The Grind From All Avenues | Todd Fitz, Mosaic Auto Group #020

Hey everyone, it's Karissa from Shining Light on Minnesota. We have an extra special guest here today. We have Todd Fitzgibbons from Zumbrota Mazeppa. Woohoo. Zumbrota, Minnesota. Sorry. No worries. It is the same thing. Yes. Welcome. So, why don't we get started, Todd, by telling everybody a little bit about where you're from and kind of what got you into the role that you're at and where all you uh have been. So, uh currently I represent Mosaic Auto Group and that's where I hope to stay forever and ever. Um, but what got me here, um, I was, uh, I grew up in Sacramento. Um, I met my better half and she is from Mozeppa. Uh, and so, u, long story short, fast forwarding here, uh, we've been together 24 years. We've got two beautiful, wonderful, amazing children. Uh, we love life and, uh, you know, we're in a very small community there. So, we're so thrilled to have good jobs and I just love, uh, the business that I'm in. Uh we are less than a year and a half old as a company and we own three locations, two of which are in Zamroda on 15 acres adjacent to each other. It's our Mosaic Chevy store and our Mosaic Chrysler Dodge Jeep and Ram store. Uh we also have a third location in Lake City, Minnesota. Uh we had the the privilege and pleasure of purchasing Tom Hefernon Ford after he owned it for 52 years. So we're delighted to now also have a Ford Point. Um, and I love representing all the brands cuz um, you know, people like different stuff. So, I just want people to be happy. You know what I mean? Um, so how I got here, um, my better half told me to, right? She made me go get the job. She she when we moved to Misepa, I said, "Oh, wow. What am I going to do now?" Um, because I really enjoyed the restaurant business prior to that. Um, but there's really not a whole bunch of um, restaurants that were of high volume, let's say, back then, uh, in that area. So anywh who um she made me go get a job and I stayed at that dealership for 17 years and it was absolutely wonderful uh meeting people, building relationships and uh providing solutions to the challenges that meet us each and every day in our automotive uh needs. So let's talk about the growth between Rochester to even Canon Falls that is exploding. What have you guys seen being that you're almost located right on Highway 52? So we're seeing that corridor really fill in. Uh and uh great topic. Uh I totally agree with you. In fact uh coincidentally this morning the mayor of Zimroda was at my desk uh there in at the Chrysler store uh and we were chitchatting about progress, the economic uh development association as well. Uh I've been having some conversations with various restaurants in both directions and we're trying to get some more stuff and more commerce uh to help fill in the corridor. So uh as you may know, we believe that Treasure Island's going to build a satellite casino down there in Pine Island, right? even though they say that's on the hush or it's not going to happen everyone else it's inevitable% 100% exactly so that's going to be neat and I think that's one uh main catalyst that'll help to fill in jobs housing etc and also encourage people that there's going to be long-term stability right there absolutely and I think that I've noticed being that I'm from Rochester originally male clinic I mean that's inevitable obviously the the heart and soul of everything how it keeps branching out further and further up towards the Twin Cities and everywhere else etc. Um, and knowing that they have locations all over. Do you see any growth coming into like the Zamroa Pine Island area too with them? Major 100%. I totally agree with you, Karissa, with the what 5.6 billion that they're pumping in right now to Rochester. Uh, I love that the world called Rochester to the carpet. Y and um you and I both have experience in Rochester and in the hospitality business and knowing uh that the the people of the planet uh earth here, you know, they said, "Hey, just because you're a hospital in a field in the middle of Minnesota doesn't mean we have to come there at this stage, we could have great hospital service anywhere." So they demanded better amenities and we are now providing those. So the growth of the Mayo Clinic, not just their, you know, surgical operations and their cancer research, which are all fabulous things, but they also want to make sure that they have accommodations for everybody from around the world who travels here to Minnesota. So we're looking to provide that in every way, shape. Well, I think with the destination center that it already is and the high rail or the low rail that's coming in the link system, that's going to make that town just explode more than it already is. um having having the amenities there like they have up in the Twin Cities, but bringing the technology to small southern Minnesota is is something like a lot of towns don't get to see. So, you're very fortunate with that. Thank you. I agree. It's uh we're very fortunate. We're in a wonderful place. It's uh it's a bit of an insulated economy uh down there because we can depend on Mother Mayo. Uh and because of the Mayo Clinic, uh we also have all the supporting businesses around it that are, you know, just required. So, it's a wonderful place to be and I agree with you, the economy is just looking better and better every day. So, let's talk a little bit about the car business. You guys have new vehicles, used vehicles, service. Tell everybody about some of the amenities that you guys offer and what what you've seen with the es and flows in the past couple years. For sure. So, uh life is really good right now actually. Um I've had the privilege personally of having wonderful success in recent months, which is fantastic to be back on track. As I mentioned, I was had stability and longevity at another dealership. And so, being at this current store, I just got here in May, so it took a minute to to climb the hill. Um, and I'm just really grateful because, uh, I got a lot of repeat and referral business that comes through. And as far as the car business in general goes, we're seeing a huge uptick. We're selling lots of used stuff. Uh, on the new side, Mosaic Auto Group actually has the lowest pricing in the region. uh for sure the state and then we also get uh everybody from all the surrounding areas and states emailing us every day. So we're an internet business largely and I like to share with folks that live in our area that they they may or may not realize it yet, but they will soon that we're a destination dealership. So to live right there is fantastic because people I had an attorney drive from Flint, Michigan uh to pick up his vehicle. And he said I still saved He said I got such a good deal here that I had a wonderful road trip. I stayed in great hotels. I ate at great restaurants. had a wonderful time and still save money. He said, "So the people who live here are saving all that and then some. So I'm inclined to agree and I love to offer that." Well, I think one of the things I notice up in the Twin Cities is everybody wants land. And to get that, you have to go out. The further and further out you go, the more land and opportunities that you'll have. But sooner than later, the land is going to be business. It's going to be technology. It's going to be it could be data centers, meta centers. You never know what it's going to be. But people are now starting to get out into your neck of the woods and everywhere else just to have the land and to have what they're hoping for the small town USA. For sure. For sure. Yeah. We love our community and it's fantastic. And as far as um a place to do business, I would totally agree. It's neat down there. When I go on a test drive, uh we drive on a back when I say backcountry road, it's super paved, you know what I mean? But it's curvy. It's windy. Uh I joke sometimes cuz there's two eagles nests, one on either side of the road, and I'm like, "Release the eagles." cuz sometimes they'll be like right there like sitting on a branch and all this and it's just beautiful. It's fantastic. There's no traffic. There's no stoplight. It's really easy to do business and there's no pressure. You know what I'm saying? I'm I'm easy like a Sunday morning. So, it's like whatever they want is what they should have. Which is a little different than what Let me guess. California. Yes. Traffic there when you're in rush hour is like I'll be home in 10 minutes here or there. It's like I'll be home in three and a half hours. Yes. Facts. 100%. Yeah. You can leave uh for work uh that's 10 miles away and it'll take you over an hour. So, this is a much better way of life in my opinion. Do you know anybody that's getting affected by the wildfires down there right now? I do. I I talked to a friend this morning actually and uh you know they're they're going through it. Had a couple friends mark themselves safe on Facebook as well. Um and it's just you know it's it's part of life. It's it's a terrible thing and I think everywhere that you live you you endure certain things based on absolutely where you live. Yep. Yes. Absolutely. So, let's get back to a little bit of your sales process. We know you do a ton on social media. How has that been working for you? I love it. It's uh and and it may even I may even underestimate the effect sometimes because just this last week or two, I've had so many people reach out to me just straight through social media. I got to constantly check my my messenger as well as my Instagram as well as my Facebook or I mean uh Snapchat because people you know send you through different mediums and if you're not checking your traps at all times excuse me you miss a message and it's like oh my god I meant to get back that could have been a big one%. How do you do you feel that Snapchat works well just like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, all the others? I love Snapchat. And it's funny um when I had some uh youngans uh teach me how to do it. I was like now don't make fun of me. And I'm telling you right now, if I'm not good at it, uh, then I'm just going to let it go. And it's a learning process. And Yep. And they joked and laughed because they were u uh wonderful to teach me, but they said, "You surpassed our abilities like real quick." So, it's just something I acclimated to um immediately and I love it. So, I use it for editing as well and I use it to edit and then send it to my Facebook story and my IG. Um, but a lot of people snap me for card deals all the time. Y and I love it. It's it's fun. Um, and what I like the most about it is just the community and the networking. And when I have a whether it's a restaurant owner or a a client, uh, and they just say, "Man, I love your snaps. They make me smile. Um, you're funny, whatever." You know what I mean? It's just all positive, you know? Well, and it's funny because even the ones that are not positive, cuz I do a lot on social media, too. The Facebook, the Instagram, the LinkedIn, whatever it may be. And I'll like leave an event and I'll quick post that I'm there, go to the next one, do the same thing over and over. Everybody's like, "Gosh, you're on there a lot." I'm like, "Yeah, but it's working." Whether you like me or you don't, you're still noticing me. So, at the end of the day, it's still turning pages and people still know who we are and what we do. Absolutely. So, it's it's interesting when my kids come to me and they're like, "Mom, really?" I'm like, "That is what it is. Sorry. You were the one that taught me how to do it." Yeah. My kids definitely poke a little fun at me, but it's all it's all with love and uh and it's good. You know, it's fun, but like you said, it validates when you have uh someone who owns a couple restaurants go, "Oh my god, I watch your snaps every day and I love them." You go, "Thank you. I'm going to keep doing them then. Yep. Absolutely. Or someone reaches out to you and they're like, "Hey, I saw you." I'm like, "Oh, I didn't even know that like you're following me. You're on LinkedIn or whatever it may be." But it's those little times when you get the call and they're like, "Hey, we're the president of this company. Can you come to our location in Arizona?" Absolutely. Let's go. Like that's cool. You're noticing it. You're there. I'm all for it. What do you see for growth in social media? And what do you think with all the algorithms that you're going to try next or you're going to go to? So, I'm kind of clumsy with algorithms and I know that, you know, I know there's a science to it and that you should chart things and, you know, I adhere just a little bit to it. Like, I don't uh I don't put my Facebook stories on at certain times just cuz I understand those are dead zones. Um, but at the same time, I'm kind of just a put it all out there guy, you know? I just I put it all out there. If you watch it, fantastic. If you don't, hey, that's okay. You know what I mean? It's all gravity. I figure it's out there for 24 hours. You should see it anyways. And I know there's different levels. So, some people are far more scientific and better about it. Um, I do follow I happen to subscribe to Good Company and they do probably the best job of social media in my opinion and they very much time theirs. Uh, they do everything in advance. Uh, they will um they they they have their their calendar out, you know, per near a month in advance and they know when they're going to post everything and I think that's fantastic. So that's La Russell and Tietta and um Tietta is the brains behind the organization and she just does amazing work. Um I had the privilege of meeting them in Milwaukee as as well as they're part of a company called Even that's a music platform and so I met the owner of them too. We got in a little group but it was really really um neat to learn and listen and just watch what they do and just all the positive vibes and them just putting it all out there. Um, and largely one of the things I love about that also is that uh um the example for them is, you know, not selling out, not having somebody else do say who you are, do your marketing or um, you know, fix you up too nice and just just be who you are. Just be you. You're original. Yeah, 100%. Just just be who you are. And if people like it, fantastic. And if they don't, hey, maybe you should look in the mirror and make some adjustments. I don't know. Maybe they should get out and try because it seems like even with the podcast, everybody's like, gosh, you say, you know, exactly or a lot of mic, but guess what? I'm the one that's doing it and I'm the one that's on here. So until you want to come to the camera and be on, hey, great. Let's go. I just want to help get out there and let people share their word, talk a little bit about it. So you started talking a little bit bit about music. Let's go back to that. You had some music in your past and you attended an academy. Tell people a little bit about your music background. Um, you know, I uh like most of us, I've always loved music, right? We all have a love for music, whatever genre you subscribe to. Um, earlier in like when I was in high school, I worked for a company called Clear and Distinct Ideas. Um, and they promoted uh, music in Sacramento and because I was a Flyer rep, I got to go to four or five shows a week. So, it was a lot of punk rock, you know, some hip-hop, which hip-hop wasn't a thing back then, believe it or not, kids. So, it was cool. We could get back to the old hip-hop thing. Yeah, we're going way back to all that stuff. But anyh who, um, uh, so that that kind of launched. Uh, I've seen a lot of live music in my life and and I love it. And I love Minneapolis St. Paul, for those reasons, too. The community up here is fantastic. And um that's one of the things that brought me initially uh from out there to here cuz when I first experienced Minneapolis, I was like, man, this is so much like San Francisco, which is the same proximity as Rochester to Minneapolis, Sacramento to San Francisco. They're the same distance. Any old way, the music scene and the culture to me were very parallel, and that drew me out here. So, um, I've enjoyed a lot of punk rock, a lot of jazz, a lot of everything from the Dakota Jazz Room to Seventh Street Entry to the A, the whole thing, you know what I mean? I love it all. Um, and it just keeps me motivated and keeps me going like all of us. And if it's country that gets you going, great. If it's heavy metal, go for it. You know, whatever whatever your vibration levels at. What would you say for the kids that are out there that are trying to get into the music industry taking a job or looking around for what's out there? What what would be best for you? Uh well, I think that um I think you should believe in yourself and and uh and invest in yourself heavily. And that's one of the things that I love the most about this dude, Lar Russell, because he worked for UPS and it was a sustainable job where he was going to be able to like maybe kind of pay his bills and stay afloat. And that's largely how California operates, right? And Jorge is nodding yes over here, my main man from Merced, right? I saw the 209 and was like, "Hey, I'm 916, bro. What's up?" Uh but we both know that it's a grind out there. It's terrible. You know what I mean? So the you know to to just live like that's success. Like oo I paid my bills. Uh I didn't uh Russell actually he got his car repoed and he said he committed then he's like you know what and he lied to his friends and told them that he sold it and this that and the other. So I love the humility and then the fact that he said you know what I'm going all in. I'm quitting my job. I'm going to buy I'm putting my money on studio equipment. I'm not buying a new car. I'm going to buy all electronics, all media stuff. And he operates out of his house, out of his home. So, that's what I love about um that example. And I think that example is portable and we can all do that, right? We can all say, "Hey, I've got all the controls right here on my phone. I can be me and I can broadcast. I can start my own company. I can learn. I can Google what an LLC is tips." All that. Yeah. 100%. So, whether it's music, restaurants, anything. Believe in yourself. You either can or you can't. whichever one you believe you're right. Well, and I think with it too, another large thing is don't be afraid to start from scratch. Just soak in as much as you can. I don't care if you're sweeping the floors. I don't care if you're just holding the door for people. Just get out there and do what you love to do. There's you're never too old or too young to start again. That's such a good point. Such a good point. And I agree with you. All it's all the little things that you do with care that make you build that character to become a top performer, an owner, etc. And some of the best owners that I've ever known in my life are the people who were there 7 a.m. and they're meeting and greeting everyone at the hotels. They're, you know, which is their properties. Yeah. And they're, you know, they could be retired on the beach counting their millions of dollars or whatever, you know, however you want to put it, but no, that's they care about business and they care about taking care of people and they know it's important to be hands-on. And to me, that's an operator. And it you you don't get that way. Um, you can't be a good restaurant owner, I believe, unless you started washing dishes. Correct. Or something similar, right? You got to live like no one else today so you can live like no one else tomorrow. You got to put in the time and make it work. Love that. There's so many customers and so many people out there that are like, gosh, it's 10:30 at night and we see you're still working. I'm like, why wouldn't I be the phone's still ringing? You got to make the phone ringing. You got to get out there and be seen and be heard. I don't care if I'm doing social media, if I'm doing data entry or if I'm out there talking to our neighbors that see my car that want want window film, whatever it may be, you just you you do it. It's one of those you put in the extra time now. You make a name for yourself and whatever happens happens. That's what's up. I like that. What do you see with your dealerships in the future as far as you started talking about like the growth online, everything like that? And with the way technology is going and AI generation, do you guys use a lot of a lot of chat GPT and AI? I'm not personally a fan of uh chat GTP just because I like authenticity and and I'll mean that as a slam to anybody who does embrace it cuz I know that it's a thing and I know everybody's into the AI and the chat GTP and that's cool and I've seen it used as a helpful tool. So maybe I'm just um not as knowledgeable as I should be, but I really like genuine. This is what I like. I like people, you know what I'm saying? And um I really don't want to read something that somebody had a computer write for them to me, right? If that makes any sense. Funny when you see like an email come through and it's like 40 lines long and I'm like, you could have just said that in one sentence. Like, hey, let's have a phone call instead of I think that today we need to talk about tomorrow and just go on and on. Throw me a gy, would you? Let's let's just get this done. Let's pick up the phone and call her. Let's go meet in person, have lunch. Yeah, I guess I'm probably old school like that, too, where everybody's like, "Hey, let just shoot me a text. Let's let's go have lunch. Let's actually make that connection for sure. And that's one of the new things that I'm really like wishing and working on this year is getting to know people on a deeper connection instead of just, hey, quick. Here's a message. Here's, you know, here's my perfect Facebook life. Let's let's let's grow. And that's really cool. And you do a fabulous job, Chris. I got to say, hats off. Um, thank you for the tour. And I look forward to posting some stuff a little bit later. But the warmth and the coziness of this room, the different uh rooms with the different backgrounds and the feel that that gives you as you enter each room. Yeah. And uh the fact that anybody can choose to have that at their own home and create their own environment is fantastic. And I love the services that you guys offer and I'm I'm enlightened. It's really cool. Good stuff. So when people want to get a hold of you at any of your dealerships, what's the easiest way for them to get a hold of you and how how do they do that? 507201. They laugh at me. That's what they say. 507-2010044 is my number, but anytime you call Mosaic Auto Group at any of our locations. I work at all three stores. Um, and I will rotate around. I headquarter at the Chrysler store. Uh, just because it's home base there in Zambroa uh for me. Um, but I operate out of all three uh by appointment and uh really people call me, text me. I mean, hit me on the hip any way you want to. It can be through messenger, uh, Snap, whatever is clever. Whatever you're comfortable with is what I want. What about the first time home or not home buyers, first- time car buyers versus the veterans? Do you see a lot of repeat customers like them, families bringing in their kids and etc. That's like the most beautiful thing u is when I have sold the parents for years, they bring in their kid, then the kid brings in their sister and just I mean I'm about building relationships, not selling cars. You know what I mean? That's what it's about to me. And that's why I say, you know, that it's what they want, not what I want. Uh when I say I'm easy like a Sunday morning, I'm saying I'm not going to try to put pressure on somebody. I'm not going to try to direct them to a vehicle that they don't want cuz whatever it is, for whatever reason, if you and I go to a restaurant, the menu is great, but we're going to all three order different things. You know what I'm saying? And we're all three going to like those things probably. But it doesn't matter if uh I like strawberries and you like apples. What's the difference? You know what I'm saying? It's what you want, not what I want. So, yes, I think mainly it's uh for for me, for my client base, um I just like to to stay in touch with them and listen. Yep. And we all need cars. So, um, you know, it's there and every day it just brightens my heart, brightens my day. Uh, when I get a phone call, an email, a text message, and people are saying, "Yeah, I got a phone call yesterday." The referral, they had a total loss. Yeah. Or referrals are are fantastic. And I, um, I pay $100 for direct referrals all day, every day. I usually pay at least $1,000 every month. Um, and it's it's how I stay afloat, and it's how I thank people. uh their friend gets a great deal on a car, I get to keep my job and they get 100 bucks. It's all good. Absolutely. It all goes back in the pocket. Yes, indeed. So, what do you see with your inventory? I know for a long time dealerships were starting to not have a lot of inventory. COVID hit, interest rates were bad coming into the new year. Do you see a lot of growth? We're rocking and rolling. Yeah, we've got transport vehicles coming in all the time. Uh the only only problem is that we're selling so many cars too that you really have to reup, you know, continuously uh constantly. You just got to get more and more inventory coming in. So we're buying cars. We're paying top dollar for trades. Uh we've got new inventory on order. We've got uh trucks pulling in each and every day with with loads of them. So it's fantastic. Life is good. Uh most of my uh co-workers, excuse me, a lot of my teammates are actually from up in this area and from larger dealerships, which is wonderful. Um, there's probably 10 people that drive an hour to go to my place of business and they're all experienced up here. I say that to say this, that's one of the reasons that we have such good inventory and I just want to compliment them. It's nothing I'm doing. They're the ones buying the cars. They're the ones making the good decisions. Um, and when when we typically have over 500 vehicles for you to choose from, it makes my job pretty easy. That's a that's a no win, right? Our website Yeah, it's a it's a win-winwin for everybody. Our website is super easy to um to filter as well. So, you can take and put the price, the body style, so car, truck, SUV, minivan, here's what I want to spend. Here's what's important to me. And you can it it's um in my opinion of all the car dealer websites that I've been on, it's one of the easiest to use I've ever experienced. Great. What about service and everything that you guys offer? Thank you so much. Cuz I I uh skipped a beat when you said ser service earlier and you said amenities. I was thinking, man, we've got mobile service. We've got a mosaic. Uh it happens to be our Ford store, but they'll come change your oil at your place of business or at your home. And uh as busy as we all are, how wonderful is that, right? Absolutely. Or for your parents, your grandparents, whomever that may be that just don't want to have to get out bad weather, it's winter time, whatever. That's such a good point as well. Yeah. So many of our uh of the older people shouldn't be out there in the bad conditions because what if they do get in a little fender bender? Now they're having a crappy day. Absolutely. And we can save them from all that just by changing their oil in their driveway. No problem. Or the busy moms and dads that are at work all day long and come home and don't have a lot of time, don't want to be out on the road. Yeah. And also, you know, um one thing I'm I'm working on is trying to help people to coordinate at their business. So, if you and five of your teammates all need oil changes or service cuz we do all service. We do um you know, you can uh do a diagnostic, you can install accessories, you can do uh oil changes. Uh there's a lot of maintenance that can be done offsite. So we can do all that and we're coordinating it so people who have 25 employees can say, "Hey, next Wednesday Mosaic Auto Group is going to be here and they can service your vehicle, sign up." Perfect. Outstanding. That's that's an amazing feature to have. Not a lot of places do that. Thank you. Yeah, we're excited. So, which locations offer full service if someone wants to come get an oil change, wants normal maintenance? Is it all three of your locations or is it Yeah. So, so great question. Um, it is all three of our locations and almost even then some more. Uh so we've got our in Zamroto right behind the McDonald's we've got our Chrysler Dodge Jeep and Ram store. Uh and then they they have uh the ability to do lube oil filter and full service as well with all the lifts. Then we also have a fast lane in between the Chrysler store and the Chevy store. And then the Chevy store also has a full service. Nice. And in Lake City we have a full service team and the mobile unit. So we got you covered. Do you see that you guys are looking to grow into any other areas next or you going to just keep those flowing? And so we have uh aspirations for growth. However, uh right now we're really excited at the team that we have. Uh we're excited about the core and the possibilities. And what we would like to do, what we are doing is we're tightening up our processes internally. Absolutely. Because we just want to be as good as we can with what we've got and improve, improve, improve before we grow, you know, dare I say, too much. Right. We just want to make sure that we're perfecting processes to the best of our ability and then we'll add Yeah. What I notice is kind of a plus one for you guys when you go into Rochester, you have the dealership drives. You have all the different places where all the dealerships are. So when they come to you, you know they're specifically coming to you out to your location and you know there's a reason. It's not just, hey, I'm going to hop from one dealership to the next till I find what I want. They're coming straight to you and saying, hey, help us out. Let's find it out here for sure. And and I do love the variety that we offer because if you look at that dealer row in Rochester, we offer every automobile that they sell there cuz we've got everything from, you know, we've got a lot of foreign, we've got some exotics, we've got high-end uh sports cars, we've got minivans. I mean, we've got it all for whoever. Um, and you're right. If they come to Zimroda, they didn't like stumble in, right? Yeah. Hey, camera. Oh, we're just looking. No, you're not just looking. No, you came at our door for a reason. Wisconsin plates, right? Yes, indeed. Oh, fun. What is um if someone wants to go to Lake City, where are they located out there? So, we're right on Lake Shore Drive. Um it's um in uh it's in a beautiful location. It's about three blocks off the water, which is fantastic. And of course, Lake City is the widest part of the Mississippi River. So, if you didn't know, you should know and you should go. It's a great place to be. It's such a beautiful place to do business as well. Uh I was so excited. I was just about goofy when we first opened up cuz I was like, "Oh my god." Yeah, it's summertime. It's Lake City. We're just having a blast. It's it's so much fun. Uh so it's right there on the Avenue. Uh we are al also growing that facility. Um so we've got some new um new changes going into the service team. Uh I happen to my brother-in-law is the service manager down there and I'm just so stoked that he's there. He's just badass. I'm sorry. He's he's the bomb. He came from a big Ford dealership. Um and he brought uh three guys with him and the other store in in the car business if you put in your two weeks they tell you beat it. Right. Yeah. Absolutely. Exactly. Exactly. In his case they knew that they made a mistake. They complimented him, tried to get him to stay. Whoopy whoop. Um and we're just so grateful to have him. And then a few people followed them and they said their quote the other store said, "Well, at least we know you can't take everybody with you because you only have room for a certain amount." So, I thought that was a nice compliment. That is a great compliment. But any he um he's badass. He was born with a wrench in his hand per he's been building Mustangs since he's like 12 years old. So, um I'm just really excited that he's got the opportunity to have his own department. Absolutely. Yeah. And for him to be doing something that he loves. I think that's that's a hard niche for people to say, "Hey, you know, I grew up with a wrench in my hand, but now I'm going to school to be in sales." Like, how does that all work out when you know where your love is? Yeah, for sure. Follow your heart. Yep. What do you think for the younger generation that want to get into selling cars or into service? What's the easiest way for them to follow their heart and get in? Just so much like the restaurant business, like we said, you you know, you should start by washing dishes, which the parallel would be, you know, being in detail. Yeah. Absolutely. and my son has been in detail for the last couple years and he uh aspires to be in sales coming soon when he turns 18 in a few months here. Uh so God willing that's our goal. Uh ultimately I'd like to transfer my book of business to him and he can follow on. Um so but I made him start in detail and shared with him some of the benefits of that as well. Just picking up on the vernacular. You're going to want to know the vocabulary. You're going to want to know what people are referring to. to just walk in and jump straight into sales and not know anything about anything, right? Is unfair to you and unfair to them, right? Absolutely. So, I think we should all start uh and I like to use my faculties in the uh disposition that they were provided. So, two ears, two eyes, one mouth. You know what I'm saying? Even though I'm talking a lot now, usually I like to just listen and learn. And I think that anybody who puts themselves in that position, in that situation, um is going to do well. as you had mentioned, if you do everything with care, the way you open the door, the way you greet people, you smile, you know, you start to learn those things. Um, someone important to me once told me, commit your works under the Lord and your thoughts will be established. So, everything you do, you do with a purpose, you do for a reason, even if it's the little stuff. Uh, you do it with care and then ultimately you'll just grow without even knowing it. So that that's what I would suggest to uh anybody who wants to be in sales in the car business is get a job at a different level and then learn and jump in. And at the same time, if you're ready to sell cars, who am I to tell you not to? Get out there and do it. Let's go. Let's try it. What's What's the worst that can happen? You know, the tools of the trade are a pen and a pad in your mouthpiece. That's all you got to have. Get after it. I think it's important too for for kids and for anybody else looking to understand, you've got to leave something better off than where you first came into it. So if you go into a car, it's dirty. Let's let's clean it. Let's make it look better. Let's make the showroom a little bit better than what it was prior to me coming in so you can say, "Hey, I made a difference." At least they know what they're expecting and what they're getting. Absolutely. So, with your youngest in that world, do you think that he's going to stay in the car business or does he have any other aspirations or anything else that he wants too hard to say? Well, we've told him uh from the get-go that whatever he does, we support him 100% of course, right? But I I shared with him that, you know, if you're in sales, it doesn't really matter what the product is, right? And you can sell real estate, you can sell absolutely a salesman is a salesman, you know, it's you're just somebody who has the ability to communicate and who's ready, willing, and able, right? Um, so he should do whatever he wants to do and I will encourage that. I did tell him that uh his sister happens to be an all-star and she got scholarships to a great school and she's now a registered nurse and and I just am so proud of my daughter. She's wonderful. Um, but I wanted to make it real clear to him that I don't think any differently of you. Everybody's different. Yeah, bro. Cuz just cuz you're, you know, I don't have no college degree. You don't have to go get a college degree. I'm still going to respect you a million% and I'll still invest in you just like I did with her with school. So, I'm going to send him to trainings. I'll take him. I'll send him whatever trade schools, whatever it may be. Yeah. Whatever whatever benefits him, advances him in his career, I'm I'm all in. Well, and I understand that with my own kids. My daughter's going to school. She's got a full ride. She's going to be a nurse herself. She's paying for it all on her own, doing her own thing. And then my next one wants to be in the music business, wants to be in the car business. Not sure where he wants to be. And I'm like, that's fine. Just apply yourself. Do what you need to do. Work your way up. I don't care if you're sweeping floors. Soak it all up in your brain and understand. Get You don't know. You're 18. Nobody knows at 18 where they want to go. Heck, nobody knows when they're 40 where they want to go or what they want to do. So, just take your time and learn as much as you can. If school's not for you, it's not for you. Especially this day and age. We're all different. Yes. Yep. And I I like what you said that uh in especially in this day and age because we are still in the information age. Yeah. And uh for some of us who aren't that young, right? Back in the day, you had to like read encyclopedias and stuff to learn, you know, I mean, you had to really go out of your way to try to learn stuff. The card catalog where you had to learn where to even find the books. 100% 100% Dewey decimal system. Absolutely. So the the advantages and the technology and the information that is um readily available to anyone who wants to pursue it nowadays you can get a university education like that. I mean you can teach yourself right like YouTube will teach you more than a college will. Oh it sure will. Well and the way technology is going with phones I mean anything you need might not be accurate but it's on the internet whether it's real or fake or whatever it may be. learning the process, watching the videos on the how to do it, trying to learn from yourself. The hands-on experience wasn't there when we were younger. That was somebody with pen and paper trying to write it down and give us instructions. For sure. Now you write it down. Yep. Absolutely. It's not teaching me. How do I write? I don't even know how to write anymore. I'll talk on my phone. Right. So, it's fun to see the technology where it's going, where it's taking the younger generation, but also all the benefits and amenities that we have that come along with it, too. I'm sure in your world with all the cars and everything on the internet these days, it it makes it easy just, hey, I saw this car. Do you still have it? It's crazy. We get emails from Florida, California, and Colorado. Like every single day, people all over the planet are want and I'm, you know, we got to fill out the situation right away cuz it's like, have you thought this through? Like are you are you are you flying out here? Yeah, exactly. Like what's going on? Right. Yeah. Um but it's a it's exciting um to to know that we have such a strong presence in the market that people are calling us from so far away. Absolutely. And I think part of that is you yourself getting out there and being able to have those personal connections cuz a lot of times people are just get to be in a monotonous stage where it's all robotics and it's all internet and it's all not having that conversation with those people. And that is what I don't like about the automation of technology because it needs to be personalized, right? Absolutely. Cuz how else are you going to know if somebody's daughter or son or somebody else needs a car if you don't have that conversation or anything else? So where in Zamroa exactly can people go and how do they get to you in Zimroda? So we're right behind McDonald's in the dollar store. We're 15 acres so it's tough to miss. We're along the frontage road right there. Y uh in Zimroa right on 52. So we're on 5258. Uh we're largely a destination dealership. People drive from Redwing, Rochester, Minneapolis, St. Paul, as I mentioned, half my team is from this area as well. Yeah, and we are rocking and rolling like the car was stolen. Everything is good. Awesome. Any great deals that you guys have going on right now or anything that you're Thank you for asking. We have huge deals going on right now because we have three stores and because we have deals on so many products. I would really say go to mosaic.com. mosaic.com. It's a great website. It has all of our stores housed on there and we have a button that just says specials and it'll show you all the low rates that we have right now. Huge discounts. If you look at our website, you'd be flabbergasted at them. We save so much money off cars. Do you guys have any apps on phones at all? Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah, we um you can do you can do everything. We can pin or sell you a car over the phone. Um there's some docu signing that needs to be uh done. Um but uh in essence uh we remote deliver vehicles all the time. And I should I should punctuate that because I do less of that than I should because I have so many relationships in the area that I'm usually busy selling cars to other people right in our immediate area. However, some of my friends, some of my teammates, they sell cars all over the ding-dang tri-state area and they do it all the time. So, we have drivers deliver cars to your house with the paperwork. Awesome. As well, which is huge for businesses, too, because I know how many times how many days a week are you buying a car for the next employee? whatnot. And for them to have to actually go to the dealership, sign the paperwork, pick up the car, get dropped off, you guys could just deliver. It saves so much time for everybody. It's wonderful. And we we like to offer that. That's that's what we embrace as a business model moving forward is we want everything to be as convenient and transparent as possible. Yes, transparency is huge for us. We like to show you everything about the vehicle. Uh we make uh I'm sure that everyone has a Carfax with their new purchase as well, so you know all about your vehicle before you buy it. What kind of service or warranty do they get with their new cars versus used cars or can what's available? Yeah, so great question. U most of the new vehicles have a 3ear 36,000 mi bumper-to-bumper warranty with no deductible. So that means anything that goes wrong in the first 3 years of ownership uh or 36,000 mi is fully covered. Um 5 years 60,000 mi is typical on a powertrain warranty. Diesels usually go to 100,000 mi. Uh and then we put some protections. We do certified pre-owned as well. Uh, and we put some protections in place on pre-owned vehicles. And I'd love to go into detail with anybody that wants to call me. Absolutely. Where do they call you again? What was that? 7201. You already know. And what about social media? How do they see and follow you and see your cool videos and follow you on there? So, I'm I'm Todd Fitz. Uh, although you uh were super accurate. It's my name is Todd Fitzgibbons, but I go by Todd Fitz. That's what everybody calls me. And that's who I am on Facebook. Uh, I put stories up there every day. My Snapchat is uh Todd Fitz Mosaic. Um please uh get out there, get after it. Um let's hook up, let's connect, let's make good things happen. If you do go to my Snapchat, I probably snap 10 times more than I do on my Facebook story for a variety of reasons. Um but you'll see a lot of food, a lot of music, a lot of cars, a lot of fun stuff. Um which is you as a person. I'm just a fun seeker. Yeah, thank you. I appreciate that. I love to have fun, have a good time, and just make the most out of every day. So, it's just uh it's on a time capsule. And the website one more time for Mosaic. Mosaic Autos.com. And Mosaic is M O S A I C uh like a like an art piece, Mosaic. And I one of the reasons I accepted the job, that's the only place I interviewed, even though I got a lot of friends in the business, is when the owner, Monourir, who's a great guy, told me why he named it Mosaic. What's that story? Well, most dealers often they'll name it after themselves, and that's okay, right? uh Bill Johnson Ford, Todd Fitz Ford, whatever. Monourir chose to name it mosaic because he believes, as you may know, a mosaic art piece is uh is an image made out of multiple beautiful pieces. Absolutely. Different shapes, different sizes, different colors. And he said, "That's what I see as my company." Perfect. Is I We should all be shiny pieces, but of different sizes, shapes, colors, functions. Absolutely. But that's what makes the whole picture come together. That's a very cool story. I mean, you you blow that one out of the water when you have something like that, I'm sold. You know, it's Yep. Yep. You got me. Perfect. Well, we appreciate having you out today. We hope to have everybody that's out there get on the website, start following you along, see what you guys have available, and hit you up when they need a car. I love it. Thank you so much. Yep. You're awesome.