March 20, 2002
Page A6
B usiness
Catching up with ‘Clu’
Building consumer trust is key to
success in the automobile industry
B illy D. M oore
F or T he P ortland O bserver
Clarence “Clu” Larkins is back
in the car business.
A fter seven years at W eston
Pontiac G M C, Larkins has relo
cated and is the new Fleet Lease
Sales Manager for Town & Coun
try Ford in inner-northeast Port
land.
Surely you rem em ber Clu?
H e ’s from right here “in the
hood." Mr. And Mrs. Larkins
raised their children here and
still ow n a hom e in northeast
Portland.
Larkins has extensive experi
ence in the custom er service
field. He started out in the airline
industry, w orking for m ajor car
riers like Delta. In 1993, he joined
the team at W eston Pontiac
G M C and quickly rose up the
sales ladder to becom e one o f
the co m p an y ’s top producers.
He lives by the m otto that if
you treat people the w ay you
want to be treated, they will come
back and do business w ith you
again. I t’s this a ttitu d e that
Larkins has taken to Tow n &
C ountry’s family o f dealerships.
He has the experience to know
that the custom er com es first.
His form er boss, Jay W eston
said, “Custom ers and fellow em
ployees alike enjoyed and re
spected C la re n c e ’s ab ility to
sell, not ju st the car, but the
dealership.”
by
Some people think the sales are
the most important part o f a car
deal, but that is so far from the
truth. The ability to provide a cli
ent with the after care maintenance
and product knowledge is what
keeps people coming back, and
Larkins will tell you that the money
is in repeat business. Developing
trust and the right attitude are the
keys to continued success in the
automobile industry.
Larkins left Weston Pontiac
GMC in 1999 to realize a longtime
goal o f finishing his college edu
cation. He earned a Bachelor o f
Science degree from Portland State
University in June o f 2000.
A long the way he met and
m arried his lovely wife, Marie.
W ho, by the way, is one o f the
top hair stylists in the N orth
w est. Together, they co-ow n a
m u lti-p u rp o s e sa lo n c a lle d
M e R a e ’s on N o rth e a st 4 2 nd
across the street from W hitaker
M iddle School.
Plans for the future encompass
developing the property into a
diverse business complex and at
some point, building a penthouse
to live in. In the meantime, they are
very active in their community
and church, the Irvington Cov
enant Community Church.
L a rk in s, w ho sits on the
Irvington Covenant Community
D e v e lo p m e n t C o r p o r a tio n
board, and his wife are truly
proud o f the church’s vision to
Diana’s Fashion
Boutique Closing
Diana McKnight, owner o f
Diana’s Fashion Boutique at
2808 N.E. Martin Luther King
Jr. Blvd. is closing her store
after almost 8 years in busi
ness.
M cK night says that the
downturn in the economy is
largely responsible.
“A lthough m any people
enjoy the quality and style o f
our merchandise, not finding a
buyer will force me to close my
doors,” McKnight said.
D iana’s Fashion Boutique
sold unique fashions from
around the world.
The store will close its doors
on Saturday, March 23. Mer
chandise is being marked down
by as much as 50 percent.
M cKnight said her future
plans would include work as a
fashion consultant and expert.
Clarence “Clu ’ Larkins, the new fle e t le a se s a le s m anager at Town & Country Ford, d irects c u sto m e rs to th e n o rth e a st Portland
auto dealership.
photo by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
help low-income minorities have
safe and livable housing.
The Larkins also plan to open
a low -incom e financial institu
tion dealing w ith estate plan
ning and investm ent strategies
for the less fortunate. They also
hope to help the seasoned in
vestor as well.
Back at Town & Country, the
new position o f Fleet and Lease
M anager is the springboard for
better things to come.
As they like to say on line in
the car business: UP!
Community Leader Takes Federal Post
v
Conrad Lee
Conrad Lee, an Asian-Ameri
can businessman, engineer and
community leader, is the new re
gional administrator at the U.S.
Small Business Administration.
Boni in China, Lee came to the
United States to earn an engineer
ing degree from the University o f
Michigan in 1962. From 1962-78,
except for two years as a stock
broker, Lee worked for Boeing Co.
in various capacities, including
engineer, marketing sales manager
and energy analyst. He received
an MBA in finance and interna
tional business from the Univer-
sity o f W ashington in 1980.
“It is a rare honor and special
pleasure for me to serve President
Bush, along with the country I
dearly love and my fellow Ameri
cans,” Lee said. “I appreciate and
value this country’s democracy
and economic/political system. I
am blessed to have lived the
American dream and that I am able
to give back in some small way
what I have so abundantly re
ceived.”
The regional office serves
Northwest states from its head
quarters in Seattle.
Student Loan Payment Help Offered
(AP) - Area residents at risk o f
defaulting on their student loans in
the midst o f a tumbling economy can
get a respite from payments while
they weather the financial storm, state
officials say.
The number o f default claims filed
in the state in the past year are more
than quadruple those filed in the pre
vious year, according to the Oregon
Student Assistance Commission.
“It’s only going to get worse as we
see the unem ploym ent rate get
w orse,” OSAC spokesman Gene
Evans said. “It’s a direct correlation
between the economy and student loan
payments.”
OSAC wants borrowers to know that
people who lose their jobs can apply for
deferments that can run from 24 to 36
months over the life o f the loan, depend
ing on when the loans were taken out.
Depending on the type o f loan, the
federal government may even pick up
the interest payments during the defer
ment. If not, the borrower can roll the
interest into the loan while the defer
ment is in effect.
For more information, call the com
mission at 541 -687-7458or800-261 -4524.
Right now , C larence Larkins
is UP to the challenge ofhelping
to lead Tow n & C ountry Ford
and his com m unity in the new
millennium.
Hißh
Tech Boost
A (A
P P)— High-tech jobs are ex
i
i — H i a h -te e n in n s a re ex-
pected to boost Portland’s falter
ing employment in coming years,
according to a new 20-year eco
nomic forecast.
But the report shows the re
gion w on’t dig itself out o f the
recession as fast as the rest o f the
nation because the area’s eco-^
nomic slowdown was more se
vere and started earlier.
Employment is at its low point
and should start its rebound early
next year, according to the analy
sis by the regional government
Metro.
The numbers show the Port
land area will add 557,000 jobs
and more than 894,000 new resi
dents between 2000 and 2025.
Metro will use the report to
determine how much land the area
needs for housing and jobs dur
ing the next 20 years. Itwilldecide
late this year on where and how
much to expand development in
the region.
Portland’s exaggerated slump
during the past year doesn ’ t erase
the a re a ’s trajectory o f fast
growth, economists say.
That would put the Portland
area on pace to grow faster than
the rest o f the country during the
next three decades.
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