Healthy sales for healthier hearts

Many dealers quietly write checks to support charities in their communities. And that's what Vince Sheehy could do to cover his company's yearly commitment to the American Heart Association.

After all, his family's 22 stores in the Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., area sold 44,000 new and used vehicles last year, so a five-figure check wouldn't put much of a dent in his company's bank account.

But Sheehy, president of Sheehy Auto Stores in Fairfax, Va., takes a different approach from many dealers to philanthropy. For Sheehy, raising money for the heart association involves almost all of the 2,400 employees in his stores, as well as vendors and customers, in an event called the Sheehy 8000. The goal: Sell 8,000 vehicles in 50 days and, in doing so, raise $225,000 to $300,000.

But there's more: The association takes an active role in the event by educating the company's customers and employees on heart health matters, offering CPR training and participating in in-store events.

While some might view the event with a $1 million advertising blitz as somewhat gimmicky or a public relations stunt, it's anything but, says Sheehy.

"During one of the events three years ago, my father had a series of strokes and was incapacitated in a wheelchair for the next nine months until he passed away," said Sheehy, 60, a dealer since 1991. "He had several heart issues that preceded that. So, it became a very personal cause to me and my family."

Sheehy Auto Stores ranks No. 32 on the Automotive News list of the top 150 dealership groups based in the U.S., with retail sales of 23,772 new vehicles in 2018.

The event, now in its 22nd year, kicked off in May and runs through July 5. The company donates $10 per vehicle sold, both new and used. The $80,000 generated from those sales is the easy part of the total. Raising the rest is where it gets interesting, and that part includes several fun elements designed to involve the community.

Sheehy's employees hold fundraising contests among the company's stores. There are in-store healthy cooking demonstrations free to the public, free blood pressure screenings and CPR classes for Sheehy employees and the community. This year, Paul Sheehy, Vince's brother and part owner of a professional rugby team, kicked in $5 per ticket from the team's first game.

"As the event has grown, over these 22 years, it has just really snowballed, and we keep finding more and better ways to raise money," Vince Sheehy said.

"The first time we did the event, it was more of a sales race. Then we said, 'Why don't we raise a little money for charity?' " Sheehy recalled. "But over the last 22 years, it has taken on a life of its own. Now, our event is so big, and it involves so many critical partners, and the cause is so strong that any customer who spends more than 10 minutes with us understands that it's anything but a gimmick."

In previous years, Sheehy donated the proceeds of the event to cancer research. But he chose the heart association after polling his employees about which causes were important to them.

Sheehy's relationship with the association isn't just a one-way street. The company benefits as well. "We go through CPR training at all of our stores that everyone is invited to participate in," Sheehy says. "We have between 15 percent and 20 percent of our staff that is now CPR-trained, so that we might have the opportunity to save a life down the road, whether it is within the company or if someone is out on their own."

Another benefit: a healthier work force. At Sheehy, sick time has been reduced, productivity has increased and insurance costs have lowered. Many employees now take part in activities such as walking contests to see who racks up the most steps.

Sheehy has some advice for dealers thinking of creating a similar event: It has to be a well-planned, comprehensive effort that is a high priority for the company's executives every day of the campaign. It also takes consistency and the buy-in of vendors and motivated employees to make it successful.

Running concurrently with the fundraising event are sales contests in each of the stores, giving employees an opportunity to fatten their paychecks as well as raising the excitement level.

The Sheehy 8000 usually bumps sales of new and used vehicles by about 10 percent. And this year's event got off to a roaring start. Around 500 employees attended the kickoff breakfast, and sales of used cars have been some of the strongest Sheehy has ever seen.

"This year's goal is $225,000, but we'll probably end up closer to $300,000," he said. "Once you are committed to the cause, it gets very exciting to find different ways to raise money."