Justin Adis Interview in HighGear Magazine
Editor’s Note: Below is the complete text of the Justin Adis interview that appeared in the April 2013 issue of HighGear magazine, the newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Region Porsche Club of America.
HighGear Interview – April 2013
A Prestigious Position Indeed
by David Schmidt, Editor
HighGear, The RMRPCA Newsletter
“I was almost born in the front seat of a 911,” quipped Justin Adis, General Manager of Prestige Imports in Lakewood. “I was always surrounded by Porsche cars – either in the garage at our home or vicariously at dealerships my father worked at. During the 80’s, my father was a partner in a small business called ‘Primarily Porsche’ in Basalt, CO, where they specialized in pre-owned Porsche sales. I always enjoyed spending time with my father in his Porsche and remember him teaching me how to properly up/down shift a manual transmission. Smooth in, fast out – that was his motto.”
“I was almost born in the front seat of a 911,” quipped Justin Adis, General Manager of Prestige Imports in Lakewood. “I was always surrounded by Porsche cars – either in the garage at our home or vicariously at dealerships my father worked at. During the 80’s, my father was a partner in a small business called ‘Primarily Porsche’ in Basalt, CO, where they specialized in pre-owned Porsche sales. I always enjoyed spending time with my father in his Porsche and remember him teaching me how to properly up/down shift a manual transmission. Smooth in, fast out – that was his motto.”Justin is the only child of his father, Don, who was the GM of Prestige Imports for over 15 years. The owners, Braman Management, appointed Justin as GM in 2011, two years after his father’s retirement. He seems impossibly too young to be the man-in-charge at this pristine dealership out on West Colfax, but his looks belie his actual age of 40. Justin has an infectious smile, twinkling blue eyes and a tall, slender frame no doubt cast from years of skiing and competitive cycling. He went to Western State College in Gunnison, majoring in business, with minors in small business management and business marketing. Justin is also an avid cyclist and co-sponsors a cycling team with over 60 members. He lives in the Castle Rock area with his wife of 17 years, Tara, and their two kids, Jake and Taylor.
What is your favorite part about your job?
“Customer satisfaction is our main goal and that involves a 100% effort, 100% of the time. While we are not perfect in this endeavor, all of our policies and procedures are designed to make the customer’s experience with us as pleasant and enjoyable as possible. I truly love interacting with our employees and helping them move the business forward. We are engaged in a very dynamic industry that constantly changes. To be able to assemble a team of proactive and forward-thinking staff is the goal, and I feel that we have done an excellent job in doing so.”
Prestige has a long-standing relationship with RMR-PCA and is very involved in the community and hosts many events. Why is this so important to you?
“It’s important to the business to be able to connect with our clients outside of the typical sales and service experience. We are passionate about our products and the clients who make us who we are. We offer multiple customer appreciation events (all complimentary to attendees) throughout the year such as; the winter ice-driving school at Georgetown Lake, a springtime mountain-driving day tour, a full day at the track (High Plains Raceway) which is a private event and, of course, the ever-popular Oktoberfest where we had over 1100 guests in 2012! These events allow us to communicate the culture of our store in a way that shows we are a prominent member of the community and, hopefully, part of our client’s extended family.”
What are some of the changes you have seen over the years as it relates to Porsche and its followers?
“The typical Porsche follower has dramatically changed over the last five years. The racing scene has seen the addition of GT-type vehicles. Retail purchasers have been able to capitalize on pre-owned Boxsters and Cayman vehicles, which has opened up a whole new market for the brand. Overall, the marque has become more accessible.”
Share something with us that most people may not know about Prestige Imports.
“We are preparing for the future by acquiring real estate that will allow us to keep up with the demand for our products. Ultimately, we would like to separate the Porsche and Audi brands and give each their own ‘dealership’, right next to each other.”
What exciting news is coming in 2013?
“The Cayenne diesel, currently available, is the biggest news that we have with new models now. The 918 Spyder ($800k+ price point) will be available in 2014 and we will secure a handful of those for select clientele. The new Cayman launches this year and the new Macan (a smaller SUV, similar in size to the Audi Q5) arrives next year. The new 991 C4 in both coupe and cabriolet versions is now here and on the ground.”
What is your personal favorite vehicle in the Porsche line-up and why?
“The father-of-two and husband-to-one in me, steers me straight to the Cayenne. You can’t beat the power and fun factor of the Turbo models, but I would go with the new six-cylinder Cayenne Diesel for efficiency and torque.”
