Author: Park Place

Dallas-born Henry Ortiz grew up in nearby Euless, graduated Trinity High (Go Trojans!) in May 2006 and like most grads, wondered what to do with himself. His job at a local Tom Thumb grocery store was okay for the moment, but in his quiet, determined way, he aspired to more. Much more.

So when a customer casually mentioned that Park Place Mid Cities was hiring just down the road, he jumped. A month later, he was a parts runner with the parts team, learning and absorbing everything around him, focused on achieving his goal – working his way up to a service technician role and becoming a master of all things Mercedes. 

“Seemed like a good idea at the time,” he chuckles.

He took advantage of a transfer opportunity at Motorcars Fort Worth, where he met his new boss and mentor, Diki Terry, who was serving as Assistant Parts Manager. And when Terry was asked to serve as Parts Director at the newly-opened Park Place Motorcars Arlington store in October 2015, she asked Henry if he’d like to join her team.

He couldn’t say “yes” fast enough.

Now, as Parts Manager (he was promoted in the summer of 2018), he’s still saying “yes” – happily – to service techs, to parts customers around the metroplex, to the occasional client who wanders in and, of course, to Terry, too (hey, she’s the boss). See her Spotlight here.

“Henry is a great asset, not only our department, but to Park Place Arlington as well,” Terry says. “He provides an outstanding client experience to both our internal and external clients. He’s quick to jump in to assist in all areas and he’s a great mentor and leader to our team. Henry is passionate in caring for our members and our clients. He’s knowledgeable and shares his experiences with others to lead and develop them in their career.”

“She’s famous for her daily 15-minute tune-up meetings with our staff,” he says. “It’s a great way to identify and solve whatever challenges we face that day. On the rare occasion when she’s not here, we do them ourselves.”

Ortiz has no regrets about sticking with parts instead of pursuing a service tech role.

“From day one, it was clear that the company was interested in my professional development by extending opportunities to me,” he says. “I could’ve gone the tech route, but I felt super-comfortable with the way things were rolling. The whole management team is really invested in making growth investments in our team members. Where else can you find that?”

Along the way, he’s also been able to indulge his curiosity about the many technicalities of Mercedes engineering. “My parents had a late Reagan-era Mercedes and even though I was just a kid, I knew it was different from everything else: really solid and built to a different standard of quality than anything else.”

When he joined Park Place, he was immediately enrolled in, and continues to attend, various and sundry Mercedes certification course. “There’s so much history behind the brand,” he says. “After all, they invented and patented the first automobile more than a hundred years ago. There’s just so much that you might not know unless you own one and take the time to look into it. Fantastic vehicles.”

Although he works primarily behind the scenes, he remembers one pre-owned client who he helped with exceptional service. She decided that she wasn’t all that crazy about her wheels, and Ortiz helpfully stepped in with several recommendations that raised her satisfaction level to a perfect 10.

“After that, she’d stop by now and then and we’d always have a nice chat,” he says. “On one visit, she mentioned that she was expecting, so I got her a little Mercedes stuffed bear to say congratulations. She sent us a handwritten thank-you note about how blessed she felt to have friends at our store. It was a really sweet moment for all of us, since we don’t often get a chance to build relationships directly with clients.”

Speaking of families, Ortiz and his wife Veronica have two boys, Jude and Liam, and recently welcomed a baby girl, Emry, in January. But it’s his first-born’s name – Jude – That reveals his respect for a certain well-known classic British band from Liverpool.  

“I play a little piano and guitar and a few years ago began noticing that all the songs I really liked are Beatles tunes, especially ‘Hey Jude,’” he says. (Ortiz plays a Fender Stratocaster and a Gibson Les Paul-style, which speaks volumes to those in the know.)

“So Veronica and I decided, hey, Jude! All his teachers would sing it to him, because everybody on the planet knows the song. He’s probably sick of it,” Ortiz adds with a grin. 

Did they ever consider that Emry might be a Lucy instead?

“For about a minute,” he laughs.

It’s an oft-quoted inspirational maxim – “Find a job you like and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Variously attributed to Mark Twain, Confucius and your local HR motivational poster, it’s been repeated so frequently that it’s become a tired cliché.

 

But when you meet someone who loves what they do so much that they accomplish feats far beyond the mere mortal, that old platitude springs vigorously to life.

Say hello to Anam Ali Hashambhai, Marketing Director for Park Place Dealerships. In her quiet yet determined way, this Dallas native and SMU grad (BBA) seems to be everywhere at once, without seeming to break a sweat, much less ever losing her cool.

To her credit, she laughs at such an over-the-top description. She does, however, admit to being “probably more of a planner than is really necessary, but it’s just how my mind works.”

The ability to plan her work, then work her plan, serves her well at Park Place – the company’s 11 dealerships account for dozens of marketing and community projects every month. Organizing is a trait she picked up in her youth, when she took an active role in her family’s entrepreneurial enterprises during summer vacations. “I was always creating flyers, ads and posters, anything that promoted our businesses. It was lots of fun because family was always around, easily 20 or more at any one time. I still lean on them for a lot of help and support,” she says, adding with a laugh that “sometimes I feel like I have four moms!”

During and after college, she kept her creative hand in at the family businesses and interned at several local companies, including Southwest Airlines and Park Place. That’s where she met Kara Connor and the two got along like the proverbial house on fire.

“I was an intern and then a temp for Kara, who was most recently at Motorcars Arlington, and now she’s back on our corporate marketing team,” she enthuses. “She’s a real mentor as well as a great friend.” (Here’s a recent Spotlight on Kara.)

Quickly recognizing Anam’s relentless work ethic, Park Place hired her in 2013 as their full-time Experiential Marketing Manager. Her role required her to build and maintain more than 300 partnerships and sponsorships while developing new and innovative ways to create exceptional client experiences.

A good part of that development work involved expanding and consolidating the company’s community outreach programs. The result – “Park Place Cares,” an umbrella initiative focused on four philanthropic areas: arts, education, children’s advocacy and medical research.

In August 2020, in recognition of her hard work and community commitment, she was named Park Place Marketing Director. But she’s quick to point out that any credit for her success goes to her “awesome” marketing compatriots and to the company’s team members, “because they always pull together during thick or thin.” 

“I’m incredibly proud of our 1,400 members and their dedication to community volunteerism, especially during these unsettled times,” she says. “We’ve expanded our holiday season gift donation efforts with the Community Partners of Dallas, and we’re helping build a home with the Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity. We’ve also teamed up with the After-School All-Stars (ASAS) to provide Dallas ISD students and a local charter school with free backpacks filled with supplies. And that’s just for starters. It’s our duty and honor to help those in need.”

Hard-working as she is, the old adage about “all work and no play” still rings true. To a point. She and her husband Aamir run a real estate side-gig that takes up what free time she has. But it’s something she absolutely adores.

“Renovating homes is a lot of work, but it’s so much fun,” she says. “I love designing but I’m also pretty handy with power tools, and can patch up walls with the best of them!”

They also enjoy cooking together. “Thai food every day, my absolute favorite without question,” she says. “We also love Indian curries and of course, our standby Tex Mex.” She also confesses to being an avid meal planner – natch – and spends most Sundays prepping meals for the week.

While cooking, she listens to her two favorite singers of the moment, Jana Rae Kramer and Kelsea Ballerini. “I guess I’m into country girlie music,” she laughs. “Is that even a genre? I just made it up. Guess that’s why I’m in marketing!”

What’s Anam’s favorite thing about Park Place? “I love the people and the relationships we’ve built. Serving the community and curating the client experience reflects on our brand and I really and truly love making that happen.”

“Anam’s passion and care for our communities and members exemplifies the Park Place spirit while setting the bar high for all to emulate,” says Tony Carimi, Managing Director of Park Place Dealerships. “She truly defines and creates unparalleled experiences!”