Business in Vancouver magazine profiles Mike Trotman
Business in Vancouver magazine named B.C. auto dealer and entrepreneur Mike Trotman to its exclusive Forty under 40 list in its January 2011 issue.
“It’s certainly getting noticed that’s for sure,” says Trotman of the celebrity he’s gained from the magazine article. The magazine’s photographer had Trotman tossing a pot of popcorn into the air for his photo, and he says he’s been getting good-natured jokes about that.
Trotman is the president and CEO of the $110 million dollar Trotman Automotive Group and is dealer principal for the flagship Langley Chrysler. His group also consists of: Comox Valley Dodge, Alpine Toyota, and Abbotsford Hyundai. Trotman also sits on the board of the New Car Dealers Association of B.C.
The magazine selects the winners based on such values as achievement, experience, innovation, vision, leadership, and community involvement. While he says the award was a nice personal accolade, and reflects on the achievements of his 140-strong team, he hopes to use the publicity the award brings to attract more high-caliber people to the automotive retail industry.
“In my opinion that’s our greatest challenge in the next five years in our industry right now,” says
Trotman. “It’s a systemic issue with the perception of the industry among the business community and the university professional crowd.”
When university graduates leave business school and consider their career options, the auto industry and the dealer side of the business is not on their shopping list. When Trotman is invited back to speak at the Sauder School of Business at UBC, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, he notes that the foyer is filled with pictures of alumni working in the high-tech sector, or with accounting and auditing firms, but there’s nary an auto dealer among their ranks.
“Not one person would think of the automotive dealership industry as something that would be a really exciting, rewarding and lucrative career opportunity for them,” says Trotman. “I think it’s an awareness issue for people out there.”
The magazine has been running its Forty under 40 awards contest for 20 years. Apart from the recognition, 2010 winners celebrated their achievements at a special Forty under 40 Celebration Awards dinner.
Trotman is a dynamic young entrepreneur, so stay tuned for our May/June issue where we’ll feature an in-depth interview and hear his thoughts on emerging trends such as automotive marketing, and social media and marketing trends to watch.
