Luther Automotive (DEV)

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  • NCF Gifts Van to Metro Hope

    Metro Hope is a residential Christian-based addiction recovery program. They are one of the few treatment facilities that allows children to live with their mothers during their recovery process. Luther has teamed up with Metro Hope many times, sponsoring fundraisers and providing financial support.  

    Dan Bradley, runner at NCF, has worked at Luther for 20 years, previously as a trainer, and is a big reason for this ongoing partnership. Bradley served as a board member of Metro Hope and has worked with them for 30 years.  

    North Country Ford gifted Metro Hope a 10-passenger van to replace their current one that was on its last leg.  

    “This van means that the moms and kids can get to church, build new relationships there, and strengthen their lives,” said Cammy Oren, Metro Hope Board President. 

  • Brookdale Chevrolet Buick GMC Supports Youth Hockey

    Chevrolet is dedicated to supporting youth sports throughout the year. Brookdale Chevrolet Buick GMC has supported three youth sports this year, including youth basketball teams in Fridley and Osseo, Minnesota, and Hopkins Youth Hockey.  

    General Manager Tony Stark always reaches out to multiple youth hockey programs to see who needs support. Hopkins Hockey responded and the two worked together to raise money for their program. “Chevy’s really into helping with youth sports and activities. We try to help different areas out every year,” said Stark. “It starts with the young kids, keeping them out of trouble and keeping them active is so important.” 

     

    Brookdale Chevrolet Buick GMC donated money and then added $25 for every test drive in the weeks leading up to the donation. In total, they raised $1,500. They brought Chevy trucks to put outside the arena at a youth hockey game, where they presented the check. 

     

    “We do this because we want to make sure the youth still have the availability to have access to sports,” said Stark. “Some people don’t have the funds, the time, or transportation ability to keep their kids in sports.” 

     

    The money given will help volunteers get kids to practice and provide equipment to those who need it. 

  • Acts of Unreasonable Hospitality: Brookdale VW

    Will Guidara, author of Unreasonable Hospitality, talks about treating every single guest like a VIP, not just an exclusive group. “Unreasonable Hospitality meant providing a thoughtful, high-touch gesture for every one of our guests,” writes Guidara.  

    At Brookdale VW, they are taking this idea and implementing it with every new car purchase. When a guest purchases a new car and comes to pick it up, team members cover the car with a VW-branded cover. When the guest has paid and signed all the documents, they get to watch their car be unveiled.  

    “As guests buy more and more cars in life, the process is not as memorable,” said General Manager Todd Earnest. “When we do this for every car, they continue having unforgettable experiences every time.”  

    Not only do the guests have a memorable experience when their car is unveiled, but others get to witness the excitement and want to get in on the fun. The whole staff joins the fun and cheers, adding to the excitement. 

    “A lot of times, other people are there with them for pickup,” said Earnest. “Other customers come and watch, asking what that was all about and wanting that for themselves.” 

    There are many ways dealerships can provide memorable experiences to guests, from new car unveilings, or gifting gift cards. It is about finding ways to go above and beyond for guests in ways that work for each dealership. After finding something that works for everyone, these moments of unreasonable hospitality for individual guests will come naturally.   

  • Metro Dealerships Collect Winter Gear for Homeless

    In November, all Luther dealerships in the Twin Cities collected new socks, hats, and mittens for their local neighbors in need. Over 6,300 items were collected by the Metro dealerships and Luther’s home office.  

    These items were distributed at the 3000 Acts of Kindness event held at the Minneapolis Convention Center. People experiencing homelessness can receive hygiene kits, meals, haircuts, foot care, medical services, assistance with getting IDs, and many other services at this annual event.   

    3000 Acts of Kindness is sponsored by Coated in Love, a nonprofit whose mission is to provide hope, help, and resources to people experiencing homelessness and all in need.  

    “Thank you to everyone who participated,” said Matt Oquist, Community Engagement Director. “It was great to see our team members care about our neighbors and keep them warm this winter.”

    After the 3000 Acts of Kindness event, remaining items were given to treatment facilities who focus on helping women and children. 

  • Dealerships Celebrating the Holidays with their Communities

    The holiday season is a great time to give back to the community and help those in need. Here is how some of our dealerships celebrated the holidays with their communities and helped those around them.  

     

    Brookdale Chevrolet Buick GMC Hosts Pet Adoption Event 

    This year, Brookdale Chevrolet Buick GMC hosted an animal adoption event. People could donate or bring slightly used pet toys and supplies in for donation.  

    “We team up with Rough Start Rescue,” said Tony Stark, General Manager. “They brought in adoptable pets; we had dogs, cats, and even a guinea pig.” 

    They raised over $5,000 through the in-person event and by posting a link online. Most of the puppies present were adopted and one of the techs adopted a cat. Guests could enjoy live music, a silent auction, get pet photos with Santa, and visit featured vendors. 

     

     

    Brookdale Mazda Mitsubishi Fills Cars for Toys for Tots 

    Brookdale Mazda Mitsubishi participated in Toys for Tots for the fifth year. “Helping the children out with something tangible that we see the immediate impact from is great,” said Assistant Sales Manager, Josh Reiher. “They also look cool in the back of the cars.” Over 1450 toys were donated, most of which were donated by Luther employees. 

     

     

    North Country Ford Donates to Shop with the Cop 

    North Country Ford donated $4,000 to the Coon Rapids Police Department for the Shop with a Cop Program. 25 fifth graders from two local elementary schools were selected to shop. Each child will receive $250 to buy gifts for friends and family, or even themselves if they otherwise would not receive gifts.

     

     

    Rudy Luther Toyota Chili Cook-Off Fundraiser 

    RLT hosted their 15th annual chili cook off to raise money for Shop with a Cop in partnership with the Golden Valley Police Department. Luther employees donated $10 to try all 13 chili options and vote for their top three. Mike Hendricks won first place for his savory chili with spicy beef, pork and bison. Holiday baked goods were also available with a donation. They raised over $880 from the cook off alone, and with RLT and Motors Management matching this amount, the grand total raised was over $2,600. 

     

     

    Infiniti of Bloomington Hosts Women and Wellness Event 

    Infiniti of Bloomington partnered with Twin City Group, a full-service insurance company, to host a Women and Wellness event to kick off the Women & Wellness series. Women who attended could get free headshots, network with other female business leaders, and receive custom clothing consultations, along with test driving Infiniti vehicles.  

    The Women & Wellness series, put on by Christine Portillo, will bring in women in business to share knowledge and expertise in specific topics around health and wellness.  “It was a great group of women, and I always feel grateful when people show up…even in -5° temps!” wrote Portillo.

     

  • Bloomington Kia Covers Fixes on Stolen Car

    This summer, Lauri Ludeman’s 2015 Kia Soul was stolen out of her parking lot. The police located it after five hours, just 15 minutes away from Ludeman’s house but significant damage was done. She brought it to a body shop she had been to previously, which quoted her $2,000 to fix just the damage. 

    Ludeman didn’t have the means to get the damage fixed and looked at every possible option, including taking out a loan and credit card. She called Adam Bistodeau, the Service Manager at Bloomington Kia, and explained her situation, looking for a solution. “I told her to bring the car in to do the bare minimum to help her out to start,” said Bistodeau. “We got the broken window covered immediately.”

    Bistodeau talked with Parts Manager Chad Huffman, and he agreed to split the costs to fix the damages between Service and Parts. The next day, Service Advisor Oscar Diaz called Ludeman to let her know Bloomington Kia would be covering all the repairs. “I was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude!” said Ludeman. “In my time of great need, there were people who were willing to not only help me but go above and beyond.”

    Kia took it one step further during a dealership visit. Bistodeau explained the situation, and Kia agreed to cover the cost of fixing the damage if Service and Parts covered the cost of any other maintenance she needed. Kia put on new tires, brakes, and filters and completed an alignment. They took care of the locking lug nuts and airbag lights and put in new spark plugs and bulbs. The total repairs cost about $2,600, the damage being $1,500 of that.

    Ludeman relied on her car and could never bring it in for more than a few hours, so repairs took over two months to complete. Ludeman waited in the waiting area each visit and got to know the staff quite well. She has taken on new leadership responsibilities at her job and talked with Bistodeau about how to build her leadership skills. Bistodeau, being a former Leadership Academy grad, recommended 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, which he read during his year in Leadership Academy, and Unreasonable Hospitality, which has been used in many leadership trainings in the last year. “I feel like they are my family, and I will be a customer for life. I have not had a better customer service experience!” said Ludeman. “Thank you, Adam and Oscar, for being such wonderful human beings. I will never forget your kindness.”

  • Bloomington Subaru Hosts Dog Adopting Events

    In October, Bloomington Subaru hosted a dog adoption event. They partnered with the non-profit Midwest Animal Rescue and Services, located in Brooklyn Park, a non-profit that helps nearly 100,000 animals every year. Subaru is known for its dedication to owner’s pets, with a variety of campaigns featuring how a Subaru is perfect for your furry friend. They even dedicated one of their Love Promises to Pets. 

    Bloomington Subaru and Midwest Animal Rescue were partnered through Subaru Love Promise Commitment, and they have done previous events together. With their new dealerships, Bloomington Subaru can host events in person. 

    “It’s a lot easier to adopt a dog if you can see the dog in person. Like buying a car, it’s easier to buy the car if you see it in person, it’s much easier to fall in love with a dog when you interact with it in person,” said Noah Joseph, Sales Manager. “We’d rather people come to the store and fall inlove with the dog and give them a new home hopefully.”

    This year, ten dogs were brought in. So far, three dogs have been adopted that were at the event. They have also had multiple people apply to foster dogs until they find their forever home.   

  • Schulte Subaru Joins Luther Family

    In early November, Luther welcomed a new dealership to the family in a new state. Schulte Subaru opened in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in 1970. Terry Schulte traveled to Chicago to physically stand in line to bring a Honda dealership to Sioux Falls, but another dealership in Sioux Falls beat him to it. When it was Schulte’s turn, he learned of the Japanese company Subaru and bought the rights to bring it to Sioux Falls for $4,000. 

    Schulte owned other dealerships that were all sold in 2000, but they kept Schulte Subaru. Later on, Terry Schulte’s son, Mike, and his wife, Sarah, became co-owners of Schulte Subaru. General Manager Jason Hanson has been at Schulte for 15 years and has served as General Manager for three years. 

    The sale consisted of the Schulte Subaru dealership and a separate body shop on the south side of Sioux Falls. The body shop across the street from the dealership will become a Collision & Glass Center. The Schulte family decided to sell the final dealership to find new adventures but wanted to ensure the new owners would take care of the 120-plus employees. “It wasn’t all about the money for them, it was more about leaving the store in good hands,” said Hanson. Since the official acquisition, Luther’s home office staff have visited Schulte on multiple occasions, helping them train on new systems and get them transitioned to Luther. 

    “You always wonder what an acquisition means or what will happen, but it has been absolutely amazing so far. The people that we’ve talked to and those who have been here to train during this process have been amazing, they’re just great people,” said Hanson. “Before the sale, anybody we would talk to about Luther never had a bad thing to say. That’s pretty amazing, especially when there are over 4,000 employees and a lot of dealerships.”

    Schulte Subaru has been nationally recognized, being Subaru’s Love Promise Retailer of the Year in 2020, for their commitment to the community and going above and beyond. Schulte Subaru supports the Sioux Falls Humane Society and the Children’s Home Society, among many other local organizations. They took their commitment one step further on one dangerously cold -40-degree day in February 2020 when one manager’s wife called to say she couldn’t get her car started. 

    “We all realized that there were probably a lot of people dealing with that same issue, so we started posting on social media,” said Hanson. “We let people know if your car doesn’t start, give us a buzz, and we’ll send someone out to you to jump the car,” said Hanson. In just two days, Schulte Subaru jumped 125 cars around the Sioux Falls area. Finance Manager Jeremy Griffith also won Subaru’s Shining Star Award in 2022. Six winners are selected each year for living the Subaru Love Promise. 

    “Our mantra here is to go above and beyond and do something special when you can,” said Hanson. “It’s important for us to be involved in the community and help where we can help.”

  • St. Cloud Subaru Wins National Love Promise Award

    Subaru has Love Promise commitments to the environment, health, education, pets, and community. Each month, Subaru executives award two dealerships the Love Promise Story award. St. Cloud Subaru won their first award in September for their commitment to Subaru Loves Learning. St. Cloud Subaru worked with Place of Hope Ministries and won the Love Promise Story award because Carol and Geary, Directors of Place of Hope, submitted their story to Subaru Executives. 

    “Place of Hope was started in the St. Cloud area in 1997,” wrote Director Carol Smith in her story submission. “My husband Geary and I felt called to do something for the homeless in our community, and it started with the most basic human need: water. It was quickly obvious that so much more was needed, and so began our journey as the founders of what is now Place of Hope Ministries.”

    In 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for shelter and community increased exponentially. This is where Compassionate Hope Family Center was started, a temporary and transitional housing center for up to 32 families and 30 single women. St. Cloud Subaru has previously stepped up to help with meals, money, and showing neighborly compassion, but their most recent act took it one step further.  “In most cases, school-year needs are met with some standard donations of supplies, shoes, maybe some clothing,” wrote Carol Smith. “Seldom do these children have the opportunity to experience the excitement of choosing what they want to wear or carry, in a color or style that they love.”

    Bobby Konnight, General Manager of St. Cloud Subaru, and his team took families to Sierra Trading Post and encouraged them to choose whatever they needed to start the school year and feel ready to learn. St. Cloud Subaru covered everything, with no limit to what families could choose. “Given the freedom to select what their child needed, carts were filled with everything from clothing and shoes to backpacks, jackets, lunch boxes, and socks!” wrote Carol Smith. “All items were selected with great excitement by the children and their caregivers.”

    “It wasn’t until Tuesday, when they were going back to school, that we felt the impact. Ten kids were waiting for the bus, and they all had nice, brand-new backpacks, shoes, and a cool jacket that they wanted, and it made them feel a lot better going into school,” said Konnight. “It really meant a lot to everyone to be a part of that for sure.”

    “St. Cloud Subaru’s generosity changed lives for these families as they begin the 2024 school year!! wrote Carol Smith. “Thanks to St. Cloud Subaru, dozens of children in our care are now starting the school year with confidence and pride.”

  • Full-Time Sales Associate, Part-Time Travel Photographer

    Brian Johnson, a Used Car Sales Associate, started at Westside four years ago. In the last year, Johnson has traveled to Iceland, Norway, and Indonesia, his most recent trip in September. 

    “Indonesia became less of a photo trip and more of an eye-opening, enlightening experience,” said Johnson. “I didn’t take as many photos as I was hoping to get out there, but I learned a lot about myself.” 

    His trips are about two weeks, and he mainly shoots sunrises and sunsets, often hiking for miles in the dark to get the perfect photo. 

    “I will look at GPS coordinates to figure out how to get there and figure out the sun’s position on that exact date,” said Johnson. “I try to visualize a composition in my head before even leaving the country.” 

    Johnson carries about 35 pounds of gear each hike, including one camera body, three lenses, and a variety of accessories. He also needs to carry everything needed to make the hike in the first place. 

    Johnson became interested in photography during his time as a fire performer at festivals, mainly working with Dragon and Poi Staff. Eventually, he started getting sponsorships to attend festivals because it promoted their product. Johnson wanted to get higher-quality photos of his work, which is how he fell in love with photography, teaching himself everything about taking and editing photos. He was also using Instagram at the time to highlight his fire-performing skills, so it naturally transformed into a photography account. 

    “I like posting my photos on Instagram because it’s a way to share my art,” said Johnson. He also occasionally posts on TikTok, which gained 13,000

     followers in a year. Johnson does admit that posting videos is his least favorite part but understands they have a bigger reach. 

    Johnson has a bucket list of places he wants to go in the future, including Zimbabwe, Switzerland, and Argentina in April for their fall colors. 

    “The best part of doing it all is the feeling of capturing a shot that I’ve wanted to take forever,” said Johnson. “Sitting there looking at my camera and knowing that I hiked for however many miles and put myself through all that work, then seeing that photo and knowing that I accomplished it exactly how I wanted to. That’s probably the greatest feeling.”

    You can follow Brian’s photography adventures @brian.t.imagery on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.