For Parker Gelber, working in the automotive industry has been a passion from an early age. After interning at a local car dealership at 15, he launched his own business, RP Exotics, out of his college dorm room when he was only 18 years old. “I wanted to help my friends and neighbors sell their cars without losing too much value trading in at a dealership,” he explains. Today, he’s used that experience to turn RP Exotics into one of St. Louis’ premiere luxury vehicle dealership.
While Gelber started RP Exotics on his own, he knew he would need a business partner. In March of 2019, Alex Long came on board, bringing with him more than a decade of experience in automotive retail working with everything from Chevrolet and Honda to ultra luxury brands. “Since the beginning, Alex and I had a plan,” Gelber notes. “I would bring all the cars in and he would handle getting them sold. While the business started with a focus on exotics and highline vehicles, our goal is to keep expanding into each sector of the industry, including classic and vintage cars, luxury and trucks.”
For its first two years in business, RP Exotics did not buy any cars. Instead, the business was focused on consignment. However, Gelber notes that the company was slowly able to build up its cash reserves and began purchasing inventory. “Today, we have 100 cars in our inventory, and around 30% of those are vehicles we own,” he explains. “Outside of business operations and relationship development, my focus is to buy and consign inventory from all over the country, ensuring that my sales team always has vehicles to sell. Many of our cars come from my travels to Miami, Tampa, Bentonville and Kansas City.”
As RP Exotics has grown, so has its commitment to customer service. Gelber has never lost sight of his original goal of ensuring people’s vehicles were recognized for their true value. One of RP Exotics signature services is PROsignment, a suite of professional resources the dealership uses to sell and acquire exotic cars with little to no risk “We’re like a real estate agent for cars,” he notes. “We list our vehicles on more than 25 different platforms, and our sales team takes out the hassles of selling privately, so you get more money in your pocket with less stress.”
RP Exotics recently expanded into a second location. The new building offers more room for storing cars, and Gelber is looking forward to further growing the dealership’s inventory. “We’re looking to buy or consign everything from luxury SUVs and classics to lifted trucks and supercars—we want it all,” he says. “When it comes to buying or selling luxury vehicles, we have the expansive knowledge and extensive experience necessary for success. Plus, we have the largest pre-owned inventory in all of St. Louis.”
1155 N. Warson Rd.
314.463.0758
RPExotics.com
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