Here's to forty years, Ronnie Sharon!
Two months after Ronnie turned sixteen, he rode his skateboard to apply for a job at our Greensboro location on Gate City Boulevard to “get his life started.” Looking back, he could never have imagined this is where he would spend his career, but looking at it today, he wouldn’t want it any other way.
“No two days are ever alike and that’s what I enjoy about my job all these years,” says Sharon, a Service Technician who oversees maintenance for fourteen stores in Greensboro and Raleigh. Sharon has held many positions in the company over his forty years of service, from assistant manager, then store manager where he followed in the footsteps of his longtime best friend, Dave Bergstrom, an Autobell® team member who passed away five years ago. “Dave and I worked together for 35 years, and all my best memories are with him,” says Sharon.
After sixteen years as a manager, Sharon served as Greensboro District Manager for nearly two years until he settled into the maintenance role where he works today in a facility that he set up to service the Greensboro market.
Sharon says that Autobell® taught him everything he knows about life, and recalls a conversation with Autobell® founder, Charlie Howard, who visited Greensboro stores every Saturday morning when there were only eight stores in the company. “He said to me, ‘we buy your time, and in return, you give us work and value for our dollar.’ “I took that to heart, and it’s stuck in my mind all these years, and it’s one of the reason’s I’m still here.”
As far as changes he’s seen in the industry, Sharon says the biggest difference is the number of competitors and the growth of Autobell® as a whole. “Customers have a lot of choices these days, and we have adjusted well to meet what the customer wants,” says Sharon. “I’ve always been impressed with how we conduct our business with integrity and the highest level of customer service.”
Sharon and his wife, Dana, have seven adult children and his decades of experience at Autobell seep into advice for his children. “I tell them, if it’s easy nothing good will come. Look for something to challenge you and grow with it.”
When Sharon, who has no plans to retire anytime soon, looks back at his longtime career and is thankful for the opportunity. “I love coming to work every day; it’s turned into who I am.”