CENTERVILLE — Breaking through the barriers of selling one car at a time, Bob Ross Auto Group is the first African American-owned Mercedes-Benz dealership in the country.
That was just one of the many obstacles he overcame as he celebrated his business’s 50th anniversary.
“I mean, who doesn’t want to get in and out of a car when you’re a kid,” said Jenell Ross, President of Bob Ross Auto Group.
Ross has been driving around the aisles and talking about cars since he was four years old. Now he is president of Bob Ross Auto Group, the dealership his father founded 50 years ago.
“It’s hard to believe that we’ve reached this milestone, but I give credit and respect to my parents,” Ross said.
In 1974, Bob Ross became the first African American to own a Buick dealership in Indiana. In 1979, he became the first to own a dealership in Ohio and the first in the nation to own a Mercedes-Benz dealership.
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“He worked very hard, made a lot of sacrifices and a lot of other things,” Ross said. “The minority merchants that are in business today, you know, he paved the way for them and for us to be able to go forward and live history.”
Ross’s history continues today as the only African American woman to own both a Buick-GMC dealership and a Mercedes-Benz dealership.
“There has been progress, but there is a lot more progress that needs to happen and that is something that can be achieved with community engagement and outreach, providing opportunities for people to see that they can be themselves,” Ross said.
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That focus on community comes from another pillar of the Bob Ross Auto Group, Bob’s wife and Ross’ mother, Norma. She and her two children took over the dealership when Bob died suddenly in 1997.
“That’s where my mom really rose to the occasion. And because she’s a former educator, it was very different working with both of them, but having that opportunity was a real blessing,” Ross said.
A lot has changed in 50 years, but one thing hasn’t. The Ross family is still in control.
“I always jump in and make sure that what he’s done doesn’t get lost. And fortunately, I’ve had a lot of great people help me along the way,” Ross said.
As his parents taught him, he knew he couldn’t do it without the people around him.
