Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com March 13, 2017 • Hartford Business Journal 5 Car business drives Pimentel's career success By John Stearns jstearns@HartfordBusiness.com J ob Pimentel began selling cars 31 years ago and never looked in the rearview mirror. "Once I got in the car business, I real- ized this was it," said Pimentel, 52, general manager of New Country BMW in Hart- ford since mid-January. Pimentel wants to double sales within two years to more than 200 vehicles per month, roughly split between new and preowned. New Country is undergoing a $5-million-plus project to open a new BMW store next to its current one on Weston Park Road, which will be razed for parking. Pimentel eyes a September move-in and hopes to hire about 10 people, bringing total staff to about 90. Pimentel envisioned becoming a doc- tor until college costs strained family finances and he left after about 2 ½ years. He could have completed college in his native Dominican Republic for free, "but I guess I didn't want it bad enough," he said, calling the car business his schooling. Pimentel's parents moved from the Dominican to New York City when he was a baby and returned for a few years to school their children in their home lan - guage and culture. After leaving college and getting mar- ried, Pimentel found work selling cars at a Chevrolet-Buick dealership in Pat- terson, N.J., quickly becoming top sales person, then sales manager within a year. A career launched. He landed in Connecticut as general sales manager of a Buick-Nissan store in Watertown in 1990, then GM of Water- town's BMW store later that year. He's been with BMW almost exclu- sively since 1990. He went to Puerto Rico, where his first wife was from, in the mid- 1990s to establish a new BMW dealership. He oversaw site selection, construction and operations, everything but owner- ship, and calls the project one of his proudest accomplishments. "It's my baby," Pimentel said. "It's a great store." He ran the facility about 12 years before partnering in a Nissan dealership in Puer- to Rico, later adding Kia. That didn't work out and, after about four years, he bought a preowned dealership on the island. He then opened a preowned department at an Albuquerque BMW dealership, before returning to Watertown as BMW GM. Most recently, he ran the West Springfield BMW, which he's proud to have enhanced, credit- ing good processes and hires. A Watertown homeowner, he's happy he halved what was about a 90-minute commute to West Springfield. Processes are important to Pimentel. While New Country has a high customer satisfaction index, he wants to regain BMW Center of Excellence designation, last held in 2014, given to stores that outperform. "I'm a coach," he said. "Like most coaches … I'm all about processes. This is a simple business. It's treat the customers well, have processes in place so that you can treat the customers well. … It gets to a point where it just runs by itself." He says he's not a "guns blazing-type manager," adding people deserve a pay- check and opportunity. But they have to be willing to learn and follow the system. His responsibility to run the store well helps ensure employees retain jobs to sup- port their families. "My approach has always been, I'm going to work with those who are willing to work," Pimentel said. "Abil- ity can be acquired, but attitude, man, that's a tough one. You either have it or you don't." Tim Parker, vice president of New Country Motor Car Group, said Pimentel has deep experience with BMW, an ability and willingness to run a larger dealership, a focus on staff and customer satisfaction, and strong moral compass and family values. "He has an appealing calmness and confidence in his demeanor and a strong business acumen," Parker said via email. "All of these things make him a great fit with me and the culture of our group." Pimentel, who remarried three years ago, calls his blended family the Domini- can Brady Branch. He has a grown son, and two daughters by his first marriage, and his Dominican wife, Flora, has four daughters, the youngest being 17 and who's one of two at home. The blended holiday gatherings are joyous, Pimentel said. Pimentel's an avid reader with diverse tastes and multiple books under way at once. He also likes to cook, but is more his wife's helper than a chef — except with pancakes, made by scratch or mix, often with fruit. "I am the pancake master at home," Pimentel said. H B J P H O T O | J O H N S T E A R N S Job Pimentel, behind the wheel of a new BMW, became general manager of New Country BMW on Jan. 14. Job Pimentel General manager, New Country BMW, Hartford Highest education: About 2 ½ years at then-Lee College, Cleveland, Tenn. Executive insights: " Take care of the customer, take care of your employees — everything else works out from there." EXECUTIVE PROFILE Check out a video clip of Job Pimentel's interview at hartfordbusiness.com. Quality Construction + Butler Manufacturing = Repeat Customers www.borghesibuilding.com © 2011 BlueScope Buildings North America, Inc. All rights reserved. Butler Manufacturing™ is a division of BlueScope Buildings North America, Inc. 2155 East Main Street • Torrington, Connecticut 06790 Gregor Technologies, Torrington, CT | 2007 | 40,000 sq. ft. 2009 | Addition — 28,500 sq. ft. Contact us at 860-482-7613 or visit us on the web. From Central Connecticut's trusted business news source. It's the up-to-date information you need to do better business! and HBJToday Get local breaking business news daily! HBJToday and CT Morning Blend are FREE and you may unsubscribe at any time. Sign up today at HartfordBusiness.com: Click on the 'SUBSCRIBE' button

• Cover