I was saddened today to hear of the far too early passing of a longtime friend in the auto business, Tim Bailey, president and owner of RPM of Mississippi (Gulfport, MS).

I had first gotten to know Tim back in 1998 when I hired his company to help one of my stores with a staffed event. To say that I was skeptical at first would be an understatement, but I was more than pleasantly surprised to learn that Tim had two qualities that I seldom found in the retail automobile business – he had integrity, and he could produce results. I got to know Tim very well over the next few years. He genuinely cared about his clients who would ultimately became good friends. Ultimately a lot of my friends became his clients, and his friends, as well. He seldom if ever had a bad word to say about anyone, and I don’t recall anyone having anything bad to say about him.

That isn’t to say that Tim or his employees weren’t capable of mistakes, but if they occurred, he would take the shirt off his back to make them right. Doing the right thing was always more important than the extra buck, and because of that, I had the highest respect for him.

I was shocked to hear that there would be no funeral service. (Possibly a memorial service in a few months.) What a shame. Tim made the world more than a little bit better for his clients and his friends. I will remember him for that and for being a good friend. I know there will be a lot of other people that will do the same. My deepest condolences to Anne, his wife of many years, and his family.