Blog

If you have been to a park around the CSRA lately chances are you have seen a painted rock tucked away under a bush or at the top of a slide. It’s a phenomenon that has taken over the Augusta area and we LOVE IT! Rock painting has given kids a new activity to do with their friends and family that gets them outside. It’s a simple activity that is putting smiles on faces all over town. If you aren’t familiar with the “game” kids paint rocks with bright colors or short messages and then hide them for other people to find. When you find a rock you can post it on social media, replace the rock with your own painted rock, or re-hide it somewhere else. It’s so simple and yet so much fun! Milton Ruben has decided to get in on the action! Beginning Tomorrow, July 18th, you will find Drive Baby rocks popping up at the parks around town. We have painted 9 rocks and hid them in parks around town from Grovetown all the way to North Augusta. Only 1 rock per park. These painted rocks can be turned in, by children ages 12 years and younger, to Milton Ruben for a fun prize! Here on our lot we have 3 buildings, we have 3 rocks for each building. The back of your rock will tell you which building to go to to receive your prize. Simply visit the sales desk and one of our awesome Sales Managers will be there to greet you. We are looking forward to joining in on this fun activity and we can’t wait to meet everyone! Be sure to pose for a picture with your rock and don’t forget the hashtag #DriveBabyRocks. See you out there!

To the employees of Milton Ruben, finding a cure for breast cancer is personal. Our employees, as well as their friends, neighbors, families and community members have been afflicted and affected by this disease, and we have once again decided to come together as a company to spread awareness for breast cancer and collect funds for treatment and a cure during the month of October. If you see one of our employees wearing a pink ribbon during the month of October, that means that he or she has donated to University Hospital’s Breast Health Center’s Mobile Mammography Unit. The center has been accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a program administered by the American College of Surgeons. University has the first and longest-running nationally accredited breast health center in the region and is only the second one in the state to be honored with this recognition. Several of our employees are also participating in University Hospital’s 16th Annual Miracle Mile Walk on Saturday, Oct. 15 in Downtown Augusta. We encourage you to walk in the event, or even start a team. If you see the Milton Ruben Drive Babies, be sure to stop us and say hi! With these fundraising efforts, Milton Ruben Superstore is trying to raise a combined $1,500. If this happens, Milton Ruben Toyota General Manager Chuck Easters has agreed to let an employee throw a pie in his face! For more information on University Hospital’s Breast Health Center, click here. For more information on the Miracle Mile Walk, click here.

We’ll admit that we go weak in the knees when we see a vehicle that’s obviously cared for. Whether it’s a car with 200,000 plus miles or a personalized truck, we appreciate a good automobile. But it’s not just shiny metal that warms our hearts. Hey, we’re not robots! We at Milton Ruben Toyota also get that warm fuzzy feeling when we see an animal in a happy home. And we’re not the only ones. That’s why we’re excited to partner with the Friends of the Animal Shelter, or FOTAS, for their third annual “Playing Fore the Pets” Charity Golf Tournament in Aiken, SC. Looking back at last year’s event, it was an easy decision to sponsor the tournament again. From brunch to golf to General Manager Chuck Easters getting to ride in an actual helicopter, it was a day of fun in addition to a day of giving. This year, the tournament will be at Woodside Plantation Country Club on Monday, Sept. 26. Join us for our TWO Par 3 holes on the course. Make a hole-in-one, get a brand new Toyota Camry. Start practicing your swing now! After the tournament, FOTAS is bringing back their Helicopter Ball Drop. Pre-numbered golf balls will be dropped from 300 feet over a designated hole at Woodside Plantation Country Club. You can “buy” a ball with a ten dollar donation to FOTAS, and the corresponding numbered ball that lands in (or closest to) the hole wins $1,000! There is still time to sign up your team for the golf tournament, and balls for the helicopter drop are still available for purchase. Visit http://www.fotasaiken.org/golf-tournament-save-the-date/ for more details. We can’t wait fore the event! The mission of FOTAS is to support the Aiken County Animal Shelter by promoting animal welfare and responsible pet ownership so that one day, no adoptable animals will ever need to be euthanized in the shelter.

Like Guitar Pull? Then you’re going to want to ‘like’ us on Facebook! Milton Ruben Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram wants to send you to the 18th annual Kicks 99 Guitar Pull. Tickets just went on sale, but we’re giving you the opportunity to win a set of two tickets every single week until the event on November 15! All you have to do is ‘like’ our Facebook page once, and then check back every Thursday at 4 p.m. to see if you won. It’s that easy! This year’s Guitar Pull stars Cole Swindell, The Band Perry, Kelsea Ballerini, Trace Adkins, Kane Brown and Chris Janson. The jam-packed night will take place at the James Brown Arena in Downtown Augusta. Official Rules: NO PURCHASED REQUIRED. Must be 18 years or older w/ Valid Driver License or Picture ID. Single Ticket Valued at $50. Odds based on number of entries. Contest Not In Conjunction w/Facebook. Weekly Tickets Winner Will Be Posted On: www.facebook.com/MiltonRubenChryslerJeepDodge: The Thursday Of Each Week By 4PM. Weekly Winner Must Come By Milton Ruben Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram To Pick Up Ticket Vouchers The Friday After…Any Time Between 9AM-6PM. Ticket Voucher Has No Cash Value. The Actual Tickets Will Be Available for Pick Up The Week Before The Event, Must Have Ticket Voucher To Receive Tickets. For More Information About The Contest, Please Contact Molly Nicholson at: socialmedia@drivebaby.com.

Visit us at our open job fair Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday August 23-25th from 9:00-2:00 each day in the Milton Ruben Toyota showroom. Tremendous growth has created the need for immediate hires in the positions of Sales Consultants, Technicians, Service Advisors, Call Center representatives and Accounting staff, to name a few. Milton Ruben aims to employ energetic, enthusiastic, goal-driven individuals who are interested in receiving world-class customer service training and aspire to a long-term professional career in automotive sales or service. “The automotive industry is changing. It has become essential that we meet customers’ expectations,” says Chris Snader, Executive Manager of Milton Ruben Auto Group. “Hiring individuals we can invest in, and who will prioritize the customer experience, puts us at the forefront of that movement.” Employment at Milton Ruben offers various schedules and pay plans, insurance benefits, 401(k) match, and a team-oriented atmosphere to help you establish a successful and stable career. Recent graduates, military veterans, customer service professionals, and those interested in transitioning from other sales industries or who are seeking a career change should apply. Milton Ruben Toyota is located at 3514 Washington Rd. in Augusta, GA. No appointments are necessary to apply. Applicants should arrive in professional dress and be ready for an interview, with at least one copy of a resume. If candidates cannot attend, you may apply online.

Here at Milton Ruben, we work hard to be professional at all times. In manners and appearances, we believe that professionalism in all of our departments is the key to our customer service. From name tag to pants-length, we have a dress code to ensure that this uniformity reaches all of our employees. On Monday, July 4, though, we’re bending our rules a little, in the name of charity. We’ve given all of our employees the opportunity to wear jeans and tennis shoes if they buy a red, white and blue ribbon from us. One hundred percent of the sales from these ribbons will go straight to the Augusta area chapter of the Red Cross, which will then be used to help local families of veterans. Tank Commander Randy Hirneisen attaches his ribbon in the Toyota Showroom. Randy, like others at Milton Ruben, will be wearing jeans on Monday in order to help the Augusta chapter of the Red Cross. Chartered in 1917, the American Red Cross of Augusta provides direct service to Wilkes, Taliaferro, Lincoln, Columbia, McDuffie, Warren, Hancock, Washington, Glascock, Jefferson, Richmond, Burke, Emanuel, Jenkins and Screven counties. We know that the money we raise will stay in these areas, and our employees are thrilled to help the entire surrounding community. So, when you see us dressed a little casually on Monday, don’t worry. We’ll be back to our slacks, button-downs and the occasional tie on Tuesday. In the meantime, we’re celebrating July 4th by honoring the U.S.A.’s legendary trait of giving back to those in need. And we plan on looking good while we do it.

We want to see your Jeep! To us, summer is the unofficial season of the Jeep (though we've never been one to turn down a Jeep adventure at any point in the year). To celebrate, we want to see what you, the CSRA, do with your Jeep. Is it clean and meticulously detailed? Or at this point is it just a muddy Jeep-shape? Show us how you live your life by sending us a photo of your proudest Jeep moment. It's easy: send us a photo of you with your Jeep, we'll put it on our Facebook page, and the photo that gets the most likes will win $100! Here's your step-by-step guide to becoming $100 richer: Email a photo of you and your Jeep with the following information to socialmedia@drivebaby.com, or message the Milton Ruben Chrysler Jeep Facebook page by Monday, July 11: Name Address Phone Number Preferred Email Address One to three sentences about why you love your Jeep We'll put your photo on our Facebook page on Tuesday, July 12. Share the photo with your friends! The photo with the most likes by Wednesday, July 27 gets a $100 Visa gift card! Official Rules: No purchase necessary to enter to win. A purchase does not improve your chances of winning. There are no prize substitutions and the prize has a $100 cash value. Enter to win by sending a photo of your personal Jeep with your name, address, phone number and email to socialmedia@drivebaby.com, or message the info to the Milton Ruben Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Facebook page. Entrants are encouraged to include one to three sentences about their Jeep and their favorite thing to do with their Jeep. You or a family member must live in the Central Savannah River Area area to enter. (map) Entries will be accepted from Friday, June 24, 2016 through Sunday, July 10, 2016 until 11:59 p.m. Finalists will be announced on our Facebook page on Tuesday, July 12, 2016 before 5:00 p.m. The contest will end at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 27. At that time, the photo with the most “likes” will be announced as the winner. Finalists must be 18 years of age or older. Grand Prize is a $100 Visa gift card to one winner. The winner will be determined by the photo on the Milton Ruben Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Facebook page which earns the most “likes” in the given time period. Only one entry per person per household. All photos entered in the contest must be appropriate for people of all ages. Milton Ruben Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram reserves the right to disqualify any image that we deem inappropriate. Milton Ruben Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram reserves the right to disqualify any contest winner if it is determined that the winner did not follow the rules of the contest. Milton Ruben Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram reserves the right to determine an alternate winner. Winner must show proof of ID. Only photo ID is acceptable. Winner must sign a release form to claim $100 Visa gift card. By participating in the contest, all participants and winners grant permission to use their names, characters, photographs, voices, videotape, and likenesses in connection with promotion of this and other contests and waive any claim to royalty, right, or remuneration for such use. This applies to over the air, internet and social media. If the contest entry includes any creative material from the participant, by submitting your entry you agree that your disclosure is gratuitous, unsolicited and without restriction and will not place the company or contest sponsors under any fiduciary or other obligation, that the company is free to disclose the ideas on a non-confidential basis to anyone or otherwise use ideas without any additional compensation to you. You are verifying that you are the owner and producer of the submitted material and that no third party ownership rights exist to any material submitted. The value of any prize awarded to a winner may be reported for tax purposes as required by law. Employees of Milton Ruben Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram and their immediate families, contest sponsors and immediate families, or any employee or family member of any Milton Ruben entity are not eligible to participate. “Immediate family” shall include spouses, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren and cohabitating “significant other”. Residents of the same household are also considered “immediate family”, whether or not related by blood or marriage. All decisions are final. Milton Ruben Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram and all associated properties are not liable for any damages incurred through the use or misuse of any prizes provided. All persons receiving such items agree upon acceptance to assume all responsibility and liability. Further, all associated entities, sponsors and others shall be harmless to the same. Facebook in no way is responsible or liable for this contest.

Online and in email surveys, we’re constantly reading about how shocked people are by how simple the car-buying process is nowadays. While we attribute a large part of this industry shift to our salespeople and finance managers, we have to give kudos where kudos it due. The internet has changed car sales, and we think it’s for the better. TrueCar was invented with the singular purpose to reinvent how people buy a vehicle. With info collected from dealerships, TrueCar posts what real, living, breathing people have paid for their car. We’re the only Verified TrueCar Dealership in the CSRA, but we join a nation-wide team of more than 10,000 dealerships who have committed to transparency and ease through TrueCar. Even brands like USAA, AAA, Consumer Reports and American Express use TrueCar to inform their members. In fact, the average person who uses TrueCar when purchasing a vehicle saves $3,221 off of MSRP. Here’s how it works: Start with the brand and model of vehicle, as well as the zip code that you’re looking to buy in. Customize features like color and trim level, if desired, and then get a breakdown of the average price, and how it compares to MSRP. You’ll also find general information about vehicle features, and can compare different models and brands. Like the numbers you see? Print ‘em out! The best part about us being a verified TrueCar dealer is that we’ll honor their prices on all in-stock vehicles. It’s just another way that we’re finding you the best price possible in the easiest, most hassle-free way possible.

When you first browse our website, it may take a minute to realize that we are a superstore made up of different sections: Toyota, Chevy, Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, and Pre-Owned. Each of these stores includes a Sales and Service Department, and while we work together on several projects, we all like the friendly sense of competition that we’ve developed over the years. And this holiday season, we’re getting competitive over something that truly matters... Which building can collect the most toys and food during our holiday drives? When you visit any of our stores, you’ll see one box for the Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots drive, and one box for the Golden Harvest Food Bank. While each of our stores will be competing with each other to fill the most boxes, the overall goal will of course be to provide as many unwrapped, new toys and non-perishable food items as we can to local families for the Christmas season. A few ways that you can help: Bring in your donations to one of our buildings. Donate online at these organizations’ websites (see below), or sign up to volunteer your time. Spread the word about us being a collection point. Spread the word about how much these donations will benefit in our community. Toys for Tots’ ( http://www.toysfortots.org) goal in the Augusta community is to deliver, through a shiny new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to needy youngsters that will motivate them to grow into responsible, productive, patriotic citizens and community leaders. When donating a toy, the only stipulation is that the item is new and unwrapped. The organization typically collects toys for children up to age 12, but can also accommodate gifts for those as old as 16. Golden Harvest Food Bank ( http://goldenharvest.org/) is a local charity, with offices and distribution centers in Augusta, Aiken and Williamston. Because they’re so focused on the area, 96 percent of donations go straight to our community. Their vision is to end hunger in their service area within Georgia and South Carolina. They’re certainly on their way; since 1982, the organization has distributed more than 200 million pounds of food and fed more than 11 million people. Toys for Tots will be picking up our last donation on Friday, December 11, and Golden Harvest will end their winter collection on Monday, December 21. That gives us a little more than a month to make a difference. From having presents on Christmas morning to literally just having food to eat that day, these small requests are so easily filled by our generous employees, customers and fellow community members. And we’ll let you in on a secret: We honestly don’t care which building you donate to, as long as you bring in something to help those in the CSRA.

Pull tab, pop top, even pop cap or can tab. What do you call those small metal devices on top of aluminum cans that allow access to a refreshing beverage with a crisp click? At Milton Ruben Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, we’ll now call them life-changing. Milton Ruben Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram is happy to announce their partnership with Shriners International and their Shriners Hospitals for Children. The Service Department has added a container to their cashier’s center to collect your pull tabs so that these hospitals can afford supplies. We have no problem fixing your ailing vehicles, but we’ll let the doctors at Shriners Hospitals decide how to best use these funds. We’ll simply collect your pull tabs, send them to a recycling center and then use the money earned to donate to these fantastic establishments. From medical equipment to books, these supplies will help the hospitals’ patients in all stages of their care, and every cent that is raised goes straight to the hospitals. The Augusta Shrine Club is helping us with our fundraising by providing materials, donations and publicity. Service Director Dan Fort has a personal connection to Shriners and initiated the pull tab collection. When he reached out to the Augusta Shrine Club, he wasn’t surprised that the president, Frank Valentine, was so eager to help raise funds for the hospital in Greenville. Augusta Shrine Club President Frank Valentine shakes the hand of Milton Ruben Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Service Director Dan Fort while launching the pull tab collection campaign in the Service Drive. “I learned at a young age, with my father being a Shriner, that they were a large charitable group that has been giving back to children for decades.” Fort said. On Wednesday, Oct. 14, four Shriners stopped by to officially launch the campaign and pose for pictures in their signature fez-and-tuxedo uniforms. To see more photos, visit our Facebook page. The Shriners Hospitals for Children operates 22 children’s hospitals across North America: 18 general hospitals, three burn hospitals and one hospital that specializes in orthopedic, spinal cord and burn injuries. Our efforts are especially important, because treatment at Shriners hospitals is free to patients, their family or any third party. So, help us collect enough pull tabs to make a difference in a child’s life. Approximately 1,430 pull tabs equal one pound of recyclable aluminum, which means that we need every pull tab you can spare (and what else are you doing with them, making jewelry?). Set aside a place to collect them in your kitchen, car or office. And don’t feel guilty for that 4 p.m. caffeine boost -- you’re just trying to help save a life. Click here for more information on Shriner’s Hospitals.

You’d never expect it, but we love Halloween over at Milton Ruben Toyota. You can hear us in the halls, planning costumes and decorations. We’ve got candy stashed all over the dealership for our employees, if they know where to find it (hint: you can’t go wrong in Parts), and our customers can even find a lollipop pumpkin or two in our Service Drive. We’re determined to celebrate the holiday all month long, but nothing will compare to the Trunk or Treat we have planned for Friday, the 30th. Join us for an exciting family event on the afternoon before Halloween. Employees and customers are welcome to bring children of all ages to the Toyota Service Drive between 4 and 6 p.m. Kids will go home with lots of treats and snacks, and may realize that some of their favorite television, movie and story characters actually work for Milton Ruben Toyota. We encourage families to come in costume, because we will have a photo booth, complete with props, as well as a costume contest. Kids, you’ll want to impress with your costume, because the contest will feature a very special guest judge! Over here, we’re focused on treats, not tricks. Let’s make Halloween a big party with goofy, bumbling monsters and a super hero or two. Parents, there’s no need to RSVP to this event. For questions, please call the dealership at (706) 868-5454. We’ll see you there!

Milton Ruben Chevrolet is committed to celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness Month. That’s why we’re proud to team up with Chevrolet and be a part of their #IDriveFor campaign. For the fifth year in a row, Chevrolet is working with the American Cancer Society to raise money, support and awareness to cure breast cancer. Use the hashtag #IDriveFor to tell Chevrolet and your followers who in your life breast cancer has affected. If you share the message on Twitter or Instagram, Chevrolet will donate five dollars to the fight against breast cancer. Visit this link to complete your #IDriveFor message with a pink Chevy. If you’d rather take your picture with the official Chevrolet #IDriveFor sign, visit the sales room over here at Milton Ruben Chevrolet. At any point, we encourage you to look up the hashtag #IDriveFor on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook to see just how many lives breast cancer has touched. Come by the dealership in October to see our decorations and #IDriveFor materials. On Fridays sales people, service advisors and managers will all be wearing pink. We hope that this pink color serves as a reminder to everyone of the large amount of work we have left when it comes to curing breast cancer, and the importance of early detection.