Selling cars is the last thing Joe Ciferni would have guessed he would be doing 30 years ago. Graduating with a degree in teaching and coaching from San Hills Community College in North Carolina and having taught an Oscar and Golden Globe winning actor, Joe’s teaching career was a gratifying endeavor. However, the educator evolved, and eventually became the number one salesman in his region.
Joe had a satisfying career as an educator for twenty three years. He taught emotionally disturbed students at Devereux, located in Devon, Pennsylvania. Among his students was Rocky Balboa, world renowned actor Sylvester Stallone. “I will never forget the day the Unit Administrator told Stallone that he would never amount to anything. Boy, was he wrong.” While at Devereux Joe was also the Athletic Director.
In 1980, the coach accepted an opportunity to become the Dean of Students at The Vanguard School in Lake Wales, Fl. It was there that Ciferni met Les Lawn. A top salesman for decades at Bartow Ford, Les attempted for months to bring Joe into the dealership to meet Benny Robles Sr., the President of Bartow Ford. Joe was apprehensive to the opportunity, having never sold anything in his life.
Lawn’s relentless prodding finally convinced Ciferni to visit, and in May of 1990 Joe became a salesman at Bartow Ford. By 1993 he was second in the Orlando region for leasing; one year later Joe achieved number one. At the time Bartow Ford was celebrating 49 years of business, Joe was the first “rookie” ever hired, proving that no matter the experience or age, success is a choice. The top producer’s strengths and abilities did not go unnoticed, and in 1999 Joe was promoted to Sales Manager.
In 2007, Joe began to possess golden thoughts of retirement. Ultimately he chose to semi-retire, and is the Facilities Director. Joe has now been employed at Bartow Ford for 22 years. When asked about his feelings of Bartow Ford, Joe had a lot to say.
“I think a great deal of Bartow Ford. If you’re going to get in the car business, the only place to work is Bartow Ford. I hear stories about how other dealerships are, and this place is better than everyone else. I was most impressed about how everyone was so family-oriented. The owners treat us like family. You don’t mind coming to work here. Bartow Ford isn’t just a place you sell cars, it is a place where you build relationships with customers. I have a lot of good friends now that started out as customers.”
Joe feels the customer should always come first. “The fact that their number one interest is taking care of the customer- I think that’s what makes me proud to say I work at Bartow Ford.”
The father of four and grandfather of two still loves to coach. Coming full circle after 40 years, Ciferni is the president of the Little League in Lake Wales. He articulates his love of coaching with passion. “The most rewarding feeling is when you watch kids that strike out the entire season finally hit the ball. It’s like they won the lottery because they get so happy. It makes me proud to know that all of my hard work with these kids pays off in such a big way.”
Joe spends the rest of his time competing in the Senior Olympics. This past year, his bowling team won the Gold Medal for all of Florida, and in the summer his team will go up against all of the other Gold Medalist winners in the country. “I’ve always hunted, fished, shot. I shoot skeet, trap, sport, and clays at least two or three times a month,” Joe tells of his recreation. In addition to the Gold, Joe has earned a Silver and a Bronze Medal for bowling and a Gold Medal for shooting. “I enjoy what I’m doing and I’m very competitive. I’ve been like that my whole life.”
Whether he’s on the lot or in the field, Joe leads by example and will encourage you to keep swinging through all seasons.
as been rewarded with a profusion of sales, recognition, and awards. She has numerous Salesperson of the Year trophies and the majority of the Salesperson of the Month plaques from 2006 to present. In 2006 she was given an astounding award for selling over 500 vehicles in one year. With that accolade, the top selling rep was sent to Detroit to tape training videos to be sent out to every Ford dealership in the nation, gaining awareness for Bartow Ford in the process.
The tireless altruist is constantly volunteering her time to help out with various charities and events to raise money for those less fortunate. Over eight years ago, Kristie heard about a little girl from Auburndale, Florida, 
n, Mrs. Carter partakes in Bartow Ford’s 
Benny Robles Sr., President &Chairman of Bartow Ford, has known Denny for over 40 years. “In the many years I have known Denny, he has been my co-worker, my boss, my partner, and my friend. I hope to be associated with him for another 40 years.”
been on a ladder of success ever since.
asked her “Do you know what today is?”, she laughed and said she would never forget it again after Marty’s phone call last year. When he finally got to speak to the customer and wish him a happy birthday, he was so happy and said that no one had ever called him to wish him a happy birthday before. “It’s times like that when you realize what life is all about”, Marty said.
Young or old, veteran or “newbie,” anyone can be successful at Bartow Ford if they put their mind to it. David Willoughby has done just that by becoming the number one Pre-owned Salesperson for 2010. David was named top salesperson in the Pre-owned department at this year’s Sales Banquet, held at The Columbia restaurant on May 1, 2011. Much more goes into car sales than meets the eye, and if you ask David he will tell you that it is all about how successful you decide to be.
