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Pope John Paul II |
 Few people in the world today can claim their lives were not profoundly changed and moved by the beloved Man from Krakow, Pope John Paul II. He truly was a catalyst for world change.
For those of us actively engaged in today’s auto industry, we too can claim to have witnessed and ultimately participated in, the ground breaking movement that began with Solidarity and then swept Eastern Europe as result of this Polish Pope-- a man who stood up to the Soviet Union and exposed it for the sham it was.
As a practicing Catholic and descendant of Polish heritage, I can remember fondly that October day in 1978 when the world met, for the first time, this humble man. Few knew or could even conceive what would happen next.
The Solidarity movement that began in 1979 created new, individual freedoms of thought, religion and speech. For many, who ultimately migrated to North America in search of a better life, the car industry was a natural. As the iron curtain fell, its impact spread around the globe.
In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, I witnessed a retail auto industry in North America dominated by the typical old-school car salesman, who had created the culture of the retail showroom.
And where is this salesman today?
Look around you. The auto industry’s landscape has completely changed! The salesman of old has been replaced….by a new and growing breed of retail professional. Whether it is an immigrant from Poland now employed in the showroom on Route 22 in New Jersey, a Russian sales manager working in the Kendall section of Miami, or a Dealer Principal in Chicago who originated from Eastern Europe, today’s auto industry has a new face.
This could not have happened at the pace it did, were it not for this catalyst for world change. This Polish Pope. He dominated the times and inspired millions of people to reach for a better life.
He had the Vision, the guts and the determination to make change happen. We will miss him greatly. We may never see another like him. |
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