Heads, we win

Black Enterprise, June, 1995 by Dan Holly

It didn't take long for him to craft a formula to not only bring them in but to sell them cars. Conyers hired more white sales staff and managers to "create a comfort level for any customer that comes in." He aggressively marketed his service department to downtown office workers, figuring that if they trusted him to fix their cars they'd eventually trust him to sell them a new one.

The courting continues unashamedly. A huge blimp floats above the dealership, making it hard for suburban commuters to overlook his presence. He offers limousine service to the Renaissance Center, an office and retail complex that houses 12,000 workers. And Conyers has not forgotten his black customers, many of whom are from nearby impoverished neighborhoods. His daughter, Nancy Conyers, who heads the company's credit operations, spends a lot of time persuading Ford to make loans to customers whose incomes and credit histories are below average. Conyers also aggressively goes after government contracts, which make up 70% of his fleet sales and have helped him through some lean years.

The management of Conyers Riverside Ford is a study in diversity. At a recent managers' meeting, held in a windowless conference room at the back of one of the showrooms, eight of the 13 managers were white.

But there was no doubt who was in charge. The managers called him Mr. Conyers, boss or sir. Conyers set a jovial mood and did not speak much--his managers say he does not micromanage--but he had the last word.

Conyers exhorted his managers to come up with new ways to keep expenses down, then made it clear that it was not a suggestion: "We're going to do it come hell or high water."

One could almost feel a silent "Amen" settle over the room.

DOING THE RIGHT THING

Conyers, at 6[feet]2[inches] with salt-and-pepper hair, looks like a typical corporate executive. But he's no typical businessman, according to those who know him. A competitor, Mel Farr, CEO of the Mel Farr Automotive Group in Oak Park, Mich., says Conyers taught him to have a social conscience. "He has the candid ability to keep you interested in doing the right thing--doing the right thing because it's the right thing to do," Farr says. "All businessmen should have a social conscience. Business is part of the community it thrives on, and if you destroy the community, you destroy your business."

Many have advised Conyers to relocate to the suburbs where taxes are lower, parking is more plentiful and customers have more money to spend. He's never seriously considered it. Conyers believes suburban flight is motivated by the city's large black population--76%, according to the 1990 census. He said that's a racist attitude and he wants no part of it. "I was born, raised, schooled and have worked in the city of Detroit," Conyers said. "I'm truly a native Detroiter with a strong attachment to the city."

Conyers likes to brag that many of the African-Americans who have worked for him have gone on to own their own dealerships. Conyers helped create and served as the first president of the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers, a group dedicated to helping black businesspeople succeed in the industry.