By Matt Fredmonsky
Record-Courier staff writer
Expansion efforts continue for one Kent auto dealership as two of the Big Three U.S. auto makers transition through the bankruptcy process.
Don Joseph Toyota Scion recently completed the second phase of a three-phase, approximately $6 million renovation of its roughly 40,000-square-foot Kent Auto Mile complex.
Jeff Joseph, the owner of the dealership, said he expects the third phase — a total remodel of the front showroom and facade — will be completed by August in time for the company’s 40th anniversary.
Joseph said his father’s decision 40 years ago to apply for a Toyota franchise rather than open a Chrysler, GM or Ford dealership has proven beneficial, particularly in today’s car market.
“I look at it as a sad situation,” Joseph said of the Chrysler and GM dealers who must close as both companies file for bankruptcy.
Joseph operates one of about 1,200 Toyota dealers nationwide and one of 16 in the northeast Ohio region. Ironically, his father simply filled out a request for the franchise in August 1969 and easily obtained what today is one of the most difficult dealership agreements to get.
New construction for the Kent expansion is largely complete, as the dealership added 18,000 square feet of space to what was a 23,000-square-foot facility. Eleven new full- and part-time employees have been hired.
Joseph said the dealership will add between $3 million and $4 million in new inventory.
The additions at Don Joseph Toyota Scion are largely aimed at improving customer service.
Renovations include the addition of climate-controlled porticos that allow customers to stay out of the weather — winter snow or summer heat — when picking up new cars or dropping off vehicles for service. The service department added 12 new hydraulic lifts, and a big flat-screen TV greets customers in the remodeled waiting area.
The dealership had been considering a move to a new location in Streetsboro until 2007 when Kent City Schools and city officials began discussing ways to retain the business. The city contributed $25,000 to the dealership through a grant to help purchase adjacent property for the expansion. Last year, Kent City Council and the school district approved a 12-year, 75 percent tax abatement on the expansion work.
Jessica Joseph, the dealership’s general sales manager, said as part of their 40th anniversary they are rolling out a limited lifetime power train warranty for customers who buy a new vehicle. The warranty will be available on all new vehicles from this year forward.
“We’ve been here for 40 years in business, and we want to be here another 40 years,” Jessica Joseph said.