Automotive Fleet, October 2018

Veteran fleet retailer Russ Cass is embarking on a new venture at Chicagolands Hawk Fleet Group where he and his team are poised to grow a regional powerhouse into a national player BY TARIQ KAMAL R uss Cass has big plans for Hawk Fleet Group Headquartered in St Charles Ill about 40 miles west of Chicago the dealership group also has locations in Bridgeview Forest Park Joliet and Oak Lawn Hawk operates a total of 10 stores representing the Ford Chevrolet Cadillac Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Volkswagen Mazda and Subaru brands Its clear the group has a foothold in Chicagos auto retail market but its owners want to make a bigger impact in the commercial segment Thats where Cass his wife Lynn and their growing team of fleet specialists come in After more than 40 years with a competitor that recently reorganized Cass has taken his talents to Hawk Fleet Group After 41 years were starting fresh Cass said Weve got a good name and a great reputation Rather than walk away from the business were starting again I love dealing with the fleet side of the business especially the customers Retail vs Fleet Cass father Jim Cass worked in dealerships starting in the mid 1950s and was the owner of the since renamed Cass Ford by the time Russ was in high school Although the younger Cass was more interested in a career as a photographer or a history teacher when he was weighing summer job opportunities and in need of transportation his father convinced him to try his hand at sales You didnt get free cars from my dad You had to work It was only a summer job but its lasted 42 years he said Cass says he did pretty well in his six months in the Cass Ford showroom When his father sold the store Cass jumped to another AUTOMOTIVE FLEET I OCTOBER 2018 46 dealership where he would specialize in trucks After a few years in 1979 his truck expertise gave him the opportunity to move into fleet In retail you worked 12 hour day six or seven days a week with maybe every other Sunday off Fleet hours were Monday to Friday 9 to 5 It took about a half a second to decide though as the business grew long hours again became the norm In the commercial segment Cass found his niche He committed himself to solving fleet customers problem finding the perfect trucks and vans for their needs and never overspecing or overspending In the 1980s when other dealers were only willing to deliver off the line trucks and chassis cabs Cass dove into the aftermarket headfirst He made friends and formed partnerships with upfitters throughout the Chicagoland area and committed to doing whatever it took including the math to deliver the complete vehicles his fleet customers needed In the old days before the computer would do it for you there were worksheets and you would do all your algebraic equations to figure out the rolling road speed The old guys would use slide rules Cass recalls In the 90s he spent his own money to invest in a desktop computer and dot matrix printer He designed a form for fleet quotes and hired Lynn initially as a volunteer to manage his office In 2003 he was named fleet director a position he would hold for the next 15 years Fleet is a great industry Its getting more modern but it hasnt changed all that much Its the same companies and they still need trucks said Cass Like a Hawk Hawk Fleet Group is owned by four partners brothers John and Joe Crane Gus Kreatsoulas and Gus Babalis Cass says he was attracted to the groups family oriented nature and the partners familiarity with the commercial side of the business and their desire to increase their share Hawk already had a commercial sales manager in each of its stores when Cass joined the company which he says is a great foundation for a national fleet sales business He believes their infrastructure and the experience and expertise his team brings to the table are a formidable combination Our clients are all over the country and we can drop ship and upfit all over the country We are going to bring Hawks commercial business into another phase said Cass noting that for small and mid size fleets a strong commercial dealer can offer many of the same services delivered by national and global fleet management companies For businesses that dont want to turn their entire fleet operation over to an FMC Hawk Fleet Group has contacts throughout the industry We have partnered with an all star team of fleet service providers We dont put all our eggs in one basket and its not a fee for all as I call it Cass said You only purchase and pay for needed and wanted services AF HAWK FLEET GROUP Hawk Fleet Groups team includes L R Mike Ryan Lynn Cass Russ Cass Doris McCormick Penny Lazzara and Ryan OReilly PHOTO HAWK FLEET GROUP LOOKS TO BECOME NATIONAL PLAYER