Auto Dealership Offers More Than Just Vehicles

There are companies that say they want to provide premiere customer service, and there are those that actually do. 

Century Buick GMC of Tampa is one of those businesses. Family owned and operated by the Ghioto family, the dealership does a lot more than just sell vehicles to the residents of South Tampa, Carrollwood, Westchase, Seminole and beyond. 

Long-time Tampa Bay residents may recall that 3300 W. Hillsborough Avenue was once home to a movie theater. Originally, the Rocking Chair Theater, it then morphed into Carmike Cinemas, and later, the Hillsborough Movie Theater. 

In 2006, the Ghiotos – who also own the Century Kia just a few blocks east – decided that their current location at Martin Luther King, Jr. and Dale Mabry simply wasn’t spacious enough to properly service their clients. With the space at 3300 W. Hillsborough vacant for approximately six years, they added 20,000 square feet to the existing 38,000 square feet by extending the rear of the building and adding a second level. They completely gutted the inside to attain a showroom that matched their tagline: “It’s not just a dealership… it’s a destination.”

Ralph Ghioto III and his father, Ralph Ghioto, Jr., were able to bring their concept to life after thinking like consumers. With a multi-tasking theme in mind, they asked themselves how customers – including the often ignored female clientele and children – would want to pass the time while waiting for their car to be serviced.

Some of the amenities include:

• Complimentary car wash and vacuum with any service
• Courtesy van line to take you anywhere within distance (shopping, to your home or office, etc.)
• Complimentary Starbucks coffee
• Free WiFi
• Kids Playroom (with TV)
• Fitness Center (with TV, showers and lockers)
• 14-seat movie theater (featuring popular, family-friendly films)
• Barber shop/salon (open Wed – Sat)
• Nail salon
• State-of-the-art classroom/meeting room (with white boards, WiFi, catering area, seating for 75)

Their 75-person meeting space is available for use by both nonprofit and for profit organizations at no charge. Guests are welcome to bring in their own food and GMC Buick will arrange the seating as needed – classroom style, executive style, depending on the clients’ needs. Community groups including CABA (Carrollwood Area Business Association), WWOTB (Working Women of Tampa Bay), MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), and South Tampa Chamber of Commerce, have taken advantage of Buick GMC’s generous offer.

“The Century dealership is an awesome facility. We hosted a South Tampa Chamber of Commerce afternoon networking event at Century GMC Buick in March 2011. About 200 people came out to meet our Construction Partners group, enjoyed food and drinks and even tried to win a 2011 GMC truck. We are already planning next year's event back at Century GMC Buick,” said Mike Jenkins, sales manager for CALDECO Air Conditioning & Heating and a director on the South Tampa Chamber of Commerce’s board. 

“We want our female customers to feel comfortable walking in the door. If they have children, they can keep them occupied in the kids center or movie theater. If they are coming themselves, hopefully they can relax with a coffee and schedule a manicure or blow out or quick work out,” said Marisa Langford, community relations director.

“In this society, customer service and they way you present yourself are the keys to not only bringing in new clients, but maintaining current ones,” said Langford, who consistently applies the “three R’s” of social marketing to the business – “Ratings, Reviews, and Recommendations.” 

Those “R’s” have transitioned to sales. Last month, the “think outside the box” branch (who added ‘GMC’ in 2006) ranked number one in Tampa Bay for all Buick GMC dealers. Furthermore, they were number two in the state and number four in the Southeast region.

That doesn’t mean that the Ghiotos haven’t felt the pinch since the recession. “Sales have been inching back since 2009 and every month we’re slowly building back more and more business and new customers. Every business – regardless of the industry – has its challenges, and we are moving forward in our own unique way,” said Ghioto III. 

Being present and outwardly visible within the community is one of those ways. Not only are they the official sponsor of the popular monthly ‘Rock the Park’ concert series at Curtis Hixon Park, they also have a soft spot for children. Three years ago, Century began collecting toys for the hundreds of abused children served through The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay's counseling program.  During Christmas 2010, the Century team and their big-hearted customers amassed 4,000 toys and games for the charity. 

“Century Buick GMC is unique in their understanding of the importance of community involvement and that it makes for good business when you are in the business of helping others.  Both the Crisis Center and the children we serve have been richly blessed by Century Buick GMC and the Ghioto family,” said W. David Braughton, president and CEO of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay.

And that sentiment is mutual.

“Community service means so much to us, and hopefully that’s what separates us from our competitors,” said Ghioto III. “We’re not just a corporate store with a bland personality. It’s about the family – ours and yours."