Good economic news for the community: Suburban Subaru breaks ground on expansion

(L to r) Vernon Economic Development Coordinator Shaun Gately, Suburban Subaru General Manager Lane Resnik, Suburban President Peter Krause, Joe Appelbe of Subaru of New England, Vernon Mayor George Apel, Craig Jewett - President of Jewett Construction, and Jeff Ruble, market development manager for Subaru of New England, at the ground-breaking ceremony on Nov. 20. Photos by Steve Smith.

Suburban Subaru, located in Vernon just feet from the Manchester line, held a ground-breaking ceremony for its new, 25,000-square foot facility on Nov. 20.

General Manager Lane Resnik said that while some other dealerships have contracted, Suburban has been able to expand because of a great following of customers. “We've basically outgrown this [current] facility,” he said, adding that the Subaru brand has become a dependable brand of cars and has seen sales go up 26-percent nationwide.

Suburban President Peter Krause said he and the entire staff are excited about the expansion, which will double the size of the building, adding more customer service, as well as jobs. “We're looking to hire,” he said. “There's going to be a substantial influx of people. We're going to need to fill the building, and the opportunity is there. It's great for the area, because we'll be producing tax revenue because we'll be selling more cars. We'll be producing revenue for the state because of the sales tax on the cars. It's a no-brainer when it comes to the economics. There will be more jobs created, we'll have more salespeople because we'll have a building for used cars and a building for new cars. After it's all said and done, for Vernon to put another 20 people to work, that's a good thing.”

“We have a good product, a good owner, good management and a good crew,” Resnik said. “People like our cars. It's an all-wheel drive, economical automobile.” Resnik said that with most of Suburban's customers coming from the immediate area, the location has been another part of their success, including the fact that there are other competitor dealerships nearby, because that has made the road a destination for car shoppers.

“Route 83 in Vernon is 'Automotive Row,'” he said. “They're coming to our strip to look for cars; if Subaru is on their shopping list, they'll stop here.”

“If you want to sell cars, this is the place to be,” Krause said. “All the car stores being together is a good thing.” The new facility will have 26 service bays and a two-garage service drive, where customers can drive their cars into the bay to be serviced and then remain indoors until the work is finished.

“When you come to get your lube, oil and filter done on your car,” Krause said, “you'll come up and beep your horn, the door will come up withing four seconds. You'll come in, and it will all be heated and air-conditioned inside. You get out of your car and the service technicians will take care of you, all inside.”

Resnik said the new facility should be completed before next summer, but the construction will depend largely on this winter's weather.

“It's economic development continuing right here in Vernon, and that's huge,” Resnik said.