New Parkside Ford store set to sizzle

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This article was published 26/06/2015 (3753 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The difference between the old and new Parkside Ford Lincoln is like night and day. After 18 months of work, the dowdy-looking building on north Main has been transformed into a structure awash in natural light.

The building on the corner of Templeton Avenue and Main Street, (across from Kildonan Park) dates back to the 1940s. According to Parkside Ford president Cam MacIver it was originally a lumber store and later became Gelhorn Motors. MacIver’s late father, Bruce, moved his Parkside Ford store to this location in 1967. The store had seen little change over the years — until now.

On a recent tour of the new-look store MacIver starts with the new two-lane drive-thru that runs through the middle of the building from north to south. To one side is the service area where large windows have replaced the brick walls, new insulation has been added on the north side, all the lighting has been upgraded and new overhead electrical lines, oil lines and the sprinkler system have been installed.

MacIver points out that the body repair, parts and service people will all be working out of the same area. The expanded drive-thru area will include a quick change oil area. “Our oil changes used to take 90 minutes,” said MacIver, “now we can do them in about 30 minutes and can do two or three oil changes at a time.”

MacIver said that the dealership is now built to a much more efficient operating plan that allows staff and customers to interact with each other more easily. After dropping their cars off at the drive-thru, for example, customers can wander into the licensed restaurant in the northwest corner of the building. The Mustard Grill, (MacIver is well known for his “Cam cuts the mustard every time” slogan and gives away free mustard containers for everyone who comes in) — is being operated in the dealership by WOW Hospitality as a satellite location to its Food Evolution restaurant in the pavilion at nearby Kildonan Park.

From the restaurant, staff and customers can wander through the customer lounge and social hall — with its coffee nook and memorabilia cases — to the showrooms.

For the first time Parkside now also has a separate showroom — with its own entrance — for its Lincoln models. The two showrooms feature high ceilings and loads of window space.

“We have Wi-Fi and high definition TVs throughout the building,” said MacIver.

Just north of the Lincoln showroom (and outside the restaurant area) is the dealership’s new enclosed vehicle delivery area which will be warmed by infrared heating in the winter. “We will be able to clean off the snow and wash the car before the customer arrives to pick up their vehicle,” said MacIver.

There are also many little things that make a big difference. The front entrances, for example, are wheelchair accessible. In the coffee nook in the social hall there are hooks beside each chair for customers to hang their coats and bags.

“Everything is going to be clean and tidy,” added MacIver, “our drive-thru area will be so clean that you could almost eat off the floor. Our staff, as well as our customers, are all very happy with the new surroundings. Our staff members have been inspired to up their game.”

 

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