BO MARIJANOVIC - Owner/CEO
9046837230
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Drivelinellc@gmail.com
Hello everyone,
My name is Bo, and I hail from Eastern Europe. I was born in the former Yugoslavia, in what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina, raised in Croatia, and, being Serbian, life was a bit difficult during the 1990s.
In 1998, at the age of 18, I came to the United States with my parents and my younger brother, who, to this day, still works alongside me every day.
Hard work has been a constant throughout my life. As refugees, my family experienced poverty firsthand, so while going to school, I was almost always working at least two jobs. It took me nine years to graduate from college—not because I took breaks, but because I never stopped working two full-time jobs, and I refused to take out loans to pay for my education.
My journey began in 1998 with learning English, and in 2007 I completed my degree in Business. I also attended law school in Orlando briefly from 2008 to 2009—but that is another story for another time.
Today, I am fluent in all dialects of Serbo-Croatian/Bosnian, as well as German and English, with some conversational knowledge of Spanish. Because of the way I grew up, I still have to laugh a little when I hear younger people complain about a “long” 45- or 50-hour workweek.
I started Driveline in 2009, shortly after turning 30. What began as a small parking lot on Hogan Road with just six cars has grown into a dealership carrying approximately 150–160 vehicles, and, as of this year, a full-service automotive department.
The decision to open our service department came from my own frustration as a customer. On one end of the spectrum, I was tired of paying extremely high prices at large dealerships and waiting three weeks or longer just to have a vehicle inspected or diagnosed. On the other end, I became equally frustrated with small, under-equipped shops where work was not done correctly the first time, there was little discipline or accountability, and I was repeatedly given incorrect answers by people insisting they knew how something should be done.
Eventually, I decided that if I wanted it done differently, I would have to build it myself—and build it better.
I knew very little about running an automotive service department when we started. But with my two right-hand men, Jesus and Rafael, and Stephanie—a strong, independent woman who has been an absolute rock for our team—I believe we have built something special, and we continue improving every day.
Cars have always been a passion of mine, and classic cars are where that passion began. I have a particular appreciation for vehicles with heritage, history, and character, and I can talk about old European automobiles for hours.
Put an older Mercedes in front of me, and I can often decipher the VIN by sight and tell you the model, year, equipment package, whether it is a two-door or four-door, manual or automatic—and I probably know the factory color code by heart.
I know. It sounds boring.
But I love it.
When it comes to Driveline, one of the things I am most proud of is the culture we have built. I have always wanted our company to feel like a family—one where we take care of each other first. I believe that when employees genuinely care for and support one another, that same attitude naturally carries over to our customers.
And once you become one of our customers, you become part of our family as well—part of what we call the Drive-Tribe.
One of my favorite quotes has always been:
“I shall pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do, or any kindness that I can show, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”
I know you had a choice among thousands of dealerships across the country, and I sincerely thank you for choosing mine.
We do not take your trust for granted, and we will work hard to make sure we do not disappoint you.
Best regards,
Bo
