Scott Held is the new President of Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. Originally from Whitehorse, Scott started washing cars when he was 17 years old. “It was a cool job, all my friends were bagging groceries and I got to drive new cars. I eventually got offered a job selling cars. I did that part time while I was going to school and, eventually, decided it was an industry I really enjoyed.”
Although he originally never had any intention of being in the car business, Scott ultimately ended up working in the industry in various parts of Canada such as the East Coast in Moncton and briefly in Halifax, as well as in Britsh Columbia and Alberta. He held a series of different jobs in the car business and found his passion. When he finally decided that the car business was going to be his career, his destiny was established.
“My vision was that I wanted to own or run a dealership, and I was fortunate enough to work for a company that was growing rapidly. I got offered many opportunities for advancement, promotions, that sort of thing. I always dove in hard.” Scott moved his family as many as 10 times, but it was always very rewarding. His experience spanned the entire scope of the industry: selling cars, working in the finance office, becoming a used car sales manager, new car sales manager and, finally, general manager. It was the kind of diversity that gave him a comprehensive understanding of the industry.
“I recognize that what we do in the car business is sell commodities. In most cases, what we have available for sale, competitors sell the exact same product for, in most cases, the same price. So, what it really comes down to is that people are the difference between success and failure.”
Scott spends the majority of his time working with people, cultivating, attracting and retaining talent. His business philosophy and the major successes he achieved with his teams set him up well for the challenge of the new Mercedes-Benz dealership. “Well Mercedes has been a significant brand for 125 years, arguable now the premiere automotive brand in the world. I was very excited to be able to join the Mercedes fraternity, as it were, but I believe this brand is as all automotive dealerships are now; it’s mostly about customer service and Mercedes is maybe even more so.”
17407 111 Avenue Northwest, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
