A Love of Cars and a Love of Life

Mr. Hunt’s long-lasting love story with Mercedes-Benz has had a meaningful impact on his life. His experience with the brand, its cars, its dealerships and its employees has helped him reach success in his life.

''I love Mercedes-Benz, its people, and its cars – the entire culture. It is because of the lessons learned at Mercedes-Benz that I am where I am today.''

''That is not to say that my parents did not influence me, of course they did, but it was through the culture of Mercedes-Benz that I was able to develop the confidence and courage to start my own business and to acquire a modest collection of Mercedes-Benz cars.''

A few of Mr. Hunt's Mercedes-Benz collection.

Mr. Hunt’s passion for the three-arrowed star brand started at a very young age working at his father’s auto service. He was able to compare the different models and he soon realized that European cars, especially Mercedes-Benz, were engineered and built in a superior quality than any American car.

''I wanted to work at Mercedes-Benz because, even at that early age, I had become aware of the quality and craftmanship of their cars. My father owned an auto service station and on weekends I helped dad and his technicians service all brands of cars. There were some European models, but most were American made. I became aware of the differences in build quality and engineering between the two and it didn’t take long to realize that the European models, the Mercedes-Benz brand in particular, were of higher standard and quality.

Hunt’s service station, Robert Hunt’s father auto service company.

His frequent visits to Mercedes-Benz dealerships not only made him want to drive his own Mercedes-Benz, but to work with the best vehicles in the world.

''I was also fortunate, at that time, to make periodic visits to Mercedes-Benz dealers since dad performed a towing service for them and I would go along when he would make his visits. It was after seeing the new cars up close that I realized that I wanted to own a Mercedes. As a teenager, I wanted to work on the best cars in the world, so I enrolled in a two-year A-to-Z auto mechanics course at an automotive technical school in Pierrefonds, Quebec, and ended up graduating at the top of my class.''

''My journey with Mercedes-Benz started in 1973, at age 19, when I was hired as an apprentice mechanic by D.K. Automobile Inc., a Mercedes-Benz dealership in Montreal, Quebec. I was an enthusiastic and excited teenager that was about to work on some of the best automobiles in the world and, unbeknownst to me, to be immersed into a culture that would mold me into a better human being.''

D.K. Automobile Inc, circa 1976. Mr. Robert Hunt is pictured on the left. 

Mr. Robert Hunt is convinced his work experience at the Mercedes-Benz dealership molded him into a better human being. Despite the diversity of cultures and personalities of the team members, he realized that working for the brand also meant being part of a family.

''Entering the Mercedes-Benz workforce was a revelation. People from all over the world were working in concert. Professional men and women from Germany, India, Russia, Poland, Israel, Italy, Britain, Uganda, Barbados, to name a few, were working as a family rather than as individuals. It was a very special environment and the feeling of belonging to a professional worldwide community was immediate and unique. I felt like a citizen of the world. We accepted each other for who we were as people, irrespective where we came from, and for each of our contributions as professionals. We were judged on merit, not on race or religion.''

''Mercedes-Benz cars are recognized throughout the world as the standard of excellence. It is a truly international product, not only because it is sold everywhere in the world but because Mercedes-Benz intentionally creates a culture of bringing the world together.''

Mr. Hunt soon discovered that employees were treated with respect, recognized for their skills and hard work, and that they were encouraged to work as a team and learn from each other.

''In that way, they integrate the world into their products. It is the people that make Mercedes-Benz who they are. I learned that when you treat people with respect and recognize their value to an organization, the result can only bring success. I’m not an expert in everything in business and I don’t pretend to be. Mercedes-Benz had taught me that it is not a bad thing to have people around you that know more than you. In my own business, if I lacked knowledge in some specific area, I did not hesitate to find someone that had that knowledge so that I could learn from them. ''

His experience with the people at Mercedes-Benz, learnings from playing chess and his knowledge of mathematics helped him set a vision for his business.

''When I was still quite young, perhaps like many young people, I was totally unaware of the value of the things that were taught to me and how they would benefit me in the future. At the age of ten, I acquired some of the best education of my life. I learned to play chess. My thirty-five-year-old neighbour, who looked more like a biker than an intellectual, took kindly to me and taught me how to play. I played almost every day with him. My goal was to beat him. I couldn’t do it for two years and then it happened – checkmate. What chess teaches you is, before making a move, to look ahead and evaluate the consequences of that move. In business this is crucial, and it became a natural part of my decision-making process.''

''Another important element in my life was learning math in school. I am not intimidated by numbers. In fact, I embrace them. Numbers do not lie. I only have to use simple arithmetic to understand the health of my business and it was a simple calculation that allowed me to go into business on my own.''

''At the age of 34, I was service manager of 60 employees at Mercedes-Benz South Shore. I figured that if I had twenty employees working for me and they were each able to generate $200 a day, then I would generate $4,000 a day of revenue. Logic told me that I could earn that for myself if I worked hard and built something that had twenty employees, all contributing like those at Mercedes-Benz. With that little calculation, I set a vision for myself and a whole new world opened up. ''

The most important business lesson he learned from Mercedes-Benz was: Care for people who work for you. Recognizing the value of your employees and maximizing their potential brings success.

''In my last year at Mercedes-Benz, I increased their business substantially, primarily because I became familiar with the capabilities of each employee and I took great pride in my work.

‘’You have to know your employees if you want to maximize their productivity so, to know more, I interacted with them on a personal level. We organized group lunches. Each person would bring a home cooked meal. Each dish brought a little insight into a person’s culture and this brought everyone closer together.'’

''A young man, who worked at many small menial tasks, was very conscious of the poor health of his teeth. D.K. Automobile Inc. arranged for him go to a specialist to fix his teeth. The young man’s quality of life immediately improved, and he went out of his way to do the best job he could in whatever he did. By treating this young man with respect and caring for him, it showed that the employer valued him as an individual and this young man returned the favor through increased productivity.’’

''It is the people that make a company like Mercedes-Benz successful, and Mercedes-Benz is all about its people.''

''An overstated cliché is that “it is the people that make a company.” My experience at Mercedes-Benz, and within my own business, has proven that this is not just a cliché, but a fact. Without quality people there would be no quality product. ''

''The lessons learned through my parents, my chess playing neighbour, and the people at Mercedes-Benz have provided me with the life-long tools to grow a successful distribution business, which I started in 1989, the year I left Mercedes-Benz, and which I am now able to pass on to my two sons. My passion for these cars never stopped growing.''

’’I have been fortunate to have owned over sixty different models and I still feel the thrill and excitement of driving the twelve that I have collected and restored, as if each was the very first, a red 280S that I bought in 1978.’’

Today, Mr. Robert Hunt is a member of the Mercedes-Benz Laval family and his passion and loyalty are inspiring to all of our team. We look forward to welcoming you for the purchase of your 66^th Mercedes-Benz!

More cars from Mr. Hunt’s Mercedes-Benz collection.