A new look for Johnson Motors

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Johnson Motors in New Richmond has a new look, thanks to directives from General Motors.

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Johnson Motors looks like an entirely new dealership, thanks to a new branding initiative being implemented by General Motors.

“We got a total facelift, and then some,” said Sandy Bollom, controller.

According to Bollom, General Motors is requiring all of its dealerships to conform to new Essential Brand Elements.

“They want us all to look the same,” she said.

For the local dealership, that meant gutting the sales floor and rearranging office space.

The look of the new sales floor look was dictated almost entirely by General Motors, Bollom said. From the height of the ceiling to the location of the bathrooms, types of tile used in the customer lounge backsplash, even the framing around the television in the customer lounge, there wasn’t a lot of choice when it came to the building’s finishes.

Some of the major changes include the new blue fascia on the front of the building and rearranging of office space, Bollom said.

For example, the sales offices used to be at the front of the building so that sales people had a good view of the parking lot and approaching customers. General Motors decided it would rather keep the front of the building clear so that customers are able to see the product in the windows.

It wasn’t just the sales floor that saw remodeling, Bollom said.

A new service driveway allows customers to drive their vehicles into the building when dropping them off for an appointment. The new vehicle delivery room is a space for sales people to go over the bells and whistles of a new car before the customer drives it off the lot – all shielded from the elements.

“Our entire upstairs was gutted and redesigned as well,” she said.

The upper level of the building was used for storage or data and parts before the remodel, she said. Now, it houses the accounting department, an employee training room, and filing space.

While the building was under construction, employees had to play musical chairs for office space, Bollom said.

“First we gutted the back to make space for when we did the front,” she said.

Since the accounting department was originally housed in the rear of the lower level, Bollom said employees had to double up with sales people or find other space to conduct their business. One employee used the former “toy room” as his office.

Eventually a temporary sales trailer was parked outside the building and the sales people moved into that space, she said.

While there are still a few small things that need to be completed – like getting additional chairs for the employee lounge — Bollom said the project is basically finished.

“Right now we’re just all relieved and breathing again,” she said.

It’s been about a year since the construction started, Bollom said. Last fall and addition was constructed to the rear of the building in preparation of the large remodeling project.

Johnson Motors plans to have a grand opening sometime in early 2013 to show off the new space.

Tags: new richmond, business