 Think Tech Hawaii, civil engagement lives here. Everyone, here we are at the Think Tech studios in downtown Honolulu at the Plaza Building. And what a weekend do we experience. But we're here live and well, and so today we are so excited to just share a little bit about health, different, I mean all kinds of health. We have preparedness health, we have health, nutritional health, medical health, fascia health, you name it, it's quite broad. So today we're going to talk about finance and debt versus health. And so that's quite important because if we don't have good finances, it really affects our health. That's right. Right? That's right. And so today we have Mark Benson, who is known as the honest car guy from the Ford dealership. And Mark, you have represented so many different cars and dealerships. Just share with us a little bit about what Mark Benson does and did. Well, wonderful. Thanks for having me, Wendy. I think the number one thing is, is that I have a wonderful family behind me. My wife, Mary, my son, Patrick, we've enjoyed Hawaii. We've been here just a little bit, just almost seven years. And it's been a great place for us to be over the years. Most recently we had Honolulu Ford for about five years and we sold it to a publicly traded company about 18 months ago. But we really decided to make Hawaii our home. Over the years I grew up in the Midwest and have an Ag degree, believe it or not, and have had the opportunity to represent different manufacturers over the years and have enjoyed every one of them. Well, you know, when I met you, I just thought you were local. I mean, not local. I mean, you know, you fit in so well. Crazy. Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. And that to the sense of humor. You've got the slangs down. You've got the terminology down. And you know, you just got the heart and the lost spirit in you. So that's why I think a lot of people will gravitate towards you and your personality. And your companies that you represent. Yes. So tell us a little bit more about Honolulu Ford and your secrets and your success. It was great. This was a great market for us to be a part of over the years. We had an opportunity to have about 110 people and the store was in very difficult shape when we arrived and we were able to reach out in the community and I think really become part of the community. We're involved with a lot of the nonprofits. We looked with our people that were in the store and we really looked at them as our asset. And when your people are your assets, you can't help but be successful. So we did something a little bit different with the dealership and we closed on Sundays. Wow. I know I would pass by on the freeway. I would see that banner on your building. I'm like, wow, touche, Mark. That made me so proud to just call you a friend that you stood up for what you believed in. And you know what? Tell us the results of that. Well, it was great. Originally the store had struggled as I mentioned to financially but also in sales numbers. But the moment we closed on Sundays, the store took off and we became the largest automotive American car store in the state of Hawaii. Wow. I mean, that is an accomplishment. And you know, I know that you, it was very tough to make that decision. But something guided you to make that decision and what a great decision that was. Well, you know, it's always easy when things work out to say, hey, that was the smartest thing in the world. I was scared out of my skull. Of course you were. Let's just be honest about it. Of course. You said, are you local? I am. I am. I am. Right? But what a great decision. And you know, those sort of decisions guide all of us towards success. Correct. You know, and I know wherever I go, I see you in different events, whether you're donating, whether you're just participating in all the community events. Tell me about that involvement with you and your company. Well, I think that's a lot of our success has been that we were involved in the community. We were very active with Kapiolani and we're great people over there to across the street. I love to tell people I'm a gov, being a Farrington boy and poke fun at that a little bit. But everyone from the Boy Scouts to the Junior League to the Red Cross to New Hope, it was wonderful to be a part of the community. We had 43 different nonprofits that either received our time or our treasure since we've been in Hawaii. And it's been fantastic to develop relationships. You know, and that's what makes Hawaii very different or sets us apart from many other states is the aloha spirit. I mean, although you're not born here, you've adapted that aloha spirit within you immediately. And so, you know, I also represent many boards, national boards as well. And the giving power in Hawaii is incredible. And the mainland companies truly, they want to model their programs after what we have because the giving power is so great. Even though our population is rather small compared to most of the other states, our giving power is so great. And as I said, that means towards financial health. Correct. Right? Give until it hurts. Yes. Right? So you must hurt a lot. No, no, no, no, no. It's all done with the proper desire to help those around us. Very good. You know, so one takeaway for us is, is debt controlling you or are you controlling debt? And you know, what a great statement. Right. Because at the end of the day, nothing's worse than being a slave to something. And I don't mind saying if it's a car and it's too much money, that's a horrible feeling. I don't want anyone to live like that. It's terrible. Right? And we all need a car. Right? Right? And of course, they're trying to work on our different public transportation. Sure. However, a car profoundly makes a lot of sense. Correct. And that's your business. Correct. Right? And so, how do you come by going into the car business versus you being with an ag degree, which surprised the heck out of me, but you know, you're a man of many talents. So tell us a little bit how you made that decision from ag to business to car dealership. Well, at the risk of saying too much, I wanted to be a John Deere dealer. That was originally my goal, but unfortunately, when I graduated from school back in 1984, which knew the math really puts me at 56 years old, the ag business was in terrible shape. And so John Deere did not have any opportunities. So I went to work for the Japanese, went to work for American Honda and ultimately had this as my territory for about 18 months. And so I sold the cars in the 80s to the Honda dealers throughout the islands. Wow. So you were connected. It gave me an appreciation for the business here. Big time. Wow. And now I know through your career you received a lot of press upon your management principles. So tell us a little bit about your management's principles and styles that set you apart from others that led you towards leading companies towards success. Well, that's a great question. I don't know that I'm perfect in it, but I can give you a couple of thoughts that I have. I think everything we do in life starts with a family wage job. I don't mind if it's a man or a woman. If they're older, young, you have to be able to have a family wage. And if you don't have that, how are you going to be able to take care of a family? And so to me, there's nothing more satisfying that I have an opportunity to take somebody, maybe they've made some bad decisions in their lives, and they've had to pay for it, or perhaps they've missed out on education, tough upbringing, and didn't have the education opportunities that I was able to take advantage of, but to be able to give them a path and show them by hard work and listening how they can raise themselves up and watch their income climb at the same time. Wow. This is not just a talk show about finance and debts, and this is actually a father's health talk. Yes. What you're saying, and I'm hoping that young people are listening, that that's a very key component that we teach them to be responsible as a leader, as a man, to provide. Yes. And so that's what the message I'm getting from you right now is exactly that, and I sometimes feel that that could be a little bit of a breakdown in the families, and so the breakdown in the families because one or the other puts too much responsibility on the other, and I'm not going to say it, but yes, the man is the head of the household, and you right now just confirm that by saying what your direction was as the lead of the household. Well, it's the responsibility. It just falls to us naturally, but at the same time, it's not to be an overbearing person. It's the responsibility to say I'm going to be able to take care of it, and if that means I have one job or two job because this is a very expensive market to live in, we have to be able to rise up and do what's right. And take the responsibility. Always. Right. And so that's a really good takeaway right there. You know, you got to go on billboards and just make that one statement cliche so people can see and understand. That's the key right there. Step up. Step to the plate, Mr. That's right. That's right. Right? And do you feel that that, not only in Hawaii, but that's nationally and worldwide, the breakdown of a lot of the households financially as well? Oh, I think it's, you know, the youth of America today are underneath a tremendous assault, and it's very difficult on them. We've raised a generation that is different than what we were raised. I know that I came from a family. My dad's a Lutheran minister. My mom's a nurse. But never one time did they say to me, we want you to find your passion. All my dad said is that farmer's willing to pay you to go scoop that barn, go scoop. And by the way, as soon as you're 18, you're out of the house. And so it was a different upbringing than what we do today. And you know, no wonder we get along so well. I mean, you know, everyone says Chinese families, they keep them closed. Yes. And they have the same belief, 18 years old, you're out. That's right. Okay? And that's actually, biblically, what is stated as well. That's right. 18-year-old, on your own, when you go get a job, you want to go to college, find your way. That's right. And you know what? Look how tough we are. That's right. And so I did the same with my children. Good. And I've not ever pampered them financially. But I've done the same, that they want to go, they'll go on their own. That's right. I'll be there to support them in any which way. But the same message. So if we can have that as another takeaway so that we don't discourage, but we encourage, you know, self-sufficiency and just motivate them to be who they should be. Absolutely. Absolutely. I couldn't agree more. Right. And so, whoa. Okay. So getting back into cars and financing and all of that. So tell us, I know you have a different approach to cars. And I mean, everyone has to have a car, or they say, and everyone has to have a house. And so now with that direction, how can we afford that? I mean, here in Hawaii, I keep telling people, no, it can be done. It can be done. It can't be done. And you right now will tell us a little bit direction towards that. Well, at the end of the day, you know, number one, it comes down to what the income is going to be, obviously number one. But then also number two is what's our expenses. Because you can make a ton of money, but you spend more, you're backing up. You're not going the direction you need to go. So to me, the smart thing to do is to sit down and budget number one. And then number two, look at what kind of car do I need. Here in Hawaii, we don't drive a lot of miles. So in our Ford store, leasing is not a profitable business necessarily for a dealer to be in. We don't make as much money. But I leased about 40% of my vehicles because I wanted to have the consumer come back and see me. And so that's the reason I tried to lease because a lease traditionally is about 30% cheaper than a car purchase. And so that was just my approach to trying to help the people. And it was well received. It worked out very well for us. And you're absolutely correct. I have my cars for 10 years. And what is the average amount of mileage per year per car? Well, we like to think it's 10,000 miles a year. But in reality here, it's more like about five. OK. So you see that. So I'm average. I used to always think. Only in that sense. I used to always think, wow, I'm so good. I keep my car rates low. Everything down. I mean, I travel, I deliver, I pick up, I do all I can. But my mileage does not get up there. Because like you said, in Hawaii, where can we go? We're in our cars all the time. We just don't go anywhere. And that's not a bad place, all right? Not a bad thing. It's a wonderful thing. Right? Because you put on some good music. You got the air blowing on you. You got the beautiful sights. That's right. What more can we ask for here in beautiful Hawaii? That's right. Is that correct? 100%. Right. So we're going to take a short 60-second break. And when we come back, we'll learn more about creative ways of how we can afford living in Hawaii, buying a car, and just being comfortable with what we have. Mahalo. I'm Jay Fiedel, ThinkTech. ThinkTech loves energy. I'm the host of Mina, Marco, and Me, which is Mina Morita, former chair of the PUC, former legislator, and Energy Dynamics, a consulting organization in energy. Marco Mangelsdorf is the CEO of Provision Solar in Hilo. Every two weeks, we talk about energy, everything about energy. Come around and watch us. We're on at noon on Mondays every two weeks on ThinkTech. Aloha. Truth is, I'm impressed. I haven't been asked such intelligent questions in a long time. Thanks. If you're not in control of how you see yourself, then who is? Live above the influence. Here we are again with Mark Benson, the honest car salesman from Honolulu Ford. Earlier, we discussed a little bit about debt and finance. But we also went off track a little bit. But it was really key because we got some great takeaways, giving advice to the males of Hawaii and the world, of course, about just stepping to the plate and being more responsible. And again, as parents, our responsibilities and our duties to help our children get to that point. Because honestly, they don't get there alone. That's right. And so you have one son. We do. And so how are you raising him in that direction as you were raised? Beating him with a stick, getting him out at 18, go to work, or else fumble or fall, you choose, right? I am guilty of doing what my generation has done. And no, we haven't gone that route, although he has worked solid as a junior in college, but hasn't decided what he wants to be when he grows up. He's kind of like his dad at that. Yeah. And there's no rush in that. That's correct. All I say to my children is go out and be happy. Just live with integrity and respect and just do what makes you happy at this point. You know, they've gone to school. They went to college. They did all the right things. And now they're just trying to find their lead or their desires to be happy, as mom expresses. I mean, but yet, I still, at 18, I also sent them out. And they found their way. They finished college. And now they're needing to do what they need to do. No different than what we, I mean, when I was growing up, I never aspired to be a chocolate maker. I mean, were you dreaming about being a car dealer? I would love to be a chocolate banker. You're telling the truth. I aspired to that all the time. You should tell. Well, I guess my dream came true. I dreamed it very hard. And so one thing I know about what you did with your business and what I do with my business is that we constantly gave back to the community. There was no weekend that I was not present in any event or party, not me physically, but my chocolates that we donated. And I know that you're the same way. And so that's another thing we want to really impress upon the people. So important. Right, that finance health, financial health, comes by giving. Yes, right. You know, everyone thinks financial health comes when we keep receiving it. No, because we know. That's right. We know the more you give, the more it comes back. And that's not why we give, but it just happens that way. Right? So it's a good place to be, right? Well put. All right. So tell us a little bit about your passions, Mark. I mean, I know giving is your passion. And what tell us more about what's it all about? You know, the car industry has changed significantly. And frankly, it probably needs to change. Automotive, auto trader just did a survey and only one out of 235 people enjoyed or trusted the automotive transaction process. Think about that, Wendy. If you and I owned a restaurant and only one out of 235 people said, hey, we liked it. Are we gonna be in business very long? Not very long. We're gonna be out. And finance your health to me. It's terrible. So as I've watched the industry change and it's changing a lot right now, the consumer has the ability to be in control, which is fantastic. I like that. And as the consumer becomes in control, the consumer, not just in the car business, but in many industries, the reason Amazon's doing so well is because the consumer says, I wanna have that product cheaper on my terms when I'm ready. And so to me, what we have to do as business people is apply those same principles so we can deliver to the consumer. Wow. And so the whole idea of that is listening. Correct. And then acting upon it. Correct. I mean, that's just the definition of success. Correct. Success is not just being there at the right place with your restaurant or your car dealership, but being there at the right place at the right time and taking action. Well stated. Right? And so that's exactly what you did. Yes. You understood what the needs of the clientele was and you changed your whole management system. That's correct. Mm-hmm. Are you diving into another business now? I mean, I know you're not gonna sit still that I don't wanna say you retired out of Honolulu Ford, but I know that there's other things down the pipeline for you. Well, I'm working on a new business right now and what it's intended to do is not replace the brick and mortar business. But one of the things that my passions was at Honolulu Ford, there's nothing more exciting than taking a family where I've lowered their car payment, maybe $150 a month. Now, think about that for a second. You're keeping them out driving a car, whether it's in a new car or whether it's existing car, but we've lowered their payment because they've been able to improve their credit. And these people love you for life. You changed their lives. Now growing up, my dad and my mom, very hardworking people, but we were paycheck to paycheck. We weren't hungry, but we certainly weren't overfed either. We were vegetarians before it was cool. So what I try to look at is if I can change a family's opportunity to have $100 more per month, then you know what? That's a pair of tennis shoes or two pair of tennis shoes for the cakey. And what does that do for the quality of life in their family? It takes pressure off of them. Right. So you're saying that you were a vegetarian? I mean, so you have pork and beans without the pork. Exactly. Okay, got it. So financial health growing up actually worked with you having not abundance. And there was no abundance. Right, because what it did for you was it gave you a desire to fight harder. Correct. And so that's important. Absolutely. That is so important to be hungry for success. It has to. Right? And then we fight harder and we do all the right things, mind, body and soul to get financial health. Well put. Right? And so for you, what you've done with your cars is you'll meet it more affordable. So that means the family can have a better quality of life. Correct. Because they don't have to stress and worry about, oh my gosh, is it gonna be locked up? Is it gonna get repoed? And so me, is it safe to say that in your business, you don't do a lot of repos because the payments have drastically dropped that they won't get themselves into that dire straight. I really found over the years, the worst thing you can do in a reputation is to put somebody in something they can't afford. And all that is gonna do is create a tremendous amount of ill will. And that's not good. So I would many times tell someone I wouldn't come to sell my car because it wasn't up to what they wanted. They weren't gonna be able to afford it. Just wasn't good business practice. And so one of the things that we're working on right now, think about this for a second. If you have right now, only one out of 235 people trusted the transaction process. Even my own mom wonders when she goes over the curb buying a car for me, did she get a good deal? We all wonder, right? Right, even your mother? Even my mom? Yeah, well put, well put. She goes, I don't know about that boy, mom. But at the end of the day, we're starting a new company and the new company is called honestcarpayment.com. And the premise behind it is not to sell you a car. The premise behind it is to make sure that you have the best possible car payment that you can have. And at any given time, if your credit improves, has anyone ever had the bank call and say, hey, Wendy, your payment, your credit, you've been paying us on time. We're gonna lower your interest rate three percent. They don't do that. So that's why we're gonna reach out and our desire is to help Hawaii lower their payments as much as possible. Wow, you guys can't see this. We're on a green screen. He has a green hat on his head. I look at him like he's on his aim. I mean, good job, man. Good job, Mark. It's like, touche. I mean, that's, you've nailed that part of it. So the family, as I keep saying, they're gonna be able to live life and they have other issues that they're gonna be dealing with. That's correct. But their car payment won't affect their health. And the stability of getting from job to school, to home, to job, to school, to home. Safely. Safely, you know, in a car that they can't afford and that they should be driving versus what they desired to drive. Correct. Wow, and you actually do that. Correct. That, you're different. You're different, but I'm so proud to call you friend. Well, you're being blind. And I mean that, you're living your title. Yes. HonestCarPayments.com, is that correct? HonestCarPayment.com, that's correct. I'm so glad for you to do that. And that you're gonna just start this concept. Is this a brand new concept that you thought of or are you modeling it after some other? You know, it's a new concept that I've thought of. There are some people in the mainland that are doing it slightly different. My desire is we're gonna be transparent. And so the transparency is gonna hold where if we save someone $5,000 on their payment that will be paid X, but they're gonna know what we're gonna get paid. I'm gonna disclose it. So the entire transaction process, before it's consummated, will all be disclosed. Wow, you know what you're gonna do? You're gonna bring confusion to the comedians because now what do we call you, car salesmen? You know, now we're gonna wanna go there and wanna get a good deal because we know we're gonna get one. Yes. That's a switch. It's different, isn't it? It's refreshing. Yes. But I think that's what the consumer wants. And in reality, to be successful in our country, we have to give the consumer what they're looking for. Wow, so other businesses in the marketplace, you call him, I'll give you his number later, model your business in this direction. It's healthy. Yes. It's healthy, it's healthy not even just for you. It's healthy for your customers and for the whole mindset of the state. Yes. And effecting other states, other places in the world. Correct. Doing honest business, it's so refreshing. Well, thank you very much. And you know, being refreshed, I mean, that's like a detox. It is. So you know, I can buy my car, I can go to work and do everything I need to do because I feel good, because I didn't get. There is that portion of them out there, yes. Yes, yes, yes. So we'll see my friend Mark over here. So Mark, tell me about this. There's lots of, I wanna say, money to be made by saving money on car. Like I heard some crazy number, $37 million. Well, yeah, actually, it's 37 billion. Billion, billion. Every American went out today and refinanced their automobile. When he's 37 billion dollars right now, everybody can make. So if you think about it, Quicken Loan has been refinancing homes for years. They're the number one home mortgage company in the world right now, Quicken Loan. And they have no brick and mortar. All that Quicken Loan is, is internet. And so when we look at how much money can be saved on cars, this is the kind of thing that I personally believe people can get their cousins and their auntie and different people and tell them about it. Do you realize you might be able to save money? And that's the word of mouth that we're looking for. Wow, that's a breath of fresh air. That's all I can say. And you know, with that in mind, I mean, just breathing that better air, better quality, having that peace of mind. Yes. I mean, that's what I'm talking about. Just that simple peace of mind about my car. Can I make the payment? Am I affording that car? What am I doing? I'm in over my head. When I go to see you, that won't be an issue. So that means it's one level of stress less for my body. Less toxins into my system. So that means I can focus on other things that make me happy. Correct. Thus. Yeah. Thus, that versus health, right? And then not only, yes, and not only in car, but in every aspect of our lives here in Hawaii. So Mark, I'm so proud to call you friend. I just want you to continue to be transparent and just model this amazing honest business, honest car payment business, and infect other businesses to do so. Well, thanks for your insight. I really appreciate it. So we're coming to you live from Think Tech, Hawaii, downtown Honolulu, and come and look for us again in two weeks. We'll be here at two o'clock where we'll talk more about different qualities of health. Aloha for now.