Meet the Staff: Geraldo Hernandez

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.

Ramon Del Fresno moved to Florida from Puerto Rico in 2017 with his family, who he works hard to support every day. In 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, and Ramon knew the best move was to relocate. Already having automotive experience, he quickly found a job at a dealership in Central Florida. At the first dealership he found, the constant back-and-forth haggling created a stressful environment. Ramon knew he belonged in the automotive business, but he wanted to work at a place where everyone received fair treatment. Through the secretary at his son’s school, Ramon met a sales manager from Holler Hyundai, who referred him to the sales position at the dealership. While living in Puerto Rico, Ramon worked at a Hyundai dealership, so he already had experience and product knowledge that would help him thrive. more At the time, Ramon did not speak much English, and the staff at Holler Hyundai gave him an opportunity to learn as he worked. This is what stood out the most to Ramon. The staff at Holler Hyundai was willing to help him and help customers in a different way than he had ever seen. At Holler Hyundai, sales representatives are honest with customers by design. From the initial greeting, known as a concept statement, customers know to expect upfront pricing, a commission-free sales process, and a money-back guarantee. This environment is a perfect fit for Ramon, whose passion is helping people. He always enjoys seeing customers smile when they find the perfect car. “Here, you don’t just have a salesman; you have a friend,” Ramon said. Ramon aspires to become a top performing sales representative at Holler Hyundai, where he has now worked for about 2 years. He is happy in his current position, where he can help customers and support his family at home. This career has served him well, and he plans to stick around. “My goal is to be here for a really long time.”

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.