In 2021, when speaking with Jay Mealey, we discovered a lot of interesting information about him. He was candid and helped us understand what life is like in his dealership, his outside pursuits and with his family. He even shared with us some hidden talents that lie beneath the exterior of this quirky Florida dealer. Describe your educational background. What did you study? I graduated from UCF with a four-year business degree. After graduation, I spent a year or so in the Dealership Sales Department before ultimately following a more entrepreneurial path and opening my own automotive performance and customizing business. I mention this because this was the best education I could ever have hoped to prepare me to run automobile dealerships. They say you never “fail” but only succeed or “learn.” I did a lot of learning during those entrepreneurial days. You come from a car family, and the automotive industry would have been the obvious career choice. Did you always aspire to be part of the automotive industry? Not necessarily; I was a car enthusiast for sure, but for whatever reason didn’t see myself being a long-term “car dealer” once I graduated from college. I am not even sure why this was the case, but I just felt a need to do something a little different from my father. At that time, I already had one brother very involved in the business, and I had grown up around the dealership performing odd jobs here and there. I still find it ironic that I was the one brother who wanted nothing to do with the car business. As it has turned out, I have been the most involved over the past 20 years, and now I run three dealerships in Central Florida, fairly hands-on while having an absolute blast! Is your entire family in the auto industry? Not exactly. I have three brothers. At present, two of the three are involved in the auto industry and family business. My oldest brother, Kevin, is the dealer principal at Don Mealey Chevrolet in Clermont, and my youngest brother, Robert, is the dealer at Sport Subaru and Champions Powersports in Oakland, Florida. My other brother, Mark, is a professional pilot. Are there any specific individuals who had a major impact on your career? Obviously my father, but looking beyond that, he also had a very strong team in place as I came up through the ranks. I worked under several individuals who helped shape my perspective and approach to the business. Above all else, our organization and the people who RENAISSANCE MAN JAY MEALEY This article was originally published in 2021-2022 Issue 1. helped influence me had a deep sense of placing integrity and professionalism at the forefront. This emphasis was really the DNA of how my father approached the business and how he expected all of us to behave. What is the most rewarding part of your career? Well, you can always look at this as an overall accomplishment compared to your peers, similar brands in the marketplace, etc. Separate from that, the most rewarding part has been watching younger people commit to our industry and create lasting success. As a result, I have some exceptional people who believed in the vision and direction I laid out some years ago. The overall growth of our Mazda Dealership in South Orlando and the amount of respect we have earned from the manufacturer has been very rewarding. We were probably in the bottom third of all Mazda Dealers after purchasing the store in 2008. Hard to believe, but last year we finished Top Ten in the country in Sales Volume and have enjoyed some very positive recognition from Mazda in several areas along the way. Again, the best part is that most of the team so instrumental in this accomplishment still works for me. Pub Yr 2 | Issue 4 21 CFADA.ORG
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