Behind the Scenes of the New Park Place Motorcars Arlington
Mariza McIlveenof Grand Prairie didn’t imagine a career in the automotive industry for herself. She started out in the hospitality industry working for luxury hotels. But she quickly found her passion was for helping people grow in their careers.
“I was born and raised in Sri Lanka,” said McIlveen. “I went to high school in Singapore and college in Hawaii. I got into the hospitality field because my Dad was a pilot for Singapore Airlines, and he always pictured his little girl in the hotel business. I worked hotel operations for the first part of my career, and discovered that I enjoyed helping people grow. I would hire front desk agents and mentor them. Watching a few move on to do big things in their career, I decided I wanted to be in Human Resources. It gives me great pleasure to give people the chance to get into a great company and grow.”
McIlveenstarted at Park Place Dealerships in 2014, and was recently named Human Resources Manager for the new Arlington Mercedes-Benz dealership, which opened November 2, 2015.
“I am a certified HR professional,” continued McIlveen. “My goal each day is to make sure that I have taken care of our members’ (employees) needs, and that I am available to lend a hand or ear. My goal is to create a fun work environment for the new dealership… to help it grow and be recognized for its ‘can do’ attitude.”
McIlveen is expecting rapid growth at the new dealership. Mercedes-Benz is introducing 10 new vehicles in 2016: including a new 4-door mid-sized SUV, several new diesel models, a plug-in hybrid C-Class and a sleek new SLK roadster.
Park Place Dealerships is continually looking for quality team members. To apply, go to http://www.parkplace.com/careers.
When asked what advice she would share with women considering a career in the automotive industry, McIlveen replied, “Everyone at Park Place is very respectful and I have never felt out of place. They’ve been eager to share their knowledge with me. We even have one of the first female Mercedes-Benz parts managers in Texas, and one of a very few in the country. Park Place offers ongoing training for our members to advance.”
Mariza and her husband, Gordy, live in Grand Prairie with their Great Pyrenees dog Cassius. They’ve lived in the Grand Prairie/Arlington area for the past eight years.
Empowering women to succeed in the automotive industry is just one of many intriguing stories you’ll find among the “experts in excellence” at Park Place Motorcars Arlington.
Ken Schnitzer founded Park Place Dealerships in 1987 with a single Mercedes-Benz dealership on Oak Lawn. Today, Park Place Dealerships employs more than 2,000 people and operates 18 full-service dealerships representing luxury brands including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Infiniti, Volvo, smart, Jaguar, Lotus, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, McLaren, and Maserati. For more information about Park Place Dealerships, visit parkplace.com.