Talk to the General Manager of Wesley Chapel Toyota

After being born and raised in New Jersey, this pair recently became Wesley Chapel transplants - moving to the Esplanade in January of 2024. Ray expressed an interest in relocating to Florida with his company Lithia Auto Group. About two weeks later they called and asked if he would be interested in taking over the role of General Manager at Wesley Chapel Toyota. The opportunity presented itself much quicker than they anticipated. Their daughter Rylee was a senior in High School at the time, but they decided to take the opportunity and Ray left for Florida two weeks later. Danielle stayed behind in NJ for several months with their daughter finishing up high school, getting ready for college, and then getting their house sold. 

Ray earned a Management degree from Long Island University in Brooklyn and was drafted by the Texas Rangers. After getting released two years later, he started working for the Lithia Auto Group where he’s been for 30 years. Ray shared, “I’m a hands-on General Manager and I have the mindset to earn one customer at a time, even though we are a high-volume operation.” Ray's wife Danielle graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1991 with a BS in Dental Hygiene. She was a Dental Hygienist for 30 years and was ready to step away from her dental career before moving to Florida. 

This team loves to give back to their community! Ray explained, “On a store level at Wesley Chapel Toyota, we support Metropolitan Ministries, Moffit Cancer Center, One Blood, Toys for Tots, New Tampa YMCA, and Under the Lights Flag Football.” Danielle added, “We felt it was important to get involved in our new community, so we joined the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel. We have met so many wonderful people through Rotary who share a desire to give back to the community. In our first year in Florida, we experienced two Hurricanes which was a bit different from dealing with snow storms. Through our Rotary, I met with Pasco County employees running the comfort stations to see their needs and Wesley Chapel Toyota donated basic goods such as towels, laundry supplies and personal care items. Another really memorable moment for me was volunteering at a Habitat for Humanity service project and actually learning how to install siding on a house and then doing it!”