Key Hyundai of Manchester and Key Hyundai of Milford are owned by Jill Merriam. Jill is one of the only female franchised car dealers in Connecticut.

Life B.C. (before car dealership):

Jill graduated from college and got a killer corporate finance job. She worked around the country and around the world – with stints in London, New York, Boston and Seattle. She lived the American dream for over 10 years – big job, big office, big money and big respect! Her last corporate job was as a Senior Financial Analyst at Microsoft. She even sat in corporate review meetings with Bill Gates! So, why give all that up for the car business? One day when Jill was in a meeting with Bill Gates, she got to thinking. “Bill Gates revolutionized the software business. Now, I am one of 35,000 employees on this campus. What if I tried to revolutionize my family’s business?”

First, Why not the car business from the start?

Jill grew up around the dinner table hearing about the daily grind of the car business. That’s why she shied away from it right after college. As Jill matured she started to think about shattering the old structure of the car business. What would the business look like if people were just treated with respect and had all their questions answered? What would happen if the ethics she and her family holds true carried over to the business? What if she just hired automotive and finance experts, met peoples needs, treated them honestly and there was no b.s.? What if she was a car dealer “for the people”? People told her she was crazy – don’t try to change the way things have been done for a million years. But, her gut told her that this was her opportunity to give back to the Connecticut community.

Jill has been now been the Dealer for the People R since 2002. She and her team treat people honestly and put no sales pressure on them. Don’t misunderstand; she makes money when people buy cars. But, wouldn’t people be more likely to buy cars from an automotive and finance expert who met their needs, rather than a product pusher? Seems logical, doesn’t it?

As one of the only female car dealers in the State of Connecticut, Jill inserts her compassion and ethics into everything she does. Jill’s repeat and referral business and her service business are off the hook.

The key to the story is that if you go at anything from a moral and ethical standpoint, and take care of fulfilling customer’s needs one at a time, success will come to you!

In Jill's free time, she is mom to Brady, age 8 and Carly, age 7. She is also on the Board of Medical Aid to Haiti (http://www.medicalaidtohaiti.org) and is determined to help the beautiful people of Haiti help themselves.