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SOUTH HILLS HONDA’ S NEW FACILITY GIVES CUSTOMERS THE LATEST AND GREATEST IN CAR BUYING
Ever since they bought the business back in 2007, Elissa and Greg Norton, owners of South Hills Honda, had been hoping to quickly outgrow their location so they could rebuiild and make it one of Pittsburgh’ s premier dealerships for all your automotive needs.
But like any great endeavor, the devil is in the details, and planning to be the best took a lot longer than just whipping up blueprints for a cookie-cutter building.
“ Things started taking shape in early 2012,“ Greg Norton said of their new dealership, which just opened for business in December.“ It took a while to get it up and off the ground, but fortunately our customers and employees seem to love the finished product.”
The new South Hills Honda has become a stunning three-story building( with two of those actually underground). It has a nine-car enclosed service reception area, three-car enclosed delivery area, four express bays for quick service aboveground and a completely subterranean service department.
“ It’ s like a giant walk-out basement house that has been built into a hillside, and we wanted to take advantage of the benefits that presented,” Norton said.“ Most people feel that car buying isn’ t as much fun as it should be, so every aspect of our new dealership is geared toward creating a more entertaining experience for our customers. We want it to be so inviting that people feel comfortable just stopping by for a soda or cup of coffee.”
And it’ s true: valets take customers’ cars from them to the appropriate service areas; there are two separate customer lounges with big-screen TVs; WiFi is available throughout the entire facility; a kids’ play area helps to keep youngsters busy while Mom and Dad negotiate a good deal; a 10-foot video wall in the showroom informs customers of the newest models and features; and lastly, every serviced vehicle receives a free car wash before driving off the lot. The dealership has even added a new in-house Farmers insurance agency, where customers can compare rates and get a policy on the spot if they like what they see.
In keeping with Honda’ s dedication to sustainable and thoughtful design, the facility has some green features that will make environmentally minded customers smile.
“ We heat the majority of the building with waste oil, using a state-of-the-art system engineered to be ultra-clean and efficient. We also have five 2,000-gallon rainwater collection tanks in the ground used for washing cars. All the roof surfaces slope to capture the rainwater, which is then diverted into a sophisticated filtration system that scrubs it and
makes it usable for washing cars and other gray-water applications,” Norton said.
He also stated emphatically that the whole project wouldn’ t have been doable without the ceaseless help and support of his staff and loyal customers, and for that he’ s very grateful.
“ Business has been great for us since we’ ve been here, and the biggest reason is the quality of our employees. I just can’ t say enough good things about our people. They were tireless and terrific throughout the entire construction process,” Norton said.“ They were asked to do a whole lot more while transitioning to this new facility, and each and every one of them stepped up and met the challenges. We’ re lucky to have some of the nicest and hardestworking people around.”
So it’ s no surprise why South Hills Honda has been Greater Pittsburgh’ s fastest-growing Honda dealership over the past seven years. And, with a 2016 model lineup that’ s on fire, with vehicles like the new Honda Pilot, HR-V and Civic, the future’ s continuing to look very bright as well.
For more information on South Hills
Honda, go to the website at SouthHillsHonda. com. If you’ re looking for service, a new or pre-owned vehicle, or just want to check out the new facility, stop by at 3663 Washington Road( Route 19) in McMurray. You can also call at 724.941.9100.
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