40 Under 40

Jason Olesnavage didn't know much about the car business when he linked up with Victory Automotive Group's general manager training program in 2010, after graduating from the University of Michigan.

He had no exposure to automotive retail growing up. His parents were educators at Detroit's Wayne State University and in the city's public school system.

Olesnavage was a kicker for the Michigan Wolverines football squad, appearing in 12 games as a fifth-year senior.

A professor told him of the training program at Victory Automotive, one of the largest privately owned dealership groups in the U.S. Jeff Cappo, the group's owner, was looking to recruit graduates from the University of Michigan.

After Olesnavage earned his bachelor's degree in economics and a master's in kinesiology, he joined Victory Automotive, starting in the service lane of a North Carolina Chevrolet store and three years later, at age 25, becoming general manager at a Honda dealership in California.

"I knew nothing about the car business — had no family in the car business — but everything that the car business is about really is motivating to me and makes it fun to come to work," Olesnavage said. "[Cappo] gave me my foundation, gave me my chance — way before most people get an opportunity to run a store."

In 2015, Olesnavage left the dealership world to work for a vehicle auction technology startup. But he returned to the business in 2017 as general manager of Orland Park Audi near Chicago. A year later, he began his career at Fox Motors, where he remains today.

As director, he oversees the operations of 12 Fox stores in Michigan and Illinois. Olesnavage said he led the operational expansion of his Fox Motors division from four rooftops and six brands in the Chicago and Detroit areas in December 2021 to 12 rooftops and 18 brands as of April.

He gauges whether he's doing the job well by determining if he's putting "people in a position to grow and be successful, and then is the business growing," Olesnavage said.

"One of the things I do like about the automotive industry and particularly retail automotive is you have a pretty transparent report card — financial statement, your standing with the manufacturer and are you taking care of your people and your customer? I really look at it from that perspective of if we're continuing to grow."

Olesnavage said one achievement he is most proud of is earning a master's degree in business administration from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management while working and starting a family.

— Vince Bond Jr.