You Could Say Our Vehicles Come in Green
It’s an exciting time to be a part of the automotive industry. Technology is developing quickly, and we’re often surprised at the many ways our vehicles can ease our customers’ lives. If you haven’t purchased a vehicle recently, you may not recognize the dashboard and its sleek touchscreen tucked in between secret storage spaces and wireless charging stations.
We’re always proud that our companies put the customer first when designing their vehicles. We’re also proud that these brands seem to be using their influence to help the environment. From developing eco technology to changing the way their factories operate, Toyota, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram have proven their commitment to going green, and are already seeing dramatic results. As Earth Day approaches, we want to highlight each of our companies and their approaches to sustainability.
Toyota:
In addition to all Prius models, our Toyota store currently has hybrid models of the following on the lot: Avalon, Camry, Highlander, RAV4.
Toyota’s sustainability plan is divided into five priorities: Carbon, Water, Materials, Biodiversity and Outreach. From cultivating beehives on their Kentucky assembly plant to recycling the water used to rinse new vehicles as they’re being painted in the Ontario assembly plant, Toyota’s strategy extends far beyond their finished products.
However, their vehicles are truly impressive. As of 2014, their hybrids had saved approximately 500 million gallons of gas each year. For almost two decades, the word “Prius” has been synonymous with the eco-car movement. Now, all eyes are on the Toyota Mirai. The fuel cell car is fueled by hydrogen and emits only water vapor.
Toyota’s plan is so comprehensive (and so result-producing) that in 2015, Toyota Motor North America won the Partner of the Year Award, Large Business Category, in the E.P.A.’s WasteWise Awards.
Chevrolet:
At the push of a button, this 2015 Chevy bi-fuel Impala runs on compressed natural gas (CNG), saving you money and reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
While the Malibu hybrid has an estimated 47 MPG in the city and the company’s work with E85 ethanol and CNG vehicles is inspiring, Chevy’s line of electric vehicles is exceeding expectations. The all-electric Bolt will debut later this year, and has an estimated range of 200 miles. Meanwhile, the Spark EV is paired with a lithium-ion battery, and the Volt EV seamlessly switches between an electric charge and a tank of gas. With the number of EV charging stations growing in the CSRA (including public places like Whole Foods, the Georgia Power Customer Service Center and yours truly), electric vehicles are only becoming more efficient for daily use.
Chevrolet’s parent company, General Motors, focuses on “Customer-Driven Sustainability” instead of separating their sustainability initiatives from other areas of their mission. This strategy has evolved in recent years, and now prioritizes the following:
- Identifying areas of impact and value creation
- Establishing and aligning corporate policies and positions
- Designing and implementing processes for consistent global execution
- Developing sustainability reporting practices and publishing reports
By utilizing advanced technologies to create quality products in the form of sustainable vehicles in factories that minimize their environmental impact, GM aims to build a culture that promotes these values.
GM’s changes are tangible. For example, in this article posted to their website, the company argues why producing zero waste is a desirable business strategy.
Our 240-volt EV (electric vehicle) charging system fully charges a Chevy Volt in about 4.5 hours. The Volt comes with a 120-volt portable cord that recharges the vehicle in approximately 13 hours.
Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram:
Last year, the CEOs of both General Motors and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (parent company of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram, among others) signed the CEO Climate Leadership for Automotive Declaration to decarbonize automotive transport. In alliance with this goal, FCA added more than 4,300 environmental projects to their plants worldwide. In addition to saving millions of dollars during production, these implementations resulted in 38 percent less water being used per vehicle produced (vs. 2010) and 1.2 million pounds of materials kept out of landfills.
This 2015 Dodge Durango on the lot has a Flex Fuel engine, meaning that gasoline or gasoline-ethanol blends of up to 85 percent ethanol can both be stored in its tank.
Between 2014 and 2015, fuel economy in FCA cars in the U.S. rose 6.4 percent (2.7 percent in trucks), due in part to a variety of efficient design changes like improved aerodynamics and weight reduction. Specific fuel saver technology in V-8 5.7 and 6.4 liter HEMI eight-cylinder engines improved automatic versions of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Chrysler 300, the Dodge Durango, the Dodge Charger, the Dodge Challenger and the Ram 1500.
The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica and its hybrid version are almost here, and we have several Flex Fuel vehicles on the lot already. Additionally, the Ram 2500 Heavy Duty CNG is the only natural gas pickup truck in the country. CNG vehicles generate significantly less CO2 emissions, and can be renewable, unlike traditional gasoline.
An EcoDiesel engine is currently available for the Ram 1500 and the Jeep Grand Cherokee, resulting in less stops at the pump and lower CO2 emissions. The Jeep Grand Cherokee with 3.0L EcoDiesel V6 engine can tow up to 7,400 pounds (best-in-class), and the Ram 1500 HFE (with 3.0 L EcoDiesel V6 engine) has the best fuel economy of any full-size pickup.
We’re Proud of Our PROS
While we have already received many awards as a dealership, Milton Ruben Toyota is proud to announce that eight of our employees have been honored as Southeast Toyota PROS. PROS, or Professional Retail Outstanding Salespeople, are Toyota employees who have exceeded performance expectations while attaining above average customer satisfaction scores.
Salespeople must have completed all Toyota certifications in order to qualify for this prestigious award, while Sales Managers’ employees must also be certified. All Sales employees must receive higher than 95.5 percent customer satisfaction, and their dealership must reach its sales objective throughout the year.
In addition to being certified, Assistant Service Managers must maintain customer retention, and meet key objectives during the year.
Here are our 2015 Toyota PROS:
Assistant Service Managers:
Dana Kent
Freddie Parker
Salespeople:
Kelton Hayes
William Jenkins
Russ Marshall
Al Pleming
Sales Managers:
Jeff Hennen
Paul Nopper
Back Row L – R: Paul Nopper, Russ Marshall, Al Pleming, Dana Kent, Freddie Parker Front Row L – R: William Jenkins, Jeff Hennen, Kelton Hayes
We’re ecstatic to have eight PROS in our store. Having this many award winners under our roof is an incredible honor, and we can’t wait to continue learning from them and feeding off of their passion for Toyota vehicles and customer comfort.
Please visit our Meet Our Staff page to find contact information for our award winners, and, while you’re there, schedule an appointment with one of our PROS!
And the Award Goes to…Us!
It’s award season all over the world, and our Milton Ruben stores are no exception. Don’t worry, we’ll skip the long speeches and happy tears. Because, really, we only have you, our loyal customers, and our impressive employees to thank. 2015 was truly a memorable year for us. Thank you for everything, CSRA, and we can’t wait to see what 2016 brings.
As the awards roll in, we’ll update this list.
Milton Ruben Toyota
- #1 Volume Dealer of the Month in District 7 (Feb. 2015 – Jan. 2016)
- Presidents Award
- Southeast Toyota Elite
- Edmunds.com 5-Star Dealer
- Car Gurus Customer Service Award
- Dealer Rater 5-Star Award
- Dealer Rater Dealer of the Year
Milton Ruben Chevrolet
- #1 Dealer in the Zone
- #1 Dealer in the District
- Edmunds.com 5-Star Dealer
Are You Ready to Lose (Again)?
Are you ready to lose? Since that New Year’s resolution may already be long forgotten, we’re proud to bring back another round of Lose Baby! Our first weight-loss competition, which ended in September 2015, was such a success, and we can’t wait to create another supportive and light-heartedly competition in all of our stores. We have more employees than ever signed up, and today they’re all huddling around the scale to record their starting weights.
Our focus on this ninety-day round is healthy weight loss, keeping a confidential record of percentage weight lost per individual, and helping one another stay on track with weekly healthy goodies, and informative and educational materials on proper diet and fitness. Our top priority is overall physical and mental health, being positive, supportive and encouraging throughout, and keeping our eye on successfully working as a team to be a healthier company.
If you’re an employee deciding whether or not to sign up for Lose Baby, what can we say to convince you? We can spout the many benefits of a healthy diet, and recite the same old sayings about teamwork, but we’d rather you hear from our own weight loss hero. Details Department Manager John Ruffin lost 60 pounds (16.2 percent of his body weight), during last year’s Lose Baby, and we sat down with him before the competition started.
“I had a couple of health issues, like high blood pressure,” said Ruffin about his decision to enter the competition last year. “Really, I just wanted to live longer in general.”
Ruffin certainly achieved his health goals: In addition to his blood pressure lowering, he reported that he now has more energy and sleeps better at night. His advice to those trying to significantly lose weight is to stay focused and to cut out starches, bread and sweets, adding, “When I was going to fall off the train, I just thought of my kids and future grandkids.”
Ruffin recommends the three-month competition to all of his colleagues, and plans to enter again.
“I’ve definitely gained a couple of pounds since the last one ended, but I’m planning on losing it easily. Last time I was on my own in my department, but this time I’ll have a couple of guys in the [Detail] department with me. I’ve actually got a lot of people saying — joking — that they’re not entering because I’m in it again!”
Don’t let him scare you away, employees! While Ruffin was awarded $1,000 for losing the most weight in September of last year, the grand prize will now be split up, with $500 each for the male and female who lose the most. Before the final weigh-in day, we’ll have guest speakers and instructors to teach our employees how to develop healthy habits. Employees, check your emails for these dates, as well as a link to a private Facebook group to join for motivation and messages.
We can’t wait to Lose, Baby!
Milton Ruben Stores are Now TrueCar Verified!
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.
Your Pull Tabs Can Help a Children’s Hospital
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.
Come to Milton Ruben Toyota’s Trunk or Treat!
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!
Who Do You Drive For?
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.
It seems that every person has been affected by breast cancer at some point in their lives. We at Milton Ruben Toyota are no exception, which is why we’re determined to honor Breast Cancer Awareness during the month of October.
While we of course will be remembering and thinking about those who lost the fight to breast cancer and those who have lost a friend or relative, we also hope to raise awareness of the importance of early detection. The earlier breast cancer is detected, the higher the probability of survival. By raising awareness throughout the community, we can make mammograms and other important detection steps normal and even routine. It’s an issue that Milton Ruben Toyota is incredibly invested in, so throughout the month of October, look for our service advisors in pink shirts and bracelets.
On October 17, Milton Ruben Toyota is sponsoring a team to walk in the Miracle Mile Walk, brought to the community by University Hospital. Join us at Augusta Common at 8 a.m. The Milton Ruben Toyota Drive Babies are looking for team members and donors, so consider spending your Saturday morning “Driving Toward a Cure” with us.
Every penny raised from the Miracle Mile Walk will stay in the community. Proceeds will pay for mammograms for women who can not otherwise afford them. According to University’s website:
“University Health Care System has this region’s only nationally accredited Breast Health Center, and the only Mobile Mammography Unit. In 2013 the Mobile performed a total of 5,563 mammograms in cities and towns in every county of our region. Because of your support, 1,892 of these mammograms were provided to under-served women.”
To raise money for this walk, our very own Lisa is also giving away one of her famous homemade holiday wreaths. Enter your name with a donation of any size at the Parts Counter before the drawing on October 16.
Employees who are interested in walking in the Miracle Mile Walk should contact Rachel Wilkerson in Parts by Wednesday, Oct. 7.
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