Vince Lombardi said it best, “Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” Working together as a team is paramount for Robert Hinkle, General Manager of Park Place Motorcars Grapevine.
Starting his career as an Accountant, Robert eventually got tired of sitting behind a desk and set his sights on the car-business. A friend, who was already working for Park Place, talked highly about the company, the atmosphere and the culture at Park Place Dealerships.
“I really liked the idea of running my own business, so to speak,” said Hinkle. “When you are selling cars everything is up to you.”
Robert joined Park Place in 2000 as a pre-owned sales consultant at Park Place Motorcars Bedford (which later relocated to Grapevine).
In September 2002, he was promoted to Finance Business Manager and then promoted to pre-owned sales director in July 2003. Hinkle has been general manager of Park Place Motorcars Grapevine since 2007. Being at the helm of one of the top Mercedes-Benz stores in the nation for nearly a decade, he continuously strives to strengthen and empower his team to achieve excellence.
“I do have high expectations, but I would never ask something of a member (employee) that I would not be willing to do myself,” said Hinkle. “I’m a firm believer if you do the right thing consistently, you will always succeed and opportunities will come your way.”
There are many moving pieces in car sales; from sales, to service, to greeters, to porters, all of which are equally important and all are part of a single unit working together toward the same common goal- they’re the Park Place Motorcars Grapevine TEAM.
“I have always compared it [car sales] to team sports. The practice time, dedication, and sweat it takes to have a winning team is not easy but very rewarding,” said Hinkle.
Robert’s dedication to his team, customer service, and Park Place is evident in the various awards and accolades. He has twice received a Gold Achievement Salesman of the Year Award, has been ranked top ten in the nation for pre-owned Sales for Mercedes-Benz, and Park Place Motorcars Grapevine has been named “Best of the Best” by Mercedes-Benz numerous times.
Outside all things cars, Robert enjoys spending time with his family and fishing. He’s also passionate about pet adoption. “It breaks my heart to see the way these animals are abused and neglected,” says Robert. “Please adopt a pet.”
For 2016, Robert’s focus remains on his Park Place Motorcars Grapevine team. “I would like to see us all return to what got us here and that is all the departments working very closely and as a strong TEAM. Taking care of each other and providing the best client experience possible.”