Meet Ramon Del Fresno

Chris Terrell, sales manager at Holler Hyundai, had challenges starting out in the car business, but since the lightbulb clicked on, he has had nothing but success. In the early 1990s, Chris needed to make a change in his career. He had spent years selling upscale shoes, and the boutique shoe stores were starting to shut down. Many of his clients were dealership employees, several of whom said he would be good in the car business. Chris decided to give it a try. While he struggled through the first year, he has been successful ever since. Chris is originally from Jacksonville, and life has taken him many places. Before working in the car industry, he served in the US Army. For the past 26 years, Chris has worked in various places in automotive roles. He spent a couple years training on best practices at different dealerships around the country. Then, 18 years ago, he joined the Holler-Classic family. He is currently in his 12 th year as a sales manager at Holler Hyundai, a role he takes pride in that is helping him train the next generation of leaders. Being able to guide, push, encourage, and educate employees motivates him to work hard in his role. The next big goal is to increase diversity in the industry and company. When Chris started in the car business, it was unusual for anyone who graduated college to even consider an automotive career. Now, more non-traditional people are joining the team, and he feels they are more open to trying because of the positive, open environment he has helped create. “Everyone fits. Everyone has a role to play,” Chris said. “We can be more successful as a group with more diversity.” For anyone looking to get into the car business, Chris stresses the importance of becoming brilliant in the basics. Learning the fundamentals is important, and wanting to serve others is what helps people thrive. The Holler-Classic company has shown that it really cares about customers by empowering employees to treat customers right. “Some companies give lip service to caring about customers,” Chris said. “The Holler organization really means it.” While Chris puts his all into his role as a sales manager at Holler Hyundai, he finds time outside of work to be active in his community. He spends a lot of his free time at community events with his church and masonic family. His proudest accomplishment is having raised four great adults who are doing phenomenal things. Overall, Chris works hard every day to be a strong leader who inspires the next generation of leaders.

Paul Ortiz started out hesitant about pursuing a sales career, but 5 years in, he is glad he chose this path. Originally from Puerto Rico, Paul moved to Florida with his parents when he was a teenager. Before his career began at Holler Hyundai, Paul worked in every part of restaurants, from cooking to serving. Then one day, his father-in-law saw the opening at Holler Hyundai and encouraged him to go for it. With the reputation car sales tends to have, he resisted at first but ultimately decided to apply. That was when his career as a sales representative began. Being on a commission-free sales team has proven to be a perfect fit for Paul. Everyone at the dealership gets along well, and he and his coworkers have good chemistry. Along with the positive work environment, Paul finds it appealing that he makes more money the harder he works. From what he has seen, the work puts in has a direct correlation with the money he makes. He says his parents instilled a strong work ethic in him. “I may not be the smartest worker, but I’m a hard worker,” Paul said. Paul’s family motivates him to keep working hard. Starting a family and having a great relationship with his wife are Paul’s proudest accomplishments. Because of this job, he has been able to build a good life for them. He looks forward to continuing to grow as a person inside and outside of work. His main goal is to be the best person he can be, rather than buying a big house or fancy car. “Material things come and go. Who I am as a person is more important,” Paul said. One day, Paul would like to work to live, rather than living to work. Little by little, this career path is helping him realize that dream.

Jose Figueroa, better known as “Figgs” by his Holler Hyundai family, finds that his workplace is like a home away from home. Originally from Puerto Rico, Jose moved in search of opportunity. The first opportunity he found was a security job in Kentucky, which was not a great fit for him. Soon after, he moved to Florida, where he found his niche in the automotive business. more Before finding his home at Holler Hyundai, Jose worked at another Central Florida dealership. There, he met Ramon, who applied at Holler Hyundai after meeting one of the sales managers. Soon after Ramon started at the dealership, Jose followed. “There is no comparison between the old school approach and the Buy Smart – Be Happy process,” Jose said. At Holler Hyundai, Jose has had entire families buy cars from him, with some buying multiple vehicles. In two and a half years, this career has allowed him to improve his life. He has gone from an old car to a new car, from a starter apartment to a much nicer one. For anyone looking to start an automotive career, Jose’s advice is to believe in the product and yourself. Jose is excited to come to work every day because he believes in the quality of Hyundai products. Over the years, the brand has worked to build on safety and reliability, and Hyundai cars now offer competitive technology at competitive prices. “If you believe in a product, it’s easy to sell,” Jose said. Working at a small dealership, Jose sees his coworkers as more of a second family. Motivated by his ability to help customers on a personal level, work in a pressure-free environment, and sell great products, Jose finds it easy to get out of bed and go to work every day.