- Story by Toby Tannas Photography by Darren Hull

What inspires an empire? The answer to that question is as varied as the entrepreneurs who build them. For Vaughn Wyant, it was a visit to a one-car showroom with a dirt floor service department in small town Alberta.

91裸聊视频淚 met a guy at a retreat,91裸聊视频� recalls Vaughn. 91裸聊视频淗e owned his own car dealership and I said, 91裸聊视频業91裸聊视频檓 going to do that.91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频�

Within a year of that encounter in the 1970s, Vaughn made good on the promise to himself. He bought his first dealership in Carstairs, Alberta and soon after a second, in Beiseker, a short distance away.

Today, Vaughn is president and CEO of the Wyant Group, which owns and operates close to 20 dealerships 91裸聊视频� including several in Vernon and Kelowna 91裸聊视频� and represents 17 vehicle brands in Saskatchewan, BC and soon Calgary, Alberta.

91裸聊视频淚 worked seven days a week, I pumped gas, I wrote repair orders, did most of the accounting and sold the cars because that was just fun,91裸聊视频� he chuckles.

Vaughn, who continues to exude a palpable energy and enthusiasm for the business more than four decades later, first stumbled into selling cars after high school, while visiting relatives in London, England.

At the time, he says, 91裸聊视频淚 didn91裸聊视频檛 know what I wanted to do with my life.91裸聊视频�

Vaughn91裸聊视频檚 father was a respected physician in Saskatoon, and his brothers were also academics. The self-described 91裸聊视频渁verage student91裸聊视频� didn91裸聊视频檛 find his true calling until he stepped onto a showroom floor.

91裸聊视频淪elling cars was the easiest thing in the world. Selling anything isn91裸聊视频檛 about the product it91裸聊视频檚 about the relationship and when you build that foundation you91裸聊视频檙e going to get a good result,91裸聊视频� he explains.

Vaughn brought his selling skills back to Canada and after working for dealerships in Vancouver as a salesman and eventually sales manager, he knew he was destined for more.

91裸聊视频淚 always tell people you don91裸聊视频檛 get what you want, you get what you think about. My goal was always to own my own dealership.91裸聊视频�

After three and half years of owning the two Alberta operations, opportunity knocked again. Vaughn sold his Alberta interests to his then sales manager and jumped at the offer to purchase a Ford dealership in his childhood home of Saskatoon. Jubilee Ford is where the Wyant Group was born in 1983.

91裸聊视频淲e have a business unit in the Okanagan, which includes Porsche, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo, Audi and Hyundai in Vernon,91裸聊视频� he says. 91裸聊视频淵ou really transform when it becomes not just about you. We build these dealerships to build lives.91裸聊视频�

The Wyant Group91裸聊视频檚 new facilities on Finns Road in Kelowna reflect the level of sophistication of the products they sell. They invoke a sense of pride in all Wyant Group employees 91裸聊视频� people who Vaughn sees as an extended family.

91裸聊视频淭he reality is that the person who washes our cars is just as important as the guy that owns the business. We get paid different amounts of money, absolutely, but I will tell you that only has to do with responsibility. Take on more responsibility and you earn more money,91裸聊视频� he says.

Vaughn points to numerous examples of WG employees who have climbed the ranks from car detailers to general managers over the years. Employee retention and growth is a significant point of pride.

91裸聊视频淚f I wanted to hire a general manager for this store, I would look within my existing business and I would say that if we haven91裸聊视频檛 developed that person then shame on us.91裸聊视频�

As Vaughn walks through his bright new Kelowna showrooms chatting with employees, it91裸聊视频檚 clear the respect is mutual. Those relationships are what drive his whole business.

91裸聊视频淚 believe so strongly in the people we hire and the culture we91裸聊视频檝e created because it91裸聊视频檚 still a family business.91裸聊视频�

Vaughn enjoys the mix of family and business. His two sons are active members of WG. Phillip is CFO, Michael is COO. His partner, Lori Leac runs her own advertising firm and co-manages the Wyant Group marketing team. His daughter operates her own successful salon and spa business and lives just down the road from the family home in Saskatoon.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 not rocket science. Working in a business and running a business are the same as running a successful family. You respect each other but you91裸聊视频檙e still allowed to have disagreements.91裸聊视频�

When you91裸聊视频檙e in charge of multiple dealerships and nearly 500 employees, things don91裸聊视频檛 run smoothly every day, but it91裸聊视频檚 the challenges that keep Vaughn engaged and why he likely won91裸聊视频檛 ever retire.

91裸聊视频淚 love working,91裸聊视频� he chuckles. 91裸聊视频淧eople ask 91裸聊视频榳hat91裸聊视频檚 your hobby?91裸聊视频� For me, it91裸聊视频檚 working and part of the reason is because when something goes wrong I don91裸聊视频檛 mind the challenge of fixing it. It91裸聊视频檚 never perfect but those tests are the things that make you better.91裸聊视频�

Vaughn credits much of his success to his ability to thwart negative self talk. His mind is always striving for the positive in any situation.

91裸聊视频淚f you ask me how my day is going, I say 91裸聊视频榯remendous91裸聊视频�. Is it always tremendous? Maybe not, but if I can convince myself it91裸聊视频檚 good it91裸聊视频檚 probably more likely to be good than bad,91裸聊视频� says Vaughn.

When he91裸聊视频檚 not busy with the day-to-day operations of Wyant Group, Vaughn is heavily involved in charity work. He sits on industry advisory boards, he golfs, cycles and is a major shareholder in the Saskatchewan-based Great Western Brewing Company.

Vaughn is a mentor to many in his industry, but when asked who inspires him, the answer is simple and endearing.

91裸聊视频淚 would tell you it91裸聊视频檚 my mother. My mother taught me about respect, about overstaying your welcome, always saying please and thank you. We got tired of hearing it,91裸聊视频� he says, shaking his head. 91裸聊视频淏ut every single one of my brothers and I understand where the good came from.91裸聊视频�

Vaughn works to exude those childhood values every day. He prides himself on being the same guy at work as he is at home. His appreciation for what he91裸聊视频檚 built is obvious 91裸聊视频� it91裸聊视频檚 a direct result of the humble beginnings that built him.

91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檒l always remember pumping gas to get my business going, would I go back and do it again if I had to? Absolutely.91裸聊视频�