Tom Wood goes green with new Subaru location in Carmel
We enjoyed our visit recently to the new "green" Tom Wood Subaru in Carmel. The auto retailing firm opened the doors to its new Subaru dealership, just east of 96th and Keystone. It's the State of Indiana's first ever LEED Certified auto retailer.
What does all this mean? We asked Bart Schlosser, General Manager, Tom Wood Subaru, to answer a few questions.
Why build a new Subaru dealership?
“Over the last five years the dealership has more than tripled the annual sales volume. That is great news, and supports the tremendous growth that Subaru is experiencing nationally, but strains an infrastructure that is set up for a third of the volume you are producing.”
What are the benefits of being the first LEED certificated dealership in Indiana?
“We feel we have a responsibility to operate in a sustainable, environmentally conscious fashion. Our customers appreciate that we operate this way, and potential customers hopefully will find our actions help differentiate our brand.”
Why did the dealership decide to pay a premium to become an environmentally responsible dealership?
“Corporately, Subaru has established environmental responsibility as part of their brand, and paid a premium for that establishment. That premium has obviously paid off with the healthy sales volume increases seen by Subaru nationally. Locally, Jeff Wood recognized the leverage Subaru gained with premium paid and brought the same mindset into the design of the new dealership.”
What steps did Tom Wood Subaru take to build an environmentally friendly dealership?
“Jeff Wood has taken environmental friendly steps with other Tom Wood facilities during construction, and remodeling efforts. Many of the environmental elements in the new Subaru dealership Jeff has done before, and of course, he added new elements with the new Subaru dealership. Environmental friendly has become more environmental responsibility within the vision steps of the Tom Wood organization.”
How does the dealership plan to continue their involvement with being an environmentally friendly organization?
“The Subaru manufacturing plant in Lafayette, IN has been a zero landfill facility for over ten years, and Subaru clients clearly identify and recognize the efforts of the plant. It just makes simple sense to emulate the zero landfill efforts of the plant at Tom Wood Subaru. So, Tom Wood Subaru is working with various vendors to build the necessary systems and processes for establishing the first zero landfill automotive car dealership in Indiana. The goal is to establish zero landfill by December 2015.”
What have your customers said about the dealership’s new direction?
“Clients consistently have commented “wow” when they enter into the building for the first time. As they spend more time walking around the new dealership, they quickly identify that along with the environmental focus of the building, an equally important focus has been placed on the basic movement flow throughout the dealership. Yes, comfort and convenience items are found throughout the dealership, and the layout of those items are quickly identified and appreciated by the clients too.”
