Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrick Ellefson.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Patrick. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I moved from Mexico City when I was 17 years old with my dad to Dallas to finish high school and try something new. The move from Mexico City was challenging for me because it was an entirely different culture and I left most of my family back home. I have always had a deep passion for anything with an engine and four wheels. I used to race cars back in Mexico so one of my dreams was to do something involved with the automotive industry. Fortunately for me, I lucked out and met a good friend who’s dad owned a dealership and he gave me the opportunity to work for them starting from the bottom, as a helper washing cars, and worked my way up to be the top salesman at 19 years of age while attending college classes at night. At 19 years old, I moved out of my father’s home and it was a struggle living by myself without much money and doing non-stop work and school. I learned a lot about the car market and industry, starting from the bottom of the dealership to the top of the sales team in less than three years.
After I felt like I was ready, I decided to move on from the dealership and started selling cars with my business partner out of our own dealership. We started humbly small with only five cars at a time that were only worth around $2,000 each and grew it into selling over 400 cars in our second year of business. I had an opportunity to sell my part of the business and after my father passed away, he inspired the courage within me to begin the challenging journey of starting my very own dealership, RPM Garage, at the age of 22. I wanted this to be different than any other dealership out there, with a warm, home-like, atmosphere with a unique variety of vehicles and a creatively designed showroom that puts you at ease during the car-buying process. Our dealership now sells over 50 cars a month and averages over $1M in revenue each month.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has not been a very smooth road, my father passed away two years ago, I didn’t come from much money, and have had to put a lot of hard work, time, and effort into becoming who we are now. As of today, I still don’t feel as if we have made it yet, there are still a lot of challenges and hard work that need to be done to get the dealership where I want it to be, but I know that with enough energy and persistence, anything is possible.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the RPM Garage story. Tell us more about the business.
We are a specialty car dealership with the focus on performance, luxury, and unique vehicles, unlike anything you’ve ever seen. We are known for our excellent customer service, gorgeous vehicles, and our “man-cave-like” showroom. Selling people their dream cars and seeing our customer’s eyes light up when they enter the showroom and warehouse is an amazing sight and we take pride in offering, not only the highest level of customer service we can, but also an AMAZING selection of vehicles unlike any other in Texas.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I think, after spending some time in the industry, the next big shift is going to be towards electric vehicles. We are ready for this shift as we always try to stay on the cutting edge of automotive technology and, as a dealership, continue lead the trends in the specialty automotive car market.
Contact Info:
- Address: 11450 Sprowles St.
Dallas, Texas 75229 - Website: www.RPMGarageTX.com
- Phone: 972-590-8689
- Email: sales@rpmgaragetx.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/rpmgaragedallas
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/rpmgaragedallas
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/rpm-garage-dallas-2?osq=rpm+garage
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQEWMKi47h-3nId68Ye99fg
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
Roy
May 23, 2019 at 1:20 am
Great interview! Love the shop!