Meet Spencer Young

We were lucky to catch up with Spencer Young recently and have shared our conversation below.

Spencer, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

I’m incredibly proud of my lineage and the people who raised me. My grandfather — Jack Olsen — founded our business, and he taught me that no matter your background, the American dream is always within reach.

Before starting his business, he was a mechanic in his early twenties. He became a partner and owner of a small service shop in Morgan, Utah all before the age of 25. It was later that he decided to get into the automotive sales industry, and created a dealership.

My grandfather kept his doors open through wars and even the Great Depression. He exemplified a level of grit, acumen and determination that’s nothing short of remarkable. When I began working for him early in my career, he instilled certain values in me that I cherish to this day.

I’ve also been instructed and supported by remarkable parents throughout my life. Before his passing in 2018, my father ran this business alongside me and my brother Seldon. He, too, had worked with my grandfather for several years, and developed a vast and unique skill set during his career. He was an exceptional source of information, and embodied a unique wisdom. That’s an attribute of my mother as well — who’s been an invaluable guide and source of direction throughout my life.

Throughout my tenure as an executive, I’ve had to make several impactful decisions, and there wasn’t a time where I didn’t turn back to principles I’d been taught by those who raised me. They helped shape my personality, my abilities and my values — and their contributions to my success, as well as the success of the Young Automotive Group, are immeasurable.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’ve worked in my family’s automotive business — the Young Automotive Group — for over 50 years. During that time, I’ve taken on entry-level roles, worked in every department of a dealership, developed into leadership positions, led the company as a CEO and now serve as a chairman as well as a Chief Adventure Officer.

This year marks the 100 year anniversary of the Young Automotive Group. We were founded in 1924 by my grandfather, Seldon “Jack” Olsen, in the small town of Morgan, Utah. Since then, we’ve developed into a company that has over 30 operations across northern Utah, Idaho and Montana. That number includes automotive dealerships, powersports franchises, a fleet division, Truck and Trailer locations, a vehicle wrap business, a car wash, an oil change shop and our 501 (c)(3) nonprofit — the Young Caring for Our Young Foundation.

My current tasks include working with our incredible executive team, which is composed of my brother, my children, loved ones and friends. Each of them are incredible individuals with a unique acumen and skillset. Together, we make decisions regarding expansion and develop strategies for how to keep our company at the forefront of industry innovations.

As a company, our mission is to “provide an exceptional customer experience while generating a fiercely loyal following that loves to Think Young.” We strive to ensure that our customers are served by experts, and that they are provided with a greater amount of value than they would be at any other dealership.

In addition, our charitable foundation helps our company deliver on our commitment to the community. Each Young Automotive Group location donates at least $10,000 to Young Caring for Our Young, and many host and participate in the over 50 philanthropic events we hold each year. We’re grateful that we’ve been able to develop into a force for good in our communities, and proud to stand with organizations who make our world a better place.

Looking forward, we know that our company’s best days are ahead of us, and we’re excited for the growth we’ll experience in our next century of business.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

There are several resources and attributes that I believe every business leader and entrepreneur should strive to acquire. That said, if I had to boil everything down to three essentials, I’d say ambition, vision and team.

When starting a business, leader’s experience a lot of excitement. Companies go through phases of growth that can be difficult, but extremely rewarding. Those with ambition are able to navigate this process with a level of drive and courage that sets them apart from the rest.

With that said, ambition is nothing without a vision in place. You need to know where you can go before you start growing. Every person who’s set on creating something impactful needs to keep their vision recorded and focused on. It’s this vision that you apply your ambition to.

Similarly, impact is something that can only be achieved with the right team. Too often, business leaders and entrepreneurs neglect the responsibility of delegating tasks and putting the right people in place. What’s helped our business thrive for 100 years is that we’ve assembled a group of individuals with various perspectives and skills to handle logistical and decision-making responsibilities.

If a business leader truly prioritizes these three elements, they’ll never settle or falter, and they’ll establish a solid foundation for future success.

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?

It’s almost hard to give a specific answer to this question. We’ve had an incredible amount of development occur since this time last year. In the past 12 months, we’ve celebrated four grand openings, received numerous accolades, achieved record-breaking numbers, participated in impactful community initiatives and celebrated our 100th year of business.

That said, if I had to identify what’s caused the greatest amount of change across our organization this year, it’s the opening of our new headquarters building.

Prior to constructing the facility, our executive team worked out of our Chevrolet dealership in Layton, Utah, and our corporate operations were spread out across numerous buildings. Over 10 years ago when we decided to start this project, the need we had focused on was creating a new automotive parts warehouse. That said, we felt that if we had to add a new space to our operation, we needed it to serve more purposes.

Today, the Young Automotive Group’s headquarters stand as a 145,000 sq. ft. facility — housing 250 office spaces, a gallery, a theater-like lecture hall and a state of the art automotive parts warehouse.

This building has allowed us to centralize our operations and capitalize on new opportunities. That said, what’s truly encouraging about it is that we’re not even at 75% capacity. We have an incredible amount of room for growth, and we’re confident that this facility will take our business to greater heights. It will forever stand as one of the most significant improvements made to the Young Automotive Group.

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All images are credited to Oz Marketing

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