Johnson King didn’t grow up a car guy. An Oklahoma City native, King moved west to attend Pepperdine University. After graduating with a degree in economics, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, but his uncle co-owns Tuttle-Click Auto Group, so the self-described “people person” thought he’d give auto retailing a try. He started in 2011 as a salesman at Tuttle-Click Ford-Lincoln in Irvine, Calif., one of the group’s 16 locations. Nine years later, he’s the general manager, overseeing more than 120 employees. Profits and market share have risen during his tenure, but the job hasn’t come easy. King said he didn’t really get comfortable in the industry for about a year.