beth hollis and the business of giving back

“Just for the record, I hate attention,” laughs Beth Hollis. “If I had my choice, I would just be a behind-the-scenes person, and other people would be out on the stage.”

This might sound like false humility, coming from someone who was recently named to Buffalo Business First’s “Power 200 Women” list. But Beth Hollis is not your average high-achieving corporate executive. 

As Vice President of Variable Operations at West Herr Automotive Group of New York, Hollis has crafted a career that offers a textbook definition of “fast-track.” But perhaps more significant than her highly impressive credentials as a businesswoman is her dedication to philanthropic efforts, and her insistence that empathy and compassion can and should be guiding principals, both within the corporate world and in the community realm. 

Anatomy of a fast-track

Hollis grew up in in the rural environment of Holland, New York, where a tight-knit family life forged in her a commitment to ideals that would become guiding principals in her life and career. But there have been some significant bumps in the road along the way. 

“I grew up with four siblings, and a fantastic family, with very loving parents,” she says. 

“But at the age of 18, I was unexpectedly having a child. My life took a very strong turn at that point. I was planning to study to be a teacher. But suddenly, that was all derailed. Because I was a young mom, who then became a single mom by the age of 20, I had to figure out how to support my child. And that’s what actually got me started in the car business.”

Though she had no formal education–“Just a little bit of college”–Hollis’ secure, loving upbringing dictated that she provide the same for her daughter. So she went looking for work. 

“I was drawn to the car industry, knowing it was something that you can get into without formal education, and if you work hard, you can make something of it.”

Hollis secured an entry-level position with a regional dealership, and quickly moved into management. But she wasn’t content to coast. 

She soon joined the West Herr team as a finance manager, drawn to  the company “because of their customer service,” she says. 

“I really liked how West Herr presented itself in the market. It seemed to be aligned with how I like to deal with people, as far as treating them the way they want to be treated, and serving the customer rather than selling the customer.” 

Some 18 months into her initial tenure at West Herr, an entry-level management opportunity presented itself.  

“At this point, my daughter was 12, so it was a little bit easier for me to take on more hours and more responsibility,” she recalls.  

Despite the relative rapidity of her climb, Hollis was far from finished. 

She soon moved into general management, and ran several of the dealership’s stores, a position she’d hold for more than a decade.

Then, in 2014, West Herr President and CEO Scott Bieler invited her to become a director, overseeing sales and finance operations for a group of the company’s dealerships.

Five years later, she was made Vice President of Sales, overseeing all 39 of the dealerships beneath the company’s umbrella. 

And finally, in 2022, Bieler crafted a succession plan, which will ultimately lead to Hollis taking over leadership of the company, upon his retirement.

“I truly hope that’s not for a very long time,” she says. “I know that’s unique for someone in my position, but I truly hope that we’re together for another 20 years.”

When Hollis started at West Herr, the company had around 1,200 employees. Today, as she sits near the top of the corporate ladder, there are more than 3,000. 

An inheritance of empathy

From the business perspective, West Herr stood out on the Western New York landscape, Hollis says. 

“It’s unique, because over all this time, I was never given something or denied something because I’m a woman. The culture Scott has created here is based on whoever’s best for the job getting the opportunity. My gender has never really mattered. I’ve tried to continue to instill that idea here, and be an advocate for it, both within the company and outside of it.”

Advocating for those in need is in Hollis’ genes, it seems. She was raised in an environment where doing so was viewed as an everyday occurrence, not an anomaly. 

“From my dad, I learned that you get one shot at life, and it’s a disservice to yourself to not reach your full potential, whatever that is,” Hollis recalls. “He would push me a lot. If I got a 98 on an exam in high school, he’d say, ‘OK–but it could’ve been a 100.’ I took that as motivation. It taught me to ask myself, ‘What do I want my life to look like? Who do I want to be?’ 

“My dad also taught me that it isn’t really about reputation, it’s about character. There will always be people saying things and viewing you in a certain way. But who, really, are you? And do you have character that is full of integrity and marked by empathy and care for others? 

“We are meant to make other people’s lives better. That’s really the meaning of life, in my view. And that belief started with my father.”

The serious work ethic engendered by Hollis’ father was balanced by the values of generosity, kindness and civic duty she observed in her mother’s day-to-day life. 

“I watched my mom live a life that was marked by generosity and kindness, at home and in the community,” she says. 

“One of the first things I remember, as a young child, is riding in the car with my mother and two of my sisters. And in Holland, you’re really out there, and it takes a long time to walk anywhere. And my mother stopped and picked up a disabled woman who was walking along the road–and anywhere she was trying to walk to from there was going to be a very long haul. So my mom picked her up and drove her to the drugstore, which was miles away. And I remember thinking two things–one, I was a little bit nervous, and wondering why we’re welcoming this stranger into our car. And secondly, after we dropped this woman off, I remember my mom explaining to me why she’d stopped to help.

“That’s the first memory I have of, you know, forget what timeline you’re on, forget what your agenda is–when there’s someone in need, you help them.”

That lesson would serve Hollis well.

Turning empathy into action

“I didn’t have any money when I was first a mom,” Hollis recalls. “We were dirt poor. My daughter’s father was in the military, and there was no real money there. And when we separated, I was making, I think, 19 thousand dollars a year. 

“So I remember that struggle, and that gives me motivation to help others. I was working as hard as I could, but the wages weren’t there yet. And I know others are going through this same thing. Too many times, there’s that mindset of, ‘Well, they’ve just gotta work harder, they’ve gotta pull themselves up by their bootstraps.’ But it’s not always that simple. A person might not have a loving family that can watch their child so they can be at work, for example. 

“There’s not enough sensitivity to how people might’ve grown up or what they’ve gone through in their own life. Empathy is really a responsibility we all have, as human beings. And turning that empathy into action is vitally important. Don’t just feel bad about something–ask yourself, ‘How could I help to make this better?’”

Empathy has spurred Hollis to engage in philanthropic efforts throughout her career, and that tendency has only increased as she’s become more and more successful in the business world. 

“I was just as happy when I had nothing as I am today, in all honesty,” she says. “Having nothing taught me that I don’t need a lot. Material things don’t really matter, despite the way that many people act. So, even when I didn’t have much myself, I always gave something back to people who had less.”

Recently, Hollis and West Herr were involved in a large donation to Children’s Hospital, targeting mental health issues–anxiety, depression, substance abuse–affecting young people in the pandemic and post-pandemic climate. 

“We were able to provide the funding for building a staff of in-patient psychologists, because insurance only covers out-patient psychologists. There are hundreds of kids a month getting dropped off at the emergency room in some sort of crisis, and there hasn’t been funding for an on-staff psychologist. This helps the families of these kids, as well. Since then, Delaware North has funded an in-patient staff psychologist, too.”

Hollis has also worked extensively with the Family Justice Center, offering a sizable annual donation with an emphasis on domestic violence support, as well as providing financial support and mounting funding initiatives for Child and Family Services, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Buffalo. She sits on the board of PATH of WNY, a non-profit that seeks to end human trafficking through education and prevention, where she spearheads funding and awareness events.

Throughout her career, Hollis has kept these philanthropic activities private. But recently, she has become more open about them. Anything that will increase awareness of the work these organizations do is worth the effort, she believes. 

“I’m a private person, but I hope my story might be inspiring to women, specifically, because this is a very male-dominated industry, and it’s not easy to succeed within it. And by talking about the philanthropic efforts I’m involved in, these issues get more exposure and the message gets spread, I hope. So I’ve become a bit more vocal over time.”

So what became of the daughter Hollis raised on her own, while simultaneously trying to build what would become one of the most impressive careers in all of Western New York business? Today, she’s a behavioral scientist working for Southwestern Medical in Dallas, Texas.

“She’s an amazing person. She’s doing important work and has built an incredible career, but she’s also an amazing mother. She was my motivation when I was only 18 and scared and alone. She made me want to do more with my life. Now, as an adult, she’s my inspiration, still motivating me to do more.

“I only had one child. But I got the best one.”