BENTLEY & ROLLS ROYCE THE

By Rebeca

Q&A with Mike Rodriguez, General Manager of Braman Miami

Can you tell me about your start at Braman and what does Braman represent for you? I proudly joined the Braman organization 20 years ago as General Manager, and leading this remarkable dealership is truly the highlight of my career. Founded in 1975 by businessman Norman Braman with a single Cadillac dealership. Today, the dealership sells and services new and pre-owned BMWs, Bentleys, Rolls-Royces, Bugattis, Cadillacs, Minis, Hyundais, and Genesis, as well as an array of other certified pre-owned vehicles and pre-owned exotics, consistently ranking among the top dealers in the United States.

We offer one of the largest showroom and inventory facilities in North America – a 90,000-square-foot stateof-the-art building on Biscayne Boulevard in downtown Miami, and one of the largest parts departments and tire centers in the country. Our more than 600 employees and associates value personal relationships, and treat customers and fellow employees like family with a laser-focused approach on continuously investing in training, facilities and in technology.

I heard that the Braman Miami dealership is one of the top-selling dealers of Rolls-Royce and Bentleys in the southern region of the United States, what makes it such a competitive market nationwide? Ensuring an effortless experience is a hallmark of our dealership. Our team always strives to go the extra mile and is constantly seeking to innovate and expand our footprint into new markets including Coral Gables and Doral.

We’re very proud to be among the nation’s top performing Rolls-Royce and Bentley dealerships. In 2018 we were named Dealer of the Year for the Americas by RollsRoyce Motor Cars Americas, which was an especially proud milestone and we’ve been honored to receive a number of prestigious awards over the past decade.

We’ve had a very active fall launching the new RollsRoyce Ghost and Bentley Bentayga as well as the new Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport and new BMW M3. All of the models we’ve introduced have had a resounding success with our customers.

How did Braman impact Art Basel in the past and what can the art aficionados expect from Braman in the next few years? Norman Braman was instrumental in bringing Art Basel to

Miami. He had the vision and foresight of how Miami and the international art community go hand in hand. Art Basel isn’t just a celebration of art it’s also an opportunity to celebrate the culture in our own city. Every year, we host our annual rooftop Art Basel party at the dealership with nearly 750 guests, which is a highlight for our clients, friends and valued partners. The craftsmanship and horsepower of our cars are works of art themselves. This year due to the pandemic Art Week will look a bit different, but we still intend to honor the great artistry and culture that Miami has to offer with a variety of smaller Art Week celebratory events and look forward to bringing back our annual rooftop party next year.

What is your favorite part of working for Braman? At Braman Miami, the loyalty and longevity of our staff is unrivaled. Many of our employees have been here for more than 30 years and are all deeply committed to client-service and offering the best car buying experience possible across all departments.

The company has a long history of supporting the local community, and we enjoy a proud legacy of supporting various nonprofits and important causes that encompass the realms of art, health and education. This year we formed Team Braman Hearts in Motion, the philanthropic arm of Braman Miami intended to benefit charitable organizations in their on-going efforts to make Miami a better place to live, work and play. Our team recognized the need in the community with the onset of the pandemic and implemented a number of meal deliveries to frontline workers at Jackson Memorial Hospital, hosted blood drives at the dealership with the City of Miami Police Department, and beyond. We’ve proudly supported more than 50 charitable organizations over the past 40 years donating more than a million dollars to not for profits spanning the pillars of culture, wellness, and education, and we look forward to continuing this great legacy.

For more information about Braman visit www.bramanmiami.com or call 305-720-2548.

Karin Figueroa Cisneros