Tanner

Anyone in the Greenville area has heard of Big O Dodge. It has been an icon in the upstate and happens to be the largest Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep dealership in South Carolina. The driving force behind the business for the last 5 years has been Tanner Odum. He was thrust into the roll of Dealer Principal after his father died in a motorcycle accident in 2003. He was 24 years old at the time. I had just become the Chrysler District Manager for the upstate and the first time I met Tanner, I remember feeling sorry for him because he was dealing with the loss of his father and was forced into running a multi-million dollar business all at the same time. During his time at Big O, he has faced personnel issues, facility issues, and many other issues, but he never failed to learn something from every experience.

I spent a year working in the Greenville market and Tanner was still getting his feet under him when I left. I spent 4 years in Atlanta and Savannah and when the Greenville position came open again, I put my name in the hat. Tanner was a completely different person when I met him again, in a good way. He was in control of his business and no longer had that deer in the headlights look. Sadly, Tanner Odum died in a car crash early Monday morning near his home. In this business of dealer/factory relationships, there are not many chances to make good personal friends. Tanner was one of those rare exceptions for me. He will be missed...

Run: 3.3 sad, hot miles at 9:30 pace.