Dick Stricklen: Owner of Motor City Auto | Focusing on Company Culture Rather Than Profits
Release Date: 02/11/2026
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info_outlineDick Stricklen is the owner of Motor City Auto Center in Bakersfield, CA, a sprawling campus which includes a Buick/GMC dealership, a Lexus dealership, and a large used car & truck operation. Dick’s team devote themselves to helping and serving their customers and providing staff with the opportunity to develop their skills and interests. Dick took over the GMC dealership at the age of 19 after his father’s death and since then has followed his passion for building authentic relationships with team members and clients alike.
Dick joins me on the show today to share how he started in the automotive business and why he’s grateful to his late father for starting him as a porter at the dealership at a very early age, allowing him to learn from the ground up. He tells the story of how he managed to put together a proposal that saw him successfully take over one of his father’s businesses, and why he walked away from a critical bank loan at the 11th hour. Dick also shares the core values of Motor City Auto Center and why promoting the company culture is so important to him as a leader.
“Let's all get focused on what we have control over.” - Dick Stricklen
“I always get in the other person's shoes; I develop a relationship with them a personal relationship.” - Dick Stricklen
“Bottom line is important to manage, but that's not what we're about. The bottom line is a result of the major motive, and that is to help people get what they want, see them grow, give them opportunities.” - Dick Stricklen
“We are really in the people business that just happens to sell cars.” – Dick Stricklen
This Week on The Wow Factor:
- Why Dick switched his sales team from wearing suits and ties to casual wear and how that small decision impacted his business
- How Dick developed the core values of Motor City Auto
- Why the fuel shortages of the 1970s and the jump in interest rates caused Dick to think creatively about how to pull his team together
- Some of the things that Dick as a leader has found to be helpful in growing and developing the people in his stores
- How Dick felt during the recession of the late 2000s and the implications for the business
- Dick’s philosophy on developing his team members
- Dick speaks to the moment in his life when he realized that making money was not his true purpose in life
- What inspired Dick to write down the guiding principles of his company and why he believes that those principles are at the source of his success
Dick Stricklen’s Words of Wisdom:
Take time, either with prayer or just quiet time, analyzing yourself to figure out what gives you the greatest heartfelt satisfaction in life. Examine your motives and align your behavior as a leader with the values that are truly important to you.
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