Boardwalk Motors Sells `Mobile Art'

Thom Newell owner Boardwalk Motors Inc.

Accomplishment: Thom Newell drives to work in a pickup, yet he sells some of the most expensive cars money can buy. An exotic car seller on Mercer Island, Newell offers cars made by Porsche, Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz, at prices ranging from $10,000 and $100,000. In a good month he sells three to four. Annual revenue is about $500,000.

The vehicles are sold on consignment. Newell started his firm in Kirkland in 1986, after a 24-year career of selling mostly foreign cars at Puget Sound dealerships.

Newell, who moved his business to Mercer Island a little more than a year ago, would like to find a bigger place, so he can showcase more than the 15 cars he now has. He enjoys his work and hasn't taken a vacation since starting his firm. Newell drives a pickup, because if he owned a car, his sales instincts would take over, and he'd be looking for a buyer. With a pickup, they won't.

Secret: His success is linked to his enthusiasm for people and cars, he says. "I really like my customers . . . Most of my customers are my friends, or become my friends. It works for me. It keeps people coming back."

Setback: Newell's biggest setback was the recession, which - coupled with the Persian Gulf War - nearly brought automobile investment to a standstill. Prices of exotic cars trade like stock and are slow to recover from economic downturns. So Newell diversified his business, adding a detail shop, a line of accessories and a new service of finding specially made cars for potential buyers.

"It was very tough," Newell said. "I came close to going under several times, but I stuck with it. I knew the economy would bounce back, and it is coming along slowly. Probably the single factor was doing it myself, being there every day - all day, when it was necessary. I didn't have to rely on individuals who didn't have an interest in the company. I just handled my business."

The economy - and more importantly, the high-end exotic car market - is turning around, Newell said.

Quote: "People who buy conventional autos aren't in love with them. They buy them because they are filling a need for transportation. But people who buy these cars are buying investments. These cars are mobile art."

Advice: The most important thing is to believe in your entrepreneurial dreams and be persistent.

"Have faith in your idea," Newell said. "Make sure it's real, and if you think it is real, then stick with it. Don't give up. Know what you're doing, have enough faith in yourself and be prepared to make whatever sacrifices it takes."

Reported by Times business reporter Daryl Strickland. Send your nominations for Secret of My Success to The Times bureau. We need your name, the name of your nominees, along with their company and phone number and a brief description of how or why they are successful.