At first, Thomas Moorehead planned to work in education. When he decided to venture into the auto sector in 2001, he was at the height of his professional success. And it paid off since his business, Sterling Motorcars, became the first African-American Lamborghini and McLaren dealer in the United States as well as the first African-American Rolls Royce dealer in the entire world.
Furthermore, it has continued to prosper over the years. James Bradley, the owner of the Bradley Automotive Group and Moorehead’s mentor, taught him the basics of the automotive business. Bradley exhorted him to seize the chance and told him that doing so might make him a millionaire.
In actuality, Moorehead moved up the success ladder. Until he established his first dealership in 1988, he participated in several dealer training programmes using his savings. In 2001, he finally opened Sterling Motorcars.
Moorehead attracted Rolls Royce’s attention with his stellar reputation and commitment to providing excellent customer service, making him the company’s first-ever African-American dealer worldwide. Since then, they have expanded their lineup to include the Mini Cooper, McLaren, and Lamborghini. In Delaware, Southern Pennsylvania, and the Washington Metropolitan Area, it has grown to become the largest and most prominent luxury car retailer.
“Sometimes you have to take a step back to take a step forward. If you want to get into this business, you have to be willing to start at the bottom and work your way to the top.”
Sterling Motorcars allegedly made $632.2 million in revenue last year, ranking second among minority-owned businesses in the Greater Washington area.
Furthermore, Moorehead, who was raised in poverty, never forgets to give back to the community by funding the college education of deserving youngsters. He has given hundreds of high school students around $400,000 in scholarships through the Joyce and Thomas Moorehead Foundation since 2004. He also gives to HBCUs regularly, including Grambling University, Bethune Cookman University, and Howard University.
