Pub. 4 2015-2016 Issue 4

Spring 2016 29 Sam Celly, BChE MChE JD Certified Safety Professional Member OCADA, NCDA, SMCDA, AIChE & AIHA 444 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 1402 Long Beach, CA 90802-4517 Phone: 562.704.4000 Direct: 562.716.6100 Email: sam@cellyservices.com Environmental Compliance: • Review Of Hazardous Waste Management • Hazardous Waste Cost Recovery Program • Storage Tank Compliance Audit • Hazardous Materials Release Response Plan • (CERS) • Spill Prevention Control & Countermeasures Plan • (SPCC) • Air Quality Management Audit Safety Management: • Safety Inspection & Meetings (IIPP) • Respiratory Protection Program • Safety Training • Online Access to Safety Data Sheets (SDS) DOT Required Training for Hazmat Shippers & Receivers • Training & Certification for Dealership Employees • Providing a 24 Hour Support Phone Number As Required By DOT Representation in OSHA/EPA enforcement cases. Periodic Newsletter on emerging EPA/OSHA issues as they impact dealers. See www.epaoshablog.com PENALTIES, FINES AND INCREASED INSURANCE COST MORE THAN COMPLIANCE We have Certified Safety Professionals on staff with decades of experience in working with dealers. Serving the Dealer Industry for over 28 years policies and insurance to consider, among other things. But a dealership is in a unique position to address many of these issues more easily than most. You have better access to inventory than any start-up rental company. Most likely, you already have someone that can handle your IT and office equipment needs. Through your current business relationships you may be able to find excellent staffing. And through existing vendors and manufacturer’s contacts, other needs may easily be met. The rise of social media has made marketing and advertising much easier as well. Getting the word out to your existing customers is now a simple task that requires far less effort. There are also excellent franchise organizations that focus on dealership and local market rental operations (there is even one owned by a dealer- ship group in the U.S.). These organizations can provide the training and support for a rental division. They have the experience and the know-how to help a dealership get started as well. And they can be a source for fleet, insurance, and other needs with centralized purchasing power. A franchise can also give your business a greater internet presence. They may have reservation networks that will send more customers your way, adding to the dealership’s market share by reaching new prospects. The Bottom Line Only you can determine if a rental division at your dealership is something worth pursuing. But consider the following when making your decision: every customer that uses an outside car rental company to meet their needs may be renting and driving a different brand than your own, and most rental companies make it their business to sell their rental vehicles to their customers — many even have a used car lot on-site. By letting your customers go elsewhere for a rental, you run the risk of losing future sales, service, and parts business. They may go elsewhere to trade-in a vehicle and use a different body shop. By providing a rental department to your customers, you encourage them to stay with you for the long haul. It gives you the ability to control the entire customer experience. You can drive more business by offering upgraded rental vehicles, showing them the latest that is available through your dealership. You can even provide rentals to those local corporate accounts that may have a need, instead of sending them elsewhere. And by maintaining a rental fleet of your own, you can supply CPO inventory to your used car department, vehicles that you maintained and managed. With the rising demand for CPO vehicles, a rental department can prove to be a very important factor in the successful dealership business model. There are countless dealerships across the U.S. that have been tremen- dously successful running substantial rental divisions. And dealership owners and management are a very unique group in our country. They are more willing to share information with their peers than most in a friendly and open fashion. Whether through industry conferences or 20 Groups, a great deal can be learned just by speaking with the people you know. Rob Hano is the Director of Sales andMarketing at Dover, NJ-based Bluebird Auto Rental Systems and has been with Bluebird for over twenty years. He also has experience in the local rental market at both dealership and neighborhood rental operations. Bluebird is a leading provider of software and services to thousands of vehicle rental locations world-wide. Bluebird maintains partnershipswithall themajorDMSproviders offeringan integrated solution to dealership based rental and loaner fleets. Knowing where your vehicles are, what is due back and what is overdue is all just a matter of a few keystrokes. Customer data can be utilized for mar- keting purposes, building your aoverall dealership business.