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“Bucking The Trend!” How Fred Timbrook Scaled to 20+ Rural Rooftops (and his playbook for 50 stores) | Fred Timbrook, CEO at Timbrook Automotive
“Bucking The Trend!” How Fred Timbrook Scaled to 20+ Rural Rooftops (and his playbook for 50 stores) | Fred Timbrook, CEO at Timbrook Automotive
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About this episode
Fred Timbrook, CEO of Timbrook Automotive, explains how his rural-focused dealer group is “bucking the trend” while many metro stores face margin pressure. He ties growth to operational speed—especially in collision—plus ancillary businesses like Honda power sports, which he says deliver better ROI and higher profitability with a lower cost of entry. The conversation also covers his dual life as a pastor and dealer principal, hiring standards shaped by faith, and why he avoids private equity so he can build equity like a real-estate model. He’s targeting 50 rooftops by age 72.
Topics:
rural dealer expansion strategy
collision growth through speed and throughput
power sports as a high roi ancillary
faith and leadership in a dealership
hiring standards and church overlap
avoiding private equity and building equity
cross-selling and multi-rooftop staffing
per-rooftop vendor pricing challenges
health and longevity as business strategy
targeting 50 rooftops by age 72
Cars:
Dodge Challenger
Today I'm joined by Fred Timbrook, CEO at Timbrook Automotive.
We dive into Fred's unique diversification into Power Sports, the intense efficiency required to run a high-volume collision center, and the personal philosophy of a dealer who also serves as a senior pastor.
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Topics:
12:00 Why Working Harder For The Same Beliefs Backfired.
14:20 The 54-Year-Old Dad Who Made His Son Buy The Company.
18:25 Why Rural Stores Outperform When Metro Markets Struggle.
19:45 The Surprising Side Business With Better ROI Than Cars.
20:50 Why Customers Reject $400 Car Payments But Buy $500 Toys.
27:35 The Collision Metric That Determines Feast Or Famine.
33:55 Why Small Stores Pay The Same As Large Ones For Software.
39:20 The 72-Year-Old Goal That Drives A 50-Store Empire.
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Technical
Too Afraid to Ask
Ermell (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Car
Dodge Challenger
"...right? Scout and Sonia feel on all these kind of challenger brands. And just in general,"
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