Manager of Schaumburg dealership sold first Mitsubishi in Illinois

Tom Hughes had no idea that responding to a blind ad for a position at a car dealership would lead to his life's work. That ad led him to a nearly 30-year career selling Mitsubishi vehicles, first in Elgin and now at Schaumburg Mitsubishi, where he is general manager.

At the time Hughes started with the company, Mitsubishi was new to American shores, so the move could have been considered somewhat of a gamble. Hughes made the first sale ever at Biggers Mitsubishi, a 1990 Galant, on Nov. 3, 1989, and he hasn't looked back.

Prior to joining Mitsubishi, Hughes was a restaurant manager for TGI Friday's and he wanted to find a position with better hours, as he was a single father with two children. Little did Hughes know he would go on to shape the trajectory of two Mitsubishi locations in Chicago's suburbs.

While longevity in the auto business is common, it's less common to find someone like Hughes, who has worked his entire career for one owner. Hughes credits Joe Mitchell, who owns Biggers Mitsubishi in Elgin and Schaumburg Mitsubishi.

"He is a lot more than just an owner," Hughes said of Mitchell. "We have a different culture here."

That culture promotes longevity. Mike Lucier, sales manager of the Schaumburg dealership, has worked there with Hughes since it opened in 2000. Similarly, Keith Becker, who oversees the service department in both Elgin and Schaumburg, has been with the company for 25 years.

Hughes came up through the ranks at Biggers Mitsubishi, moving from salesperson to sales manager, followed by business manager and then used car manager. When Mitchell opened the Schaumburg location, Hughes moved up to general manager.

His background prior to answering that advertisement provided no clue that he would end up in the auto business. Hughes grew up in Kewanee in northwestern Illinois and studied microbiology at Southern Illinois University. He ended up in the Chicago area for a variety of reasons that included family members moving here, as well as pursuing opportunities in the food and hospitality industry in which he originally worked.

The Schaumburg Mitsubishi culture is one that Hughes wholeheartedly promotes.

"We do things differently here," he said. "We take care of everyone here, from the sales staff to the technicians and everyone in the office. We treat them like we treat our customers.

"One of the things we do differently here is hire salespeople who have never sold cars before. We teach them about the cars and it's one of the reasons why we have been a Mitsubishi Diamond Elite dealer ever since we have been open."

Mitsubishi gives the award to its top 25 dealers in the country, based on customer service criteria including sales and technical service. Schaumburg Mitsubishi is one of the smaller dealerships on Golf Road, but what it doesn't have in size, it makes up for in customer satisfaction, as evidenced by the award. The store has just under 30 employees, yet customers will never be ignored when they walk in or contact the dealership by email.

Hughes has a policy that every customer inquiry that comes by email is answered within 10 minutes, sooner if possible. He even monitors email response when he is at home to ensure inquiries are answered quickly.

"We teach our staff that everyone must get a quick response," Hughes said. "Our average response time is two minutes. You have to adapt to the times. If the response is anything over 10 minutes, customers won't be happy."

Such response to customers is what makes Schaumburg Mitsubishi a perennial Diamond Elite winner. Another thing salespeople do is not take another customer when they have an appointment about to arrive. By doing so, the customer receives the salesperson's full attention.

Overall, Hughes loves virtually every aspect of his job.

"I like the people I work with," he said. "Probably one of the neatest things is everyone here is fun to be with."

The rewards of a good and happy environment shows in the dealership's repeat business rate. Hughes estimates that about 65% of its business comes from previous customers.

"I can't tell you how many times I've gotten a hug from a previous customer," Hughes said with a smile. "I also try to make sure that I meet every customer who buys a car because it's important to put a face to a name."

Having been in the car business for almost 30 years means Hughes has seen all the ups and downs, including the Great Recession. However, the biggest change over the years has come in the form of the internet.

"We don't have as much walk-in traffic as we used to because almost everyone does their shopping online before they come in," he said. "The internet changed the way we take care of customers. We have always been upfront with what we offer whether it's dealer incentives or rebates, or something else."

Another aspect of the business that has changed is how much more reliable and safe all vehicles have become. Hughes noted that Mitsubishi's all-wheel-drive systems make their vehicles much easier to handle in winter weather. For a favorite vehicle, Hughes very definitely selects the Outlander.

"I like it because of the way it rides, the way it handles and it's not too big or too small," he said. "My wife and I each have one."

Indeed, the Outlander Sport is the dealership's best-selling vehicle. Schaumburg Mitsubishi, unlike some other dealerships, has a high ratio of new-to-used sales, selling approximately three new cars for every used one. Hughes attributes this to Mitsubishi's outstanding warranty. Every new vehicle comes with a 10-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty, which is five years or 40,000 miles more than the competition. The bumper-to-bumper limited warranty is five years/60,000 miles. All new owners also get five years of free roadside assistance with unlimited miles.

"With our warranties, it really is an easier step than it is from other manufacturers to go from a $15,000 used vehicle to a more expensive one because so much is covered," Hughes said.

While Mitsubishi doesn't have the same share of the American market as do some of the other large Japanese automakers, Hughes believes the future is bright for the manufacturer because of innovations currently underway, as well as the foresight of the company's American leadership.

"Mitsubishi has just joined into a joint venture with Renault and Nissan," he said. "They wanted our batteries and our plug-in hybrid technology and in return, we will get shared platforms. There will be a lot of new models that will hit the market in the next two to three years."

When Hughes isn't at the dealership, he is usually following one of Chicago's sports teams. A small collage of Blackhawks photos graces his office. "I'm a die-hard Cubs and Bears fan, and I even watch the White Sox sometimes," he said.

Hughes is also an avid golfer and participates in a weekly bowling league where, he jokes, he is responsible for all of the Mitsubishis in the parking lot outside.

Hughes has been married to his wife, Dede, for 23 years and they have five children. Working for Mitsubishi runs in the family, too, as his son Nathan is the business manager at the Elgin location.

It seems like that job advertisement did work out after all.

Auto BiographySchaumburg Mitsubishi

<span class="fact box text bold">Tom Hughes </span>general manager

660 E. Schaumburg Road (847) 843-0400 www.schaumburgmitsubishi.com

<span class="fact box text bold">Sales hours:</span> 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday- Friday; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday.

<span class="fact box text bold">Service hours:</span> 7:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Monday-Wednesday; 7:30 a.m.- 5:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday.