Walker Spotlight: Dave Morse
David Morse, Store Sales Representative (SSR), has played a vital role in the success of Walker Auto & Truck (Walker) in the Wilmington area. He has been with Walker for two years now and has yet to have a dull moment with his co-workers or customers. Get to know a little more about one of Walker’s most vibrant personalities!
What got you into the parts business?
Growing up my father and I would always restore cars and motorcycles and I have always been interested in the mechanics side of the automotive industry. I just decided one day, hey, it would be kind of fun to work in a parts house, so here I am now.
What is one of the biggest successes you’ve had with Walker?
My favorite success story would probably be growing a relationship from a past account that we had kind of lost and had completely written NAPA off. They did not like the previous NAPA owner, so I re-approached them when the Walkers bought the NAPA stores in Wilmington, and since then we have gained that relationship back and we are their number one call now.
What does customer service mean to you?
Everything! Customer service is everything. I take pride in taking care of our customers as quickly and efficiently as I possibly can. It’s really what we do here at Walker as a team, and it shows how we are better than the next person.
How have you grown professionally with Walker?
Walker has given me a whole new thought process on how I approach my job compared to my old company. They really stay strong in relationships, and I like relationships. I have this saying if you cannot give someone an answer immediately, I tell my customers that “I’ve got a guy,” and then I make a phone call and I take care of that customer. Being able to have new resources within the Walker and NAPA channels, helps me help my customer, so I am able to get stuff done.
What was your first car?
My first car was a 1987 Subaru GL 10 all-wheel drive. It was not my first choice of cars, but I lost it in a hurricane, and I cried when I did.
And favorite car?
A 1949 Mercury Lead Sled because my father introduced me to the movie American Graffiti when I was a kid and I saw that car in that movie and since then I cannot stop thinking about it. One day I will have one.
1949 Mercury Lead Sled
What are you passionate about?
My passions are music, relationships with my family, friends, co-workers and of course my customers. I just enjoy life and I try to enjoy everything.
Favorite thing to do outside of work?
I like to work in my yard. I like to tinker around the garage. I don’t have any current projects at the moment, but my wife and I just bought a new house, and I am building my new garage empire as we speak. Eventually I’ll maybe find a cool project to pull into that garage to start working on.
What is your favorite thing about going to work every day?
My co-workers, believe it or not. I love all my co-workers. We have a blast. We have so much fun, and we tackle every obstacle that comes to us efficiently. That keeps me going, working with the Walker’s and working in my job description.
What does Walker mean to you?
Walker means family, business and fun.
Why NAPA?
NAPA. Why NAPA? It's funny, going back to before I started in this business my dad was always talking about NAPA growing up. That is where he got all his parts from. We restored 3 or 4 vehicles and it was just NAPA, NAPA, NAPA. It's just an old name and I thought I would just give it a try and work for them.
What do you hope for your future with Walker?
I’m looking forward to growing with the Walker’s and growing our business, relationships, and services for our customers.
Anything else you’d like to add?
So, a cool story working in this profession: I got a phone call from this guy who told me he wanted to buy some equipment for this new shop he was setting up and he explained to me that he had a Corvette restoration shop. I immediately was a little concerned because there are Corvette guys but there are also non-Corvette guys. I was not sure what I was walking into, but I went to see his shop. I made an appointment and drove out there, he opened the door and I saw 14 of the most beautiful Corvettes I have ever seen in my life, ranging from 1953 to ‘67. All of them were perfectly restored. It was just beautiful. He started to pull the covers off each car and that just got my blood pumping. That is what I think is cool, seeing some of that stuff.
