The CEO of a Richmond-based group of car dealerships has won a prestigious entrepreneur award.
Christian Chia, CEO of OpenRoad Auto Group, received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for its 2018 Pacific program.
“It is a tremendous honour to be recognized,” Chia said in a news release.
OpenRoad comprises of 23 car dealerships across B.C., and the company’s head office is at the Richmond Auto Mall. The company prides itself on offering customers an experiential car-buying service, recognizing that buying a car is a big decision.
Chia became president of the family-run group of four car dealerships, called Multiland Investment at the time, in 1998. Since then, the company has seen explosive growth and is now the largest auto retailer in the province.
"Christian is taking a fresh approach to differentiate OpenRoad in a mature market," said Lui Petrollini, Entrepreneur Of The Year Pacific program director. "Loyalty marketing, predictive analytics and multi-channel platforms are just some of the tactics he's embraced to create a personalized and trusting experience — both online and in-store."
Chia will now go on to compete with other winners from other Canadian regions at a Toronto gala in November.
