Chase Youngblood Receives 2019-20 Leadership Scholarship
General manager Chase Youngblood of Youngblood’s RV Centers in Tennessee and Missouri has been chosen as the 2019-2020 recipient of the Duane Spader Leadership Development Scholarship. The scholarship, valued at nearly $15,000, will allow him to attend an 18-month Spader Leadership Development Program. The scholarship is one element of the strategic alliance between Spader and the Mike Molino RV Learning Center.
Youngblood, 27, has worked in the family’s business since childhood and sold his first camper at age 13. He has held every job at the dealership during his apprenticeship, learning the ropes from his father, Roger Youngblood, who started the business in 1977. Coming from a family-owned business, Youngblood says he understands the importance of building relationships with both customers and employees. “Looking at the smaller mom-and-pop dealerships that have been purchased by bigger corporations, it appears the customer gets lost in the monotony of corporate decisions,” he wrote in his application. “When a customer comes to our dealership, we want them to feel as though they’ve joined our family. I never want a customer to feel like we don’t care or that we don’t want their repeat business.”
As large corporations buy up smaller dealerships, Youngblood said, “the smaller people are losing their voice…and the customers also lose theirs.” Youngblood says being selected to attend the Spader program will give him the insight and management tools to grow his company and ensure it can keep pace with a changing industry. And, he adds, “I intend to continue building relationships with industry leaders and pushing for changes to benefit our industry as a whole.”