.
The internship is offered to students
who have demonstrated excellent leader-
ship skills and the ability to interact with
executives and senior leaders. Students
may apply through the WSU School
of Business Administration Nonprofit
Internship Scholarship Program (NISP)
in the school's Career Planning and
Placement Office.
NISP was established to recognize
scholastic achievement, to encourage con-
tinued academic progress and pursuit of
an internship and to provide assistance to
students in financing their education in
the School of Business Administration. P1

T

he economic tsunami hit
Michigan long before the rest
of the country headed into the
recession of 2008. After decades as a
manufacturing based economy, the auto-
centric landscape in Detroit resembled
a neutron bomb by the time the Obama
administration provided GM and
Chrysler with a bailout.
Shuttered factories and empty homes
littered the landscape. And local auto
dealerships either disappeared or had
their inventory slashed when domestic
cars that ruled the road decades ago, like
Oldsmobile and Pontiac, ceased to exist.
If the end of 2008 was rock bottom,
then the end of 2010 has shown signs
of slow, but steady recovery. Make no
mistake: It will take decades and a few
miracles to right the Motor City's eco-
nomic ship; but if you talk to some local
auto dealers, there is hope.
Jeffrey Tamaroff of Tamaroff Motors in
Southfield said his November 2010 sales
figures for Nissan and Honda are up 30
percent from last year, better than the
national average.
According to automobilemag.com ,
November 2010 auto sales for American
Honda increased 21 percent and sales
for Nissan increased 27 percent over last
year. The dealership, which opened in
1969, at one time sold the Buick, Dodge

Assist Israel-Michigan entrepeneurs.

W

ayne State University's School
of Business Administration
received $10,000 to award to
students who participate in the Michigan
Israel Business Bridge internship program.
The William Schumer Scholarship pro-
vides funding for an MBA intern to work
with the Michigan Israel Business Bridge
(MIBB). For the next two years, one out-
standing student will be awarded $2,500
each semester along with the option to
earn up to six credits for the internship.
Selected students will gain the advan-

tage of an invaluable learning opportu-
nity, working side-by-side with MIBB
business development experts, as well as
top industry leaders from Michigan and
around the world. MIBB is an organiza-
tion that facilitates business development
and technical collaboration between
Michigan- and Israel-based companies.
"Interns gain real-life business experi-
ence and develop networking skills while
helping the MIBB realize its goals:' said
Pam Lippitt, MIBB executive director.
The intern will work as a strategic

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January 13 2011

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