Happy New Year in 2018

As the turn of the year is mere hours away, I would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year in 2018. I hope that 2017 was a wonderful year for each of you and that in 2018 you continue to grow and meet your goals.

2017 was a big year for our store and the group as a whole. It was the first full calendar year of operations for Half-Way Motors Mazda. It’s been a great experience bringing those customers into the Half-Way Motors family. We thank you for the opportunity to continue to earn your business and hopefully show you the culture and approach to customer service that our name is known for.

In January of 2017 we also opened up Half-Way Motors Powersports, carrying the BRP line of products (Ski-doo, Sea-doo, Can-Am, Spyder). Opening that store was quite the experience. We started with an empty shell and built the store from the ground up following the complete BRP image program. The final result is stunning. It is a retail environment in the power sports segment in Thunder Bay unlike any other.

This is a new direction for us as an ownership and management group. While the car and power sports industries are simliar, they are also quite different. But I think for our first year of operation, we have managed to find our way. The feedback has been incredible; thank you to everyone who found us in our new location. We have loved our first year of business, figuring out this new industry, meeting new people and bringing our own flair to the industry.

HALF-WAY MOTORS NISSAN

I would confidently call 2017 a success for the Nissan dealership. I am so incredibly proud of the entire team; I say with total conviction that I believe we have the best group anywhere! Their dedication to their craft, their fellow co-workers and our customers is inspiring.

We had a number of milestones and memorable events this year:

• 3 staff members had babies (congratulations!)
• We hired a new Used Car Manager
• We brought back our Fleet & Commercial Sales Manager
• We hired a new Parts Department employee
• We hired a new Financial Services Manager
• We hired a new Collision Centre Estimator
• We hired a new Service Advisor
• We hired a new Collision Centre paint department Prepper
• We hired a new Collision Centre Bodyman (woman actually)
• We redid/upgraded our Collision Centre front-office to match CARSTARs image and brand requirements (looks great, come take a look!)

• We hired a new Accounting Clerk
• Our previous Accounting Clerk retired (happy retirement!)
• We launched the all-new Nissan Qashqai
• We sold an all-time record amout of Nissan Titans
• We had over 120 people at our staff Christmas party!

• We were major sponsors for The Sleeping Giant Loppet, Ribfest, Our Kids Count
• Sales Consultant, Ty Alderdice, sold over 200 cars this year alone!
• We re-invigorated the Auto Sports Club Autocross season and put in a very successful team that had a lot of fun and helped raised money for the Cancer Centre

I’m certain there are things I am missing. So much happens in a year I need to start jotting these things down. But it was a fun year. We added a number of new team members that have fit in perfectly; we raised a lot of money for a number of different organizations to help make our great city even better; we also have added a lot of new customers to the Half-Way Motors Nissan family.

I would like to personally welcome all of you to our dealership, business and family. It’s an honour to have won your business. And to all the repeat customers we saw in 2017, (and there are a lot of you!), thank you very much for the loyalty. The fact our customer base continues to stay with us, and refer family and friends, is a true testament to the commitment of our team to serve you well.

To close, I hope that 2017 was as wonderful for you as it was for us. I am very excited for what 2018 is going to bring. I have big goals that will require all of us to come together to meet. But there is no other group of employees that I would rather tackle this with than who we have!

I wish all of you a very Happy New Year. I hope 2018 is full of health and happiness for everyone and that you set big audacious goals that you work towards hitting. Much success to everyone and one more time, thank you to all the staff and customers that made 2017 great, and will make 2018 even better!

Much love,

Marcus Luft
General Manager / Dealer Principal
Half-Way Motors Nissan
marcus.luft@halfwaymotors.com
www.halfwaymotorsnissan.com