In celebration of Administrative Professional’s Day next week, we wanted to take the opportunity to introduce one of our valuable team members, Ryan Bradley! Not a stranger at all to our fans, facility, and the Audi brand, Ryan Bradley had a recent opportunity to visit Germany for the 2017 R8 Launch Training Event and needless to say, we were pretty envious to view all of his amazing photos of this unique experience. As this month’s Employee Spotlight, would couldn’t resist asking him a few questions about his recent trip. Read below to find out more about Ryan and his trip, and next time you’re at Audi Beverly Hills, don’t forget to stop by his desk for a friendly hello!
ABH: What is your position at Audi Beverly Hills and how long have you been with the company?
Ryan: I am in VIP Sales and I am a certified Audi Sport Brand Specialist. I joined the Audi Beverly Hills team shortly after we opened in January 2013, and I have been with Audi since 2005.
ABH: You just recently attended the 2017 R8 Launch Training in Germany, tell us in one adjective how your overall trip went.
Ryan: It’s hard to sum it up in one phrase, but if I have to, it would be: MIND BLOWING!
ABH: What was your favorite part about the trip?
Ryan: There were so many amazing parts of the trip. The track days, the experiences at the Factory in Ingolstadt, and all of the amazing people I had the opportunity to meet at the Audi Sport facility. However, my favorite part of the trip was the 100 mile long journey we got to take. It was behind the wheel driving one of the New R8s through scenic Germany. We took the car through the mountains, small villages, and then on the Autobahn with no speed limits. It was a very special day of driving the car the way it was meant to be driven. It was quite the departure from driving an R8 on the city streets of Beverly Hills.
ABH: Should Audi fans be excited about the new R8 and why?
Ryan: Everyone should be excited about the New R8! It truly is an engineering marvel, and carries the unmistakable R8 design forward into this evolutionary new direction for Audi. The most exciting part of the car is all the new technology it possesses over the previous generation. In terms of tech, it’s more advanced than any other Super Car on the road. The new R8 is the first of many new and exciting products we are going to see here in the US by Audi Sport.
ABH: If you had the opportunity to stay in Germany and work there would you?
Ryan: That would definitely be a dream come true! Being surrounded by Audi on such a massive scale, is certainly tempting; however It would be very difficult to leave the beautiful SoCal weather we get to enjoy here almost daily. After a week in Germany, I was ready to get back to the sunshine!
ABH: What does being selected to attend this event mean to you?
Ryan: Being selected to go on this trip was a huge honor, and it will definitely go down as a highlight in my career. I didn’t realize how exclusive the trip was until I actually reached Germany, and the Director of Strategy for Audi let us in on the numbers. There was a pool of over 7,500 candidates from Around the US that were nominated to go, and only 48 Brand Specialists were chosen to attend. The attendees were selected based on their total R8 sales over the last 5 years. It was a very special group, and it was an honor to spend a week with such talented Audi Brand Specialists from around the Country! I am honored that our General Manager, Mr. Bradford, allowed me to represent Audi Beverly Hills for such a special Launch Event.
ABH: If you had the opportunity to select one Audi to take home with you from the trip, which one would it be and why?
Ryan: I love this question! The obvious choice here should be the All-New 2017 R8, however being the die-hard Audi fan that I am, I have to go with another contender since it’s more “trip specific” when it comes to this question. That would be the Audi RS6 Avant! It’s only available in Europe, and it is the most powerful wagon on the road. The performance numbers for the RS6 are almost the same as the New R8, so it makes for a slightly more practical choice! They were everywhere in Germany, and they are a favorite among all the Audi Sport race car drivers that drive the New R8 on the track daily. They all have one as their personal car, and I was very envious!