HR151: Commending Thomas A. Moorehead.


HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 151
Commending Thomas A. Moorehead.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 5, 2014

 

WHEREAS, Thomas A. Moorehead has become the first African American to own a Rolls-Royce automobile dealership; in 2013, he took the helm of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Sterling in Loudoun County, becoming one of only 35 Rolls-Royce dealers in the nation; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Moorehead is an American success story epitomizing hard work, forward thinking, and an entrepreneurial spirit; born in Monroe, Louisiana, he earned an undergraduate degree from Grambling State University and a master’s degree from the University of Michigan and currently is pursuing a doctoral degree; and

WHEREAS, after university, Thomas Moorehead entered the corporate world and later worked for the University of Michigan; in 1988, he went into business for himself, purchasing a Buick and Isuzu dealership in Omaha, Nebraska; and

WHEREAS, in 1995, Thomas Moorehead opened a Buick and GMC dealership in Decatur, Illinois; four years later, he sold that business and came to the Commonwealth to become owner/operator of BMW of Sterling and MINI of Sterling; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Moorehead’s BMW dealership is one of the top franchises in the United States in unit sales and customer satisfaction; his company’s repair bays have stayed open 22 hours a day to satisfy service requests, and technicians routinely deliver parts to customers’ homes; and

WHEREAS, with a strong focus on customer service, Thomas Moorehead’s employees also will pick up, service, and return automobiles that have been parked at nearby Dulles International Airport while the vehicles’ owners are away; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Moorehead served two terms on the Virginia Motor Vehicle Dealer Board, to which he was first appointed in 2005 by Governor Mark R. Warner; his business ventures include ownership of other automobile dealerships and nine hotels; and

WHEREAS, in 2012, Thomas Moorehead was named the African-American Dealer of the Year,  an award that recognizes and honors diversity in the automobile industry, and he currently chairs the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Moorehead belongs to the Baltimore chapter of the National Association of Guardsmen, Inc., and the Northern Virginia chapters of Sigma Pi Phi and Kappa Alpha Psi fraternities, and he is a 33rd degree Mason; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Thomas A. Moorehead hereby be commended for being the first African American to own a Rolls-Royce automobile dealership, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Sterling in Loudoun County; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Thomas A. Moorehead as an expression of the House of Delegates’ respect and admiration for his hard work and success and for the good example he sets in the Commonwealth.

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 151

Offered March 3, 2014
Commending Thomas A. Moorehead.
Patron-- Ramadan

WHEREAS, Thomas A. Moorehead has become the first African American to own a Rolls-Royce automobile dealership; in 2013, he took the helm of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Sterling in Loudoun County, becoming one of only 35 Rolls-Royce dealers in the nation; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Moorehead is an American success story epitomizing hard work, forward thinking, and an entrepreneurial spirit; born in Monroe, Louisiana, he earned an undergraduate degree from Grambling State University and a master’s degree from the University of Michigan and currently is pursuing a doctoral degree; and

WHEREAS, after university, Thomas Moorehead entered the corporate world and later worked for the University of Michigan; in 1988, he went into business for himself, purchasing a Buick and Isuzu dealership in Omaha, Nebraska; and

WHEREAS, in 1995, Thomas Moorehead opened a Buick and GMC dealership in Decatur, Illinois; four years later, he sold that business and came to the Commonwealth to become owner/operator of BMW of Sterling and MINI of Sterling; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Moorehead’s BMW dealership is one of the top franchises in the United States in unit sales and customer satisfaction; his company’s repair bays have stayed open 22 hours a day to satisfy service requests, and technicians routinely deliver parts to customers’ homes; and

WHEREAS, with a strong focus on customer service, Thomas Moorehead’s employees also will pick up, service, and return automobiles that have been parked at nearby Dulles International Airport while the vehicles’ owners are away; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Moorehead served two terms on the Virginia Motor Vehicle Dealer Board, to which he was first appointed in 2005 by Governor Mark Warner; his business ventures include ownership of other automobile dealerships and nine hotels; and

WHEREAS, in 2012, Thomas Moorehead was named the African-American Dealer of the Year,  an award that recognizes and honors diversity in the automobile industry, and he currently chairs the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Moorehead belongs to the Baltimore chapter of the National Association of Guardsmen, Inc. and the Northern Virginia chapters of Sigma Pi Phi and Kappa Alpha Psi fraternities, and he is a 33rd degree Mason; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Thomas A. Moorehead hereby be commended for being the first African American to own a Rolls-Royce automobile dealership, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Sterling in Loudoun County; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Thomas A. Moorehead as an expression of the House of Delegates’ respect and admiration for his hard work and success and for the good example he sets in the Commonwealth.