Inside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick, powered by CBT News

A Dealer’s Mission To Make Breast Health A Year-Round Priority

• Jim Fitzpatrick • Season 1 • Episode 25

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We celebrate 15 years of the Norma J. Ross Memorial Foundation as Janell Ross shares how an auto group turns grief into lasting community impact. We also cover the market’s ebbs and flows, from EV credits to tariffs, and why breast health must be 365.

• Dealership performance and resilient operations
• EV tax credit sunset and customer education
• Tariff uncertainty and transparent communication
• Foundation mission on prevention and early detection
• Inclusion of men in breast cancer awareness
• Year-round events and donations tied to vehicle sales
• Pink Ribbon Driven branding in facilities and fleets
• Culture benefits for employees and new hires
• Community recognition and customer loyalty
• Practical ways to support from anywhere

For donations and involvement: www.njrmf.org


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Announcer:

Welcome to Inside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick.

Jim Fitzpatrick:

Hey everyone, Jim Fitzpatrick. Welcome into another edition of Inside Automotive right here at CBTnews.com. October, as you know, is breast cancer awareness month, and this year marks the 15th anniversary of the Norma J. Ross Memorial Foundation. Joining us today as someone who's made it her mission to drive awareness and action both in the auto industry and beyond. Jenell Ross, president of Bob Ross Automotive Group. Jenell, thank you so much for joining us on the show today.

Jenell Ross:

Thank you for having me, Jim. Good to see you again.

Jim Fitzpatrick:

You too. Fifteen years. Wow, that's uh quite quite a milestone to be proud of.

Jenell Ross:

It is. Um naturally it's a bittersweet. We'd rather have my mother here, but knowing what we're doing to help those in our community and beyond uh with their breast health journey is something I feel that she would be very proud of.

Jim Fitzpatrick:

She is definitely looking down with great pride. That's that is for sure. Um so talk to us a little bit about business first, and then we I want to get into all that you're doing uh for this incredible cause. Um, how's business today at your dealerships?

Jenell Ross:

Business has been good. You know, naturally we always want more, but you know, we are in a resilient uh business and we understand that things are cyclical and uh ups and downs and ebbs and flows, and we just have to learn how to roll with it.

Jim Fitzpatrick:

Sure.

Jenell Ross:

So and all intents and purposes, things are pretty good.

Jim Fitzpatrick:

Yeah, for sure. Now I you you have a Mercedes-Benz store and a Buick store and a GMC store, correct?

Jenell Ross:

Yes.

Jim Fitzpatrick:

So um having said that, um, with uh specifically, I guess, with Mercedes Benz um kind of leading this, but um uh September 30th ended the tax uh you know uh benefits for EVs, the tax credits. Has that had much of an impact in your business, either positively at the end or negatively moving forward?

Jenell Ross:

Well, we are in the Midwest, and so not probably hit as dramatically as some of our peers on the coast and in larger cities, uh being in Dayton, Ohio. Yeah. So it didn't have a major impact. Uh we did take care of a few customers that were interested in purchasing EVs. And I'm sure, you know, over time, just like with everything else, uh, our industry will adjust and adapt to making sure that we take care of all of our customers and clients that are EV friendly.

Jim Fitzpatrick:

Yeah, yeah, for sure. Have you also seen maybe an increase in the business or the customers coming in on the domestic side because of some of the tariffs that uh we see threatening, you know, the price, the high prices on the imported uh imported brands?

Jenell Ross:

Well, at this time, you know, the Mercedes hasn't passed that on to the to uh the dealers, so that has definitely helped. And and the same really from um GM as well. So we're still just working and really trying to educate uh our clients as well as educate ourselves on the changes that can happen uh quite often and making sure that we're providing them with the most up-to-date information to allow them to make the best decision for them.

Jim Fitzpatrick:

Yeah, yeah, it is it is quite crazy. It's trying to like hold a hold of tiger by the tail on with the tariffs. You never know what's going on, right? So let's let's jump right in here. Uh this year, as I mentioned, you are celebrating 15 years of the Norma J. Ross uh Memorial Foundation. Uh for those who may not know, uh can you share a little bit about the foundation's mission and what inspired it?

Jenell Ross:

Yes, so my mother uh was Norma Ross. Unfortunately, she lost her battle with breast cancer in April of 2010. My two god, my two oldest goddaughters came up with pink ribbon driven, hence our uh logo, our which is trademarked under her foundation, that we're driven to find a cure for the pink ribbon due to us being an automotive. So it's been very fitting and it's really caught on. So we have merchandise that our employees wear all year round. But the uh the true nuts and bolts of the foundation is to really help those in our community from a preventative standpoint with mammograms and education and bringing about greater awareness. So the the more educated we can make um our community be about the importance of mammograms, then unfortunately, if a diagnosis does occur, hopefully that it is early stages. So it's much more from a preventative standpoint, uh, more so than an advanced stage diagnosis. Yeah. So we do help those that are going through their journey, uh, male and female, and we have had some males. So we definitely need to make sure that men don't just think of breast cancer as a female disease, that it definitely can happen to men as well.

Jim Fitzpatrick:

That's right. That's right. Yeah, no question about it. Um, you have several events that uh have happened and are still happening uh this month, um, included in this uh is Saturday's event. So tell us a little bit about those events.

Jenell Ross:

So this month is naturally jam-packed, but we are uh breast health 365. So this this Saturday we are launching a larger event where we're bringing in um healthcare professionals, survivors, those that just want to find more out about breast their breast health and and the ramifications of breast cancer. So we're having a day-long seminar locally um within our community. And this past Saturday, we had the opportunity to be one of the title sponsors for the American Cancer Society, Making Strides Breast Cancer Walk. And there we had employees, family members, friends, uh, community volunteers all engaged with us, a part of the Norma J. Ross Pink ribbon-driven team, um, walking with us last Saturday. And we have many more events in between. And the one thing that we do in September, we donate for every vehicle that we sell to the American Cancer Society, and in October, we donate to my mother's foundation.

Jim Fitzpatrick:

Wow, that is fantastic. That's that's great. Um, events like this and causes like this are actually pretty popular among uh your colleagues in the industry, among other dealers as well. Talk to us about the importance of dealers helping in this area.

Jenell Ross:

Well, actually, it was one of my colleagues when we were on the AIATA board, uh, Jim Smail, who showed me pictures of how they had outfitted their dealership with pink and pink ribbons based upon one of their family members who had um had breast cancer. So all of our facilities are outfitted with pink ribbon driven, and it's it's kind of known in the community now that we're approaching October when people see the the pink going up, and then we also do at night change the bulbs for the lights to be pink. So it just brings about another level of awareness. Um we have pink bows on the cars instead of traditional maybe red bows that a lot of times are used. Sure. And so we just try and we do those things all year round with the bows. Our shuttle vehicle and loner vehicle is is all wrapped in our pink ribbon-driven uh logos. So we just some of those things that we keep 24-7 so that they're out there and so that people do realize it's not just about October, but it is 365.

Jim Fitzpatrick:

That's great. I know you're not doing it for this reason, although this can be one of the byproducts when you talk to consumers, that they recognize companies do these kinds of things and then they want to spend their dollars there, right? If you're giving back in such in such an incredible way like this, right? Talk to us about that.

Jenell Ross:

Well, I just had a gentleman last week who wanted to meet me and just to say thank you, as he had lost his wife to breast cancer a few years ago and uh learned more about what we were doing and and wanted to do business with us. He was newer to the area. So that was you know, some of that's a very bittersweet. Yeah. And in in terms of how you come about being a our one of our uh, you know, becoming a part of our family. Right. But at the same time, um, by the time he left, I mean he did feel like family, and just in terms of our engagement. And we can I've had I have people call and say, I saw your shuttle vehicle somewhere, you know, picking someone up. And it just thank you for not only concentrating in October, but really making it around the around the year.

Jim Fitzpatrick:

That's right. That's right. As you know, um Auto Nation has also, you know, picked up on this with the Drive Pink campaign that's been so successful as well. And I know other dealer groups have done similar programs like that. And these things matter, especially when the dealers get together. Um, you know, you hear so many negative things out there among consumers about dealers, but man, this is really where the rubber meets the road, right?

Jenell Ross:

It is, and I mean the same, and actually, I took that was the idea from Auto Nation. We now have our um pink ribbon-driven uh logos on our license plate brackets just to continue that all year round. So really trying to look at being more um inclusive of what we're doing uh for breast health 365.

Jim Fitzpatrick:

That's great. And I'll edit it's it makes an impact with consumers, but it even makes a greater impact with the employees, right? And the culture inside the autogroup. Talk to us about that.

Jenell Ross:

So unfortunately, we have had uh employees amongst our ranks that have gone through their journey, and it's been very beneficial to be able to assist them when they may run into obstacles or roadblocks through their journey. And just to see the support of their other colleagues. Uh, the other thing that I I love that's not asked is when new members join our team, you know, they're wearing our pink ribbon-driven apparel all year round. Yeah, and they're excited to showcase that and be a part of our events throughout the year and supporting us and helping. So it does make it more of a family atmosphere. It is um, it does take a village to really help someone go through their journey. And not everyone always has a great support system, and even if they do, it's always good just to have more. You can never have enough in terms of those that are really rallying behind you when you're going through there.

Jim Fitzpatrick:

Yes, so their situation. So true. So, so true. So, for those who are uh can't be there in person, how can they still support the cause?

Jenell Ross:

So the website for the Norma J. Ross Memorial Foundation is www.njrmf.org.

Jim Fitzpatrick:

Okay, we'll show it all on the screen here. So if you for those of you that are watching that want to make a donation, get involved, we highly recommend that you do that. And uh they're doing such incredible work, really. I know that your mom's looking down with great pride, as is your father. So uh but uh yeah, so um in terms of uh business and closing out the year strong, you feel good about things uh going into 2026?

Jenell Ross:

I do. You know, it's it we may not have the increases um that we would like, but uh we all know that we have to just keep one step at a time moving forward, and we have a lot of great product that's out and coming, and that's what we you know that's always the exciting part. So, you know, at the end of the day, I think 2026 will still be a good year.

Jim Fitzpatrick:

Absolutely. Jenell Ross, president of Bob Ross Automotive Group, uh, doing just great work, her and her team uh for the Breast Cancer Awareness Month and really throughout the whole year. Uh so keep up the great work and thank you so much for all the time you gave us.

Jenell Ross:

I appreciate that. Always good to see you, Jim. Thank you.

Announcer:

Thanks for watching Inside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick.