By Daniel Nash
The Courier-Herald
More than a year after the Sumner Tractor and Equipment Co. vacated its location along John Deer Drive in Sumner, a new car dealership has opened inside the space. Jay Lee’s Honda opened Sept. 4, with a grand opening ceremony planned for Oct. 24.
Sumner Tractor, which has operated since 1957, moved from the old location to Harrison Street in Sumner in July 2008. The new owners of the building wanted to retain some of the distinctive features of the Sumner landmark.
“One of the challenges we faced opening up this dealership was retaining the wood beams on the inside of the showroom,” General Manager Bart Maas said. “We loved the look of the beams running across the ceiling. But whenever a dealer is awarded a franchise, they must submit to what’s called an ‘image point.’ A dealership has to have the distinct Honda look, which the wood beams didn’t necessarily fit into.
“But we worked with Honda and it turned out real nice. It’s a modern look with all the wood still intact.”
Jay Lee’s Auto Group was awarded the Honda franchise prior to the onset of the economic crisis in summer 2008, and opened after the popular Cash for Clunkers program had ended. But neither of these factors caused major issues for the dealership’s opening.
Just missing Cash for Clunkers actually provided an upside, Maas said.
“Cash for Clunkers was really successful, but after it was over, dealers didn’t have any more new cars to sell,” he said. “They were out. As a new dealership, we get blessed by Honda with new product coming in constantly. We can be more aggressive moving this iron because we don’t have to worry whether more is coming.”
Nor did financing during the recession cause much more than minor trouble, he said. After the initial lender for the project was unable to provide funds, Jay Lee found a new lender and continued with the project.
More problematic was the effect of the unusually snowbound 2008 winter. The dealership was originally slated to open Jan. 1, but weather put a stop to work on the project for 90 days, and additional work delays stemmed from efforts to get back up to speed. Other than some plastic sheeting, the building was exposed to the elements for the length of the stoppage, though it only contained minor debris when work commenced, Maas said.
Currently, the dealership has approximately 260 cars in 2009-10 models, a growing used car inventory and a full parts inventory. On-site service includes a full service garage staffed by Honda-certified mechanics who can work on other makes and models as well.
“For a typical vehicle issue, our staff can turn out a customer in 30 to 45 minutes,” Maas said. “And it’s not just brakes and frames, it’s everything.”
The dealership will host a “Harvest Festival” grand opening event Oct. 24. Face painting, pumpkin giveaways and hay and monster truck rides will be included in the festivities.
The festival is planned to become an annual event in the community.
