Auto Dealer Monthly, May 2015

MAY 2015 AUTODEALERMONTHLY COM 17 In December 2000 Mario Murgado took a leap of faith Aft er nearly 20 years as a rising star in the Miami based auto group run by Norman Braman past owner of the NFLs Philadelphia Eagles Murgado decided it was time to follow his lifelong dream of owning his own business He set his sights on Brickell Automotive Group a beat up store on Miamis famed Calle Ocho that was moving 16 Hondas and six GMCs per month Honda executive Richard Culliver approved the sale Murgado recalls but warned him that he feared the point would never be successful Murgado was undeterred I said Th is is all I can aff ord he says with a laugh Today that store is one of nine dealerships in the renamed Brickell Motors group which also includes Audi Buick Cadillac Infi niti and Mazda franchises Collectively the group and its 307 employees sold more than 6800 new and used vehicles in 2014 and neither Murgado nor Brickell Motors shows any signs of slowing down HUMBLE BEGINNINGS Th ere is nothing more powerful than when a human being believes they can do something Murgado says It starts with the foundation With a solid foundation you can take on a lot of challenges With commitment you develop drive You develop the willingness to take risks His foundation was in Cuba where he was born in 1961 In 1965 he and his mother father and sister fl ed the country as a communist government took hold Th ey moved to Chicago where his father who was an architect in Cuba took a job alongside his wife in a Duo Fast factory In 1978 Murgado says winter weather drove them to the sunny shores of Miami We moved down aft er two major blizzards My father said If the birds know enough to fl y south so should we His parents never bemoaned their fate instead choosing to embrace the culture and opportunities aff orded by their adoptive country Murgado says he is proud of his Cuban heritage but considers himself an American fi rst I think the success of this country has always been that immigrants come here and they believe the American dream is alive because they can accomplish more than where they came from He and his wife Bibiana have instilled that same sense of pride in their sons Mario Murgado Jr 26 who serves as general manager of Brickell Mazda and Michael Bryan Murgado 23 who is undertaking a career in accounting I appreciate everything that my father has done for me and my family and I want to do everything possible to grow our business and continue the legacy Mario Jr says Regardless of the journey I take its foundation will always come from my dads legacy One of the things he instills in all of us is to make sure were a good corporate citizen and we give back to the city says Alex Andreus an associate of Murgados since he and fellow Brickell Motors partner Rick Barraza worked together at Braman Enterprises in the 1990s Th at we do that with our time our treasure and our talent He gets involved with a lot of organizations and we all get exposed to them as well You end up attending a benefi t or some kind of function for a nonprofi t and you tend to fall in love with one and just keep going with it Murgado wears his aff ection for Miami on his sleeve and he believes the city off ers a window into the future of America In Miami it begins with aspiration Its a multicultural diverse cosmopolitan city and it has really come into its own I would tell anyone who ever worries whether the American dream is still alive to come to my city Come to my town and you will see Despite having lived there all of his life Mario Murgado Jr is no less passionate about the city To me Miami is in the center of the world and a global melting pot sometimes referred to as the Manhattan of the South It is an exciting city to live in with several opportunities for personal and business growth I do believe that many people pursue a highend lifestyle built on success and image is very important Th is is one city where you can fi nd luxury cars on every corner Cars are an extension of people the elder Murgado adds Th ere are more imports being sold here more luxury and more nearluxury Its about how they feel and how they want to position themselves A SERVANTS HEART With the fates of more than 300 employees and their families in his hands Murgado says he oft en recalls his fathers advice to lead with a servants heart maintaining the desire to give back as much as you take from the community around you Todays generation he notes struggle with that idea People say they have a lot of entitlement he notes Whatever they have its our own fault We created that We created those expectations If we feel they are entitled we made them feel entitled However all is not lost I also feel the plus side of this group is that collectively they work as a team much better than my generation Th eir communication is better Th is generation is more we than me Certain that his sons and their peers will succeed beyond his own expectations he cautions them to remain humble Ive never looked at it as success just part of the journey When you say Im successful at this I think you lose your edge At the end of the day Brickell Motors has found success because of the person driving it and the exceptional team he has assembled to help him achieve his dreams no matter how big they might be He never plans to stop looking forward to fi nding the next opportunity to grow and expand and give back to the country and city he loves Andreus says the leadership and enthusiasm Murgado exudes inspires his partners managers and staff Its never a dull day Th eres always something going on Were not stagnant at all Even when our dealerships are doing well were constantly looking for ways to improve Bold business moves and a dynamic setting proved to be the winning formula for Brickell Motors and its owner Mario Murgado DREAM