From Restaurant Hospitality to Vice President

The Jim Ellis Automotive executive explains how lessons from the restaurant business shaped his rise from the wash bay to VP—and why he is investing in employees, teachers and the next generation.

After more than 20 years around the automotive industry, I have learned that very few people grow up planning to enter the car business.

Children talk about becoming doctors, teachers, police officers, firefighters and professional athletes. It is rare to hear one say, “I want to work at a car dealership.”

Ralph Sorrentino’s journey is a perfect example of how an unexpected job can become a rewarding career. He brought lessons from the restaurant industry into a dealership wash bay, moved into vehicle sales, and eventually became a vice president with Jim Ellis Automotive Group.

Today, Sorrentino oversees Jim Ellis Buick GMC Atlanta, Jim Ellis Buick GMC Mall of Georgia, Jim Ellis Cadillac, Jim Ellis Chevrolet Atlanta and Jim Ellis Ford Sandy Springs. The family-owned automotive group says it operates 22 dealerships, represents 21 vehicle brands and employs more than 1,700 people across Metro Atlanta. Jim Ellis Automotive Group

Long before he held his current position, Sorrentino regularly called my WAOK radio show as “Ralph the Car Guy.” He helped us explain what was happening inside the automotive industry, particularly during the pandemic when vehicle shortages, rising prices, and changing dealership practices left consumers with plenty of questions.

During a recent face-to-face conversation, we discussed his unlikely path into automotive leadership and the principles that continue to guide him.

Hospitality became his automotive advantage
Sorrentino grew up around the restaurant business, where he learned that every part of the customer’s experience matters.

“Hospitality is everything,” he said.

He compared purchasing a vehicle to eating a three-course meal. Even when the dinner is excellent, a disappointing dessert can become the final impression that determines whether the customer returns.

Sorrentino applied that thinking to the delivery of a vehicle, the final stage of the purchasing process.

“I made sure that every part of the process, especially the last part, which was the dessert, was perfect,” he explained.

His opportunity to move beyond the wash bay did not arrive through a formal career program. After watching other dealership employees build successful careers, Sorrentino decided to ask for his chance.

He dressed for a sales position, walked into the dealership, and told the general manager that he was ready to sell cars.

The manager initially thought he was joking.

Sorrentino believed that his knowledge of the vehicles, combined with his ability to understand people, would allow him to succeed. Instead of focusing on making a sale, he approached customers as a consultant

.“I never sold a car in my life,” he said. “I assisted customers.”

His job, as he saw it, was to understand how customers lived and guide them toward a vehicle that fit their needs.

An opportunity that became personal
My appreciation for Sorrentino’s approach extends beyond our professional relationship.

During the pandemic, my nephew lost his position with another automotive group. He called me looking for help, but nearly everyone I contacted told me they were not hiring.

Sorrentino responded differently.

“Send him over here,” he told me. “Let me interview him.”

Approximately one week later, my nephew had a job.

After watching his cousin succeed and enjoy the work, my son wanted the same opportunity. I warned Sorrentino that my son would require a different level of guidance and patience.

Once again, his response was simple: Send him over.

Both young men remained in the business for approximately five years before choosing different careers. The lessons they learned about customers, accountability, communication, and professionalism continue to influence their lives.

That experience taught me that successful mentorship is not measured only by how long someone remains in the automotive business. Sometimes the greatest return is seeing that person carry what was learned into the next chapter.

More careers than most people realize
Sorrentino believes the automotive industry has not done enough to show families the range of careers available inside a dealership.

Most consumers see salespeople and service technicians, but a modern automotive group also needs finance professionals, accountants, marketing managers, inventory managers, service advisors, parts specialists, technology employees and human resources professionals.

The company’s current career information identifies opportunities across sales, service, marketing and customer support, along with paid training and a Career Pathing Program. Jim Ellis career opportunities.

For students uncertain about college or young adults still searching for a career, Sorrentino believes that automotive retail deserves serious consideration.

That does not mean education and training are unnecessary. It means the traditional four-year college route is not the only path to a sustainable career.

Preparing employees before the first day
One reason Sorrentino believes Jim Ellis stands apart is the company’s investment in employee training through Jim Ellis University.

In many dealerships, new employees were traditionally hired, shown a desk and expected to figure out the business on their own. Sorrentino said Jim Ellis wanted to create a more structured beginning.

He explained that new employees spend 3 days completing onboarding before reporting to their dealership as team members. They learn the company’s history, leadership structure, technology, workplace policies, safety requirements and the electronic systems required to perform their jobs.

“When you come to the dealership on your first day, you have everything that you need,” Sorrentino said.

Jim Ellis describes the program as an investment in the whole person, offering online and coached instruction, along with required and elective training, to improve personal and professional skills. Jim Ellis University

Turning appreciation for teachers into action
That commitment to developing the next generation also helps explain Teachers Keep Us Moving.

The campaign brings Jim Ellis mobile service vans directly to schools to provide selected educators with complimentary oil changes and tire rotations. Sorrentino developed the initiative with Russell “Block” Spencer and V103’s Greg Street.

Sorrentino credited Spencer with knowing how to organize the right people and turn an idea into an executable plan. He also credited Street with helping him understand community marketing and the needs of Atlanta audiences.

As Sorrentino recalled Street saying, “Teachers do it for the outcome, not the income.”

At participating schools, a nomination box is placed in the office. Students, parents, and faculty members nominate teachers and staff members they believe deserve recognition. Before the scheduled service day, names are drawn, and the selected educators receive complimentary maintenance in the school parking lot.

The campaign began at Chamblee High School and expanded to additional schools. Jim Ellis describes Teachers Keep Us Moving as a statewide educator appreciation initiative developed to provide tangible support to the people preparing Georgia’s next generation.

Sorrentino said the experience also helped him understand how long many educators remain at school after students leave.

“The bell rings at three o’clock, everybody leaves the school, and the teachers are there at six or seven o’clock,” he said.

Supporting them is both an expression of gratitude and an investment in the people who will eventually enter Georgia’s workforce.

Bringing the service department to the customer
The campaign also introduces consumers to the convenience of mobile vehicle service.

Sorrentino said customers can schedule certain maintenance services while at work, at home, or during another appointment. Instead of spending part of the day sitting in a dealership waiting area, the customer can have an oil change and tire rotation completed in a parking lot.

He compared it to scheduling vehicle service during a doctor’s appointment. A customer could enter the medical office for a physical while the mobile technician services the vehicle outside.

When both appointments are finished, the customer has recovered valuable time.

For Sorrentino, that convenience is another extension of hospitality. The objective is not simply to repair the vehicle. It is about considering the customer’s entire day and finding a way to make it easier.

Leadership without fear
Sorrentino applies a similar philosophy to leadership.

When interviewing candidates for dealership management positions, he asks them to imagine becoming head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

What is the one thing they cannot do?

He answers that they cannot simply fire all the players.

“You can’t use fear and intimidation to make somebody perform their job,” Sorrentino said.

A successful coach must determine how each player fits into the team, identify what motivates that person and create an environment in which everyone can contribute.

That is also why he values the experience of former student-athletes. They understand preparation, defined roles, teamwork, and the reality that everyone cannot be the quarterback.

Even when professional sports do not become the destination, those lessons can translate into automotive retail and other careers.

Living the dash
Near the end of our conversation, I asked Sorrentino what he hoped his career and his investment in other people would ultimately represent.

He answered by discussing the dash between the date someone is born and the date they die.

When visiting a cemetery, he explained, people do not spend much time focused on either date. The real story is contained in the dash between them.

“I live every day with my dash,” Sorrentino said.

His dash already includes the restaurant industry, a dealership wash bay, years of vehicle sales, executive leadership, community outreach, and the careers of people he helped develop.

I can personally add two more people to that legacy.

My son and nephew may have chosen different career paths, but their lives were affected because Ralph Sorrentino was willing to open a door, teach them the business, and give them a chance.

That may be one of the most meaningful measures of leadership.