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 Profile
Jimmy Sotolongo is General Manager and a founder of one of Florida’s premiere automotive dealerships: Century Motor Financial. Jimmy Sotolongo lives by the expression "activity breeds activity," and a cursory overview of the trajectory that Century Motor Financial has taken in the last decade supports it fully.
Started by two partners as a small operation with minimal inventory and little capital to spare, Jimmy and his partner worked tirelessly to expand their enterprise. With an emphasis on the areas of customer service, problem solving, and financing options, the dealership has grown to two locations (the original location in Winter Park and the new location in Daytona Beach on International Speedway Boulevard) with a staff of 12 people with average sales numbers of over US $12 million annually.
Jimmy is not content to sit and marvel at his success; instead, he remains actively engaged in all aspects of the business, from profit and budget calculations to the hiring and training of new team members. Jimmy Sotolongo has been indispensable in outlining and implementing advertising and marketing for Century, as well as networking with auto industry leaders to increase the associations that get business done. Not surprisingly, Jimmy Sotolongo is a member of the Florida Independent Auto Dealers Association and the National Independent Auto Dealers Association.
Part of being successful is being generous, and Jimmy Sotolongo believes in this principle firmly. Some of the charities he has given to and been involved with include the Nature Conservancy, Doctors Without Borders, UNICEF, Habitat for Humanity, American Cancer Society, and BETA for Women and Children. Professionally, Century Motor Financial has been a positive member of the community by providing reduced cost housing and vehicles to several lower income families in need.
In his free time, Jimmy Sotolongo likes to be active by taking advantage of the waters off the coast for fishing, scuba diving, and boating. To keep his mind active outside of business pursuits, Jimmy enjoys reading the works of Robert Kiyosaki (Rich Dad, Poor Dad) and Barack Obama (The Audacity of Hope).
Used cars are worth more than ever!
Jimmy Sotolongo has seen the changes in the car business over the last decade. Now, the fastest growing sector is used cars as the new auto dealers are suffering. With credit tight, and larger auto makers either closing or in bankruptcy, used cars are the affordable alternative. Jimmy Sotolongo has seen auctions increasing in popularity, and prices actually increasing. Jimmy’s advice to used car buyers is simple “do your research and keep looking, a good deal can be found, it just takes longer now!” At his dealership, Jimmy Sotolongo has switched from a luxury resale inventory to the lower price resales to meet demand. Jimmy Sotolongo knows that changes are always coming, and as credit loosens (hopefully!), more used car buyers will be able to afford the cheaper resales that are still available.
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