DSF: Tell us about yourself and your upbringing.
AW: I was born in Hungary, and moved to the United States in 1956 as a refugee from the Cold War, and Russia’s invasion of Hungary. My family actually walked across the Austrian border during the invasion. Along the way, I got scarlet fever and was hospitalized for seven weeks. My father actually worked as a janitor in a hospital for three weeks to pay the bill.
The Red Cross got us to the U.S., and we lived for four months at Camp Kilmer, NJ--- a closed down army camp. A Polish family then took us in their home in January, 1957. After six months or so we went on our own, and lived in North Milwaukee. I couldn’t speak any English when we arrived in January, but by the time I started first grade in September, I could speak almost perfectly.
While in grade school, I met Pat Stephens, who was three years older than me, and his brother Terry, who both ended up being Delta Sigs at UW LaCrosse. They became very good friends of mine, and still are. I went to high school in Milwaukee at St. John's Cathedral. I became the class president my sophomore and junior years, and played soccer on a three time state championship team.
DSF: After that upbringing, what made you decide to attend UW LaCrosse?
AW: Well, I wanted to go away to school, and Pat was attending LaCrosse. Terry and I went up to visit him while he was attending school, and we had a great time, so I decided that’s where I wanted to go as well. Also, it had a great business school, and that’s what I was interested in studying.
DSF: Once on campus, tell us about your experience.
AW: I was very disciplined while I was in school. I always scheduled an 8 am class, and was at the library between all of my classes. I really viewed school as a job, and I am glad that I did. I felt as though I was there to get an education. When it came to the weekends, however, I really had a good time as well. I believe in the concept of "work hard and play hard"---each has its place.
I ended up graduating as the #1 graduate in LaCrosse’s Business school with a 4.0 GPA. More than anything else, this was due to my disciplined routine I followed while in school.
DSF: Talk about how you decided to join Delta Sigma Phi, and what you got out of that experience.
AW: Well, I joined because of Pat Stephens and my relationship to him. He introduced me to the other guys, and I really got along with them as well.
While pledging, there was an active in the chapter by the name of Wally Iselin, who made a life long impression on me. Wally later went on to become head football coach at UW Platteville,. He was a senior when I was a freshman. He taught me a lesson that I thought was very important – "it isn’t what you say, but how you say it that matters." I have taken that with me since my days of pledging the Fraternity and found it to be a powerful concept to remember when communicating tough messages.
DSF: How did you end up at Ford Motor Credit?
AW: During the Spring of my senior year, I interviewed with recruiters on campus with no luck. I then sent a handwritten resume to Ford Credit. They sent me a letter back saying that there were no openings, but that they would keep my resume on file.
Well, two weeks later, I received a telegram to fly in and interview for a position. The interview was grueling – I met with 8-9 people, and it lasted all day. At 5:00 pm, I received an offer to be paid $900/month plus a quarterly cost of living allowance bringing my total salary to about $12,000 per year. It’s not a lot today, but I was really thrilled to get it back then. I have spent 33 1/2 years with Ford, of which 29 were at Ford Credit.
DSF: Talk about your career, and what you’ve done.
AW: Well, I have had 23 different jobs in my 33 years, in areas such as leasing, marketing, dealer credit, operations services, field operations, M&A, risk management and strategic planning. I now serve as President of Ford Credit North America. During the past four years, my profit center generated over $11 billion in pretax profits - I'm pretty proud of that.
DSF: Tell us about your responsibilities in this position, and what a day in the life of AJ Wagner is like.
AW: With this position I am also a vice president of the parent company, Ford Motor Company. I oversee 3,500 employees, which was once over 10,000 before the re-structuring that Ford has undergone in the past 5 years. I also serve on three boards, Ford Motor Credit Company, Ford Credit Canada, of which I serve as chairman, and Ford Direct, our lead management subsidiary.
I usually work 12 hour days, usually from 7 am until 7 pm Monday-Friday. I have wall to wall meetings from 8 am - 5 pm most days. These include corporate governance meetings, strategy meetings, forecasting meetings, personnel development meetings, sales and marketing review meetings, and more.
I travel about 30% of the time, to trade shows, and dealer meetings to give speeches and represent Ford.
I receive numerous calls from customers and others throughout the day, and receive over 100 e-mails per day. One philosophy that I have is that I return every phone call that I receive the day that I get it, even if it’s after hours.
I have an open door policy, which means that any employee can come see me even without an appointment. Given my longevity I am known as the guy who has some of the best dealer relationships throughout the company. This was evidenced when I announced my retirement, and I received over 500 congratulatory e-mails, many of which were from dealers. I really appreciated all the well wishes.
DSF: With the struggles of the auto industry, where do you see the automotive industry in five years?
AW: I believe that the auto industry will still be there, and will be strong. The question is, who will be the players in it? When I started, Ford, GM, and Chrysler had 75% of the market. That number is now 45%.
Toyota, which was really doing well, is now having some sales issues as well, so the question becomes not who will be the Big Three but who will be the Big Six? I believe that there won’t be a Big Three, but rather six companies which are all competing for that market that was once dominated by the Big Three.
DSF: What are your hobbies?
AW: Well, I am an avid Harley rider. I like to golf, and my wife, Becky, and I like to go out to dinner and enjoy a good bottle of wine.
DSF: Who has had the greatest impact on you throughout your life?
AW: My Dad has had a great impact on me in terms of instilling values, discipline and drive into me. He instilled the mindset that you have to work hard, do good things, and be a good person to succeed in life.
Also, one of my college professors, Professor Tillman, instilled in me the fact that you have to have technical expertise, but you must be pragmatic as well. He used the phrase, “There ain’t no free lunch when teaching us, and that nothing in life was free. Everything has tradeoffs and therefore a cost associated with it."
Finally, my first boss at Ford Credit, Ed Conway, instilled in me to be a good teacher, to be patient, and to be highly complimentary when leading others. I patterned my style in managing people after his. He taught me that “you can’t be one way all the time, that you needed a multitude of management styles or approaches to fit the situation.”
DSF: What advice would you give to Delta Sigs today to be successful?
AW: Everyone in the working world is reasonably intelligent, so what separates one person from the pack is their commitment, dedication, drive and interpersonal skills. Having these, and being able to utilize them and adapt them to the appropriate situation is extremely important in being successful.
AJ Wagner is a 1970 initiate of the Epsilon Iota chapter at UW LaCrosse. AJ will be retiring from Ford Motor Credit January 1, and will be continuing his career as a consultant. He has received numerous awards and honors, including being named the 2006 Phillip E. Benton Award winner, which is presented by the Minority Dealer Association of Ford to the one executive per year who most fosters diversity, takes support for minority dealers to a new level, and helps strengthen their business. He also gave the 2004 Commencement address at his alma mater. He resides in Northville, MI with his wife, Becky.
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