I am talking to Sue Finneron in this episode.  Sue has been working in the automotive industry for 30 years.  Her career highlight was receiving the coveted President’s Award of Merit from Hyundai as the #1 Hyundai Dealership in Canada for 2015. She now works with the Automotive Business School of Canada, teaching dealership management. Sue will discuss her part in the Comox Valley Community, her automotive industry journey, and the importance of community.

Sue grew up in the automotive business and loved it from an early age. As a young child she would sit at the table with her dad as he ordered cars and knew that she wanted to do the same thing someday. She herself attended the Automotive Business School of Canada and after years of working in and running the dealership, she realized the 70 hour weeks were taking a toll on her and she was no longer happy. She needed to finally take some time for herself, and in 2017, they sold the business.

After spending time with loved ones, recharging her batteries and travelling, Sue realized she was getting bored and ready for a new challenge. A teaching role at  Automotive Business School of Canada had been suggested to her previously by a friend and she approached them to turn it into a reality.  Usually, her job involves travelling with a balance of online and in-person learning, but COVID put a hold on the in-person aspect. She loves her new role and is enjoying the challenge of managing large groups of  students and getting them involved in the conversation. Her belief is that you can’t learn if you aren’t involved in the process.

COVID has presented a lot of challenges on a personal level. Sue has had to give up teaching her her bi-weekly spin class and fitness routine that is her way of letting go of stress.  She has also faced long wait times for a hip replacement and is really looking forward to getting back to a post COVID world again.  

Known as Super Sue, the identity came from a marketing meeting Sue was a part of and it just stuck and became an extension of herself. If you are looking to create your own personal brand, Sue advises you to know your values and morals. Ask yourself, what is at your core?

Sue believes it’s important to give back to your community and that you get back what you put in. Rotary has been a huge part of that and has allowed her to give on both a local and a global level for more than 25 years. Sue has attended Rotary meetings all over the globe when travelling.  She says there is something out there for everyone to get involved in.

We also talk about the importance of empowering people, what she looks for when hiring and her experiences working with difficult personality types.  Sue finishes by sharing with us what she would do differently if she could do it all over again and encourages the next generation to work hard but take time for the important things in life. Sue also encourages listeners to reach out to her on linked in if they have questions or would like advice. 

Connect with Sue:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-finneron-16704b23/?originalSubdomain=ca