The Mirror Newspapers Reflecting Life Along The Maumee River
BY NANCY GAGNET | MIRROR REPORTER — The new Brondes Ford Lincoln dealership set to open next year in Arrowhead Park will provide the space needed to keep the company moving well into the future. Since 2001, Brondes has been a fixture on Reynolds Road near Dussel Drive, but the 36,000-square-foot facility, which sits on six acres of property, has not been an ideal location for expansion, said Brondes Ford Lincoln general manager Dennis Jackson. “We were going to remodel this location but for any number of reasons it was put on hold several times,” he said. “Even if we remodeled this facility we were still constrained on size, so we began considering other options.” Two years ago, Brondes entered into an agreement with ProMedica to purchase a 10-acre parcel in Arrowhead Park at a cost of $2.5 million. The property, located at Arrowhead Drive and Indian Wood Circle near the I-475/Dussel Drive exit, is home to the new dealership, which is currently under construction, Jackson said. “From an ease-of-access and visibility standpoint there could be no better location,” he said. Brondes will invest approximately $15 million into the new project. The new 59,000-square-foot facility will include a 22,000-square-foot service department and body shop, which is double the size of the current shop, making it much more efficient to take care of customers, Jackson said. The new dealership will also contain a drive-thru car wash and a customer waiting area that is 10 times bigger than the current waiting area, with a café and other comfortable amenities, he said. “From a facilities standpoint, it will be much nicer for our customers,” he said. “We’re excited – it’s well worth the investment.” Jackson is hopeful that the new dealership will open next November. The lease on the current facility expires next December, he said. Franchise law prohibited Brondes from moving farther than a 1-mile radius, he said, which is why the land in Arrowhead Park suited the business well. No other land was considered. There are currently 75 employees working at the Maumee dealership, but Jackson expects to add at least six additional service technicians plus additional body technicians and sales staff when the new location opens. Approximately 1,000 new and 600 used cars are sold annually from the Brondes Maumee store, with the F-150 being among the top-selling models along with the Escape, Fusion and Explorer. “We anticipate that number will grow,” Jackson said. In addition to the Maumee store, Brondes owns and operates a dealership on Secor Road in Toledo and a heavy-duty truck shop on Holland Road, which services motor homes, buses and other large vehicles. For more information, visit: www.brondesfordmaumee.com
