Brian O'Donnell

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the time Brian O'Donnell was in grade school trading his matchbox and hot wheels, until now, as a general manager of a California auto dealership, he has always been in the car business.  

  

Brian moved from Cleveland Heights after the eighth grade and attended Brecksville High School. He had a cup of coffee at Cleveland State before he went to visit his cousin living in Los Angeles in 1981. Other than an occasional visit back to see family living in Bay Village, Ohio, he has made his permanent home on the west coast.  

  

Now he didn't start off as a GM, no, his first gig was parking cars as a valet. That turned into washing cars at a dealership before moving into auto sales. Once he got to that position, it was clear to all those around him that Brian was meant to be in sales. By 1991, Brian was promoted to sales management, and has been working deals in the showroom ever since. Brian has made a few stops along the way, and at every dealership he has gone to, he has successfully turned a failing location into a thriving, profit center. He explains his reason for his success quite simply; passion. Brian has a passion for giving people what they want and what they need. He also has a passion for developing those who work with him into people who give their very best effort each and every day.  

  

Brian isn't just passionate about selling cars and developing people, he is also very passionate about his family. Brian met his future wife Ava in 1993; where do you think, at the dealership of course. He couldn't sell her a car, but he claims he wasn't trying to, instead he says he was selling himself. Apparently it worked because the two have been married since 1994. Ava who has been in the dentistry field for 28 years is the GM at the O'Donnell house, located in Ladera Ranch, California. That house also includes their 19 year old son Nolan, who is a computer science major at the University of California at Irvine. Nolan is also an avid gamer who has sponsors lined up to make sure he is on hand to represent their companies at video game conventions on the Pacific Coast. Apparently, and fortunately, Brian wasn't like me and didn't tell his kid "quit playing that stupid game" 1,000 times a day.  

  

Brian's daughter Halle is a 15 year old sophomore softball phenom at San Juan Hills High School, and she is coached by dear old dad. Brian is a high school girls fast pitch softball coach, as well as the manager of a girls AAU 16 and under travel league team. I know Brian can coach, because it was he that taught me how to hit a baseball some 40 plus years ago. Brian is passionate about developing his softball teams as well, and he still has that competitive desire burning through his veins. When he's not showing the girls how to turn a double play, he can often be found down at the Laguna Beach basketball courts looking to get in a game with a bunch of youngsters.   

  

Outside of the above, Brian enjoys being a Los Angeles Angels season ticket holder and isn't bashful about heckling opposing players. He also has a fond association as a First Degree with the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal service organization.   

  

Overseeing the automobile advertising for his dealerships in Orange County California, perhaps the most conservative county in the United States, Brian spent a lot of time working with Conservative Radio 870 in Los Angeles. In doing so, Brian has developed friendships with many radio commentators that liberals love to hate. Some of those friends include Dennis Prager, Hugh Hewitt, Michael Gallagher and Dennis Miller.  

  

His successful auto sales results have earned Brian and Ava numerous trips over the years including those to Bora Bora Tahiti, New Zealand, Barcelona, Monaco, Maui and Kona Hawaii. Brian has every intention of winning more trips and seeing more sites, but he knows that to do so he has to keep himself and his staff in high gear. It sounds to me like that's the only gear he knows.