Company History

Dealership History:
My dealership was founded in June 1998. While Tommie and I were engaged and sharing our dreams for the future, we talked about opening our own independent car lot someday. It seemed like nothing more than a dream until her parents expressed their support and belief in me with a loan of $60.000. We married and one month later we started Melendez Motors, Inc. And one month after that, we found out we were expecting our first child. The early days involved searching the newspaper, calling sellers over breakfast and setting up the days’ appointments. I visited old co-workers in the franchise stores. I bought their trades and in turn sold them nice front line pieces. We bought cars in Northern Virginia, cleaned them and drove them one by one to the Fredericksburg Auto Auction. I can remember one night, we had been moving and cleaning cars all day and finally arrived home late, tired and hungry (you know eating for 2). Trading dinner for a hot shower, we readied for bed, only to get a call from the auction that we had dropped off a car and taken the keys home with us! One more trip that night, the first months were completely wholesale as we bought and sold cars, one by one.

In March of 1999, we opened our retail lot with one detailer and we are still there today. With a baby on the way, we continued to work the dream. Seven days a week, buying, selling and driving. Now serving the Buy Here, Pay Here customers, the $60,000 wasn’t stretching like it used to. On our way to take pictures with that new baby we received a phone call from our banker. Checks were in for payment and the funds were not available. We authorized her to transfer the remaining balance of our personal savings account to cover the checks and decided to take most of our retail line to the auction. Devastated that we were getting ready to fail at our dream, I called my Dad. He asked how many months we had left until we had to close the doors. I said one. Tommie and I were both raised Seventh-Day Adventists. My Dad, a Pastor, counseled us to consider closing the lot on Sabbath, God’s day of rest. With a little smile inside, I said, “Sure Dad, the busiest day of the week. Close.” But we had nothing left to lose, so we did. We gave our business to God. We closed our business on Saturday, what has traditionally been the busiest car sales day. And within three months He had tripled our money. In three more months it tripled again. I remember it like it was yesterday. The Lord has been faithful to bless us and prosper our business beyond our wildest imaginations. We continue to be faithful to His commandments, and He is faithful to bless our business. Thanks to that step of faith, we have never bounced a check and have always made payroll. Our company enjoys giving back to the community and to other dealers in whatever way we can. The road may not always be smooth, so I like to let the Lord drive. He knows the way and time.

Alvin Melendez - Love brought me back to the Virginia/Maryland area where I studied full time at Columbia Union College and worked part time delivering mattresses. I was pursuing a degree in Economics. With two years of college under my belt, I took a job in May of 1986 at DarCars Lanham Ford so that I could take part in their Management Training course. A job in sales was a natural fit for me and I immediately became their Top Salesperson, for the entire summer. Then it was time to school for the fall and I said good-bye, but they would have nothing to do with good-bye! They said I could sell cars around my school schedule. That was when I decided to make the automobile industry my career. I didn’t want to just know about selling, so I studied my Managers, learning what worked for them and what didn’t work. I went to see the best speakers like Ziglar and Cooper. I studied buyers, their likes and dislikes, buying trends, advertising, and car manufacturers. All of it, the Industry became my passion. My first year in the business, at only 19 years old, I was the dealership's top salesperson and I was hooked. I could actually make money, while helping people find the car that was right for them. I am hands-on at my dealership. I spend 30 hours a week actually at my lot, the rest of the time I am on the road to franchise dealerships and at auctions buying inventory for both retail and wholesale.

Business Philosophy:
I have three strong beliefs when it comes to my business. The first is my relationship with God. By honoring Him in every transaction, setting a higher standard that shows in every sale, we have earned our customers trust. The second, unbelievable Customer Service. I listen to the needs of my customer, ask questions to insure I know what they want, make sure their expectations are obtainable and then go hand pick the car I believe will serve them the best. Thirdly, never stop training and learning. I want to know more. I train my staff to want to Know more, Do more and Think more. Setting goals is the key to success; I want to help them to better themselves for life.