Premier Automotive
How does helping others factor into the culture of your business?
In 2005, after Katrina devastated our city, Premier Automotive employees decided to gut our dealerships instead of gutting their homes. We knew then that we could not just take from the community — we had to give back. We opened a food pantry and gave out water and MREs to residents, and saw the joy and love from employees and the people we served. “I realized that this was my legacy: to feed God’s people,” says Premier President, CEO and Founder Troy Duhon. “My father said to me ‘Son, no one will ever remember how many cars you sell, but God is watching every time you feed his people.’” Today, all Premier dealerships donate a portion of every car sold to the food pantry, now a program of the nonprofit Giving HOPE, or a charity of their choosing. “My business, my life and my family are all committed to helping others, and that is my legacy,” Duhon said. He is also co-founder of the Giving Hope Foundation.
Please share with us the causes that are important to you and your business.
To put it simply, we care about promoting human dignity in all forms. We began with food, shelter, clothing and fellowship as inspired by Matthew 25: 35-36: “For I was hungry and you fed me. For I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. For I was a stranger and you invited me into your home. For I was naked and you clothed me. For I was sick and you cared for me. For I was in prison and you visited me.” There isn’t just one or two causes that we care about most. We care about God’s people and showing them the love of God in every way that they need and every way that we can – from feeding people in the local communities to building orphanages around the world.
How do you encourage your team members to get involved?
Each Premier dealership has a Hope coordinator. This person is responsible for keeping up morale, and connecting our dealership employees with the Giving Hope Foundation. They have “Hope Days” where they get paid eight hours of work to volunteer at Giving Hope’s food pantries. We keep them close to the heart of what the nonprofit does.
What do you look for in a cause to determine if you will get involved? What advice can offer to others?
“I care most about giving glory to God by promoting human dignity,” Duhon said. “So, if a cause aligns with that, then it is something that I can get behind. Matthew 22: 37-39 states ‘thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’ My advice to everyone is to first seek the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and as your cup begins to overflow, don’t forget about your neighbor who does not even have a cup. Give, and you will receive. I’m a living testament of that.”