Lex Brodie’s Still Rolls Along
Twenty years after Lex Brodie sold his eponymous tire stores, president Scott Williams and staff are working, to borrow a phrase, untiringly to continue Lex’s legacy, while winning a remarkable array of awards along the road. Pictured from left to right: John Kelly, VP of operations; president Scott Williams and Keith Kobayashi, VP of mechanical services
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schools, fought with board members and pushed for changes in Hawaii’s public schools. It was with this example in mind the company created the Lex Brodie Foundation to celebrate Lex’s 90th birthday and began handing out its “Thank You ... Very Much Award.”
“We wanted something that was going to continue Lex’s legacy forever and ever, beyond the customer service and the tire company, and that’s where the Thank You ... Very Much Award came from, because it’s asking children to think of people in their lives and what they have to be thankful for,” says Williams.
To qualify for the award, students in grades 4 to 12 must write a letter saying thank you to someone in their lives. The best letter is chosen and the student wins $250 for his or her class, a $100 Ala Moana gift certificate for themselves and gets to read the letter on the Perry & Price show. The thank-you recipient gets a marble-and-crystal award, and a two-night stay at the Princess Kaiulani.
“We’ve had grown men in uniform bust out in tears when their daughters read their letter to them. It’s hard to get through the letters because when you read them you get the sense of what’s being written about in these letters isn’t often being relayed to the person being spoken to. It really is amazing the power something like that has. But that was Lex’s thing, saying thank you very much in his commercials. All they are doing is saying thank you, but the impact you can have from that is enormous.”
The success of the Thank You ... Very Much Award led to another initiative to say thanks. In 2006, Lex Brodie’s partnered with Salem Media to create the Above and Beyond Award as a way to honor local servicemembers. Since then it has grown to include police and firefighters.
“It’s for anyone who serves in uniform who puts their own interests on the back burner, forgets about themselves and gives back to the community or helps others,” says Williams. “It’s another way of saying thank you very much and helping get the stories out to hopefully inspire others to become involved in the community.”
Lex Brodie’s latest community effort involves something directly related to the automotive business, but what Williams says surprises many: the promotion of green technology. The tire store and service center is a sponsor of Green Fleet Hawaii, a movement to help its customers be more environmentally friendly while raising money for local charities. The idea was hatched after it got involved in a HI-5 recycling effort to raise money for local schools.
“It wasn’t that we sat down one day and decided we needed to do something green because others are going green,” says Williams. “It just happened.”
Green Fleet Hawaii consists of three programs: Tread for Bread, Recycle Energy and the Car Pool Challenge. Each program tracks the miles covered by carpooling, bike riding and walking to determine how much energy is being saved, and those numbers are converted into charitable donations for Lanakila Meals on Wheels (Carpool Challenge), school initiatives (Recycle Energy) and IHS and the Hawaii Foodbank (Tread for Bread). In addition, Lex Brodie’ is using G-Oil, a biodegradable oil, and synthetic Amsoil for all its oil changes. Both products have a longer lifespan than traditional oil.
“By maintaining your vehicle properly, driving responsibly and not carrying extra weight, all vehicles are greener,” says Williams.
On July 31, Lex Brodie’s is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Those invited to the party at the Perry & Price show at Jimmy Buffett’s restaurant will include longtime employees and customers, charitable partners, award-winners and others to whom Williams would simply like to say, Thank you ... very much.
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