Star Dealership
 
Soave Automotive Group of Kansas City
 
by Robert Poduch
 
It’s no secret that the success of Mercedes-Benz Club of America at the section level has a great deal to do with the relationship that section develops with the local Mercedes-Benz dealerships. The point is illustrated most brilliantly in Kansas City, where the two Mercedes-Benz stores not only support the community’s arts and philanthropies (and the MBCA), but also inspire MBCA Kansas City members to do the same.


Mercedes-Benz of Kansas City


Aristocrat Motors in Merriam, Kansas

Aristocrat Motors in Merriam, Kansas, and Mercedes-Benz of Kansas City in suburban Kansas City, Missouri, are both part of the Soave Automotive Group. On opposite sides of the state line, each dealership has its own unique identity and serves to balance the needs of the Mercedes-Benz customer. Aristocrat Motors, an established luxury brand multi-marque campus, stands in contrast to the more isolated, state-of-the-art “Autohaus” Mercedes-Benz/smart store, represented by Mercedes-Benz of Kansas City and built in 2010.

Despite the location and architectural differences, these two dealers come together for a higher calling. Soave Automotive Group’s Marketing Director Robert Hellweg believes that community involvement is essential for a successful dealership and empowers his stores and staff to become involved with area organizations and efforts. That commitment explains the long list of events and efforts with which the two Kansas City dealers are involved.

• Support for Sleepyhead Beds, which has the mission of getting local youth off the floor and into a warm bed, and providing the pride and respect that goes along with it.
• Support for Uplift Inc. that serves the needs of the Kansas City homeless, bringing warm meals and personal supplies to their camps.
• Sponsorship by Aristocrat motors of the annual fundraising event for Sunflower to Roses, a cancer-survivor support charity.
• Sponsorship of the Kansas City Mercedes-Benz Dealers Legends Series and the Kansas City Mercedes-Benz Dealers National Geographic Children’s Series at the Kaufmann Center for the Performing Arts.
• Major sponsor for Kansas City Art Institute’s Art of the Car Concours d’Elegance and host to Sir Stirling Moss, this year’s guest of honor.

KC Section members Bob Poduch and Lisle Kaufmann help load the dealer’s Sprinter Van at the Section’s clothing drive for Uplift, Inc.

In addition, the dealers support family abuse shelters, Innocence Project, childhood disease research at Children’s Mercy Hospital and Clinics, Rose Brooks Center, and the list goes on and on. …

Soave Automotive Group’s visible attention to these organizations reaches further than the dealers’ own staff: Because of the dealers’ noticeable presence in the community, local MBCA Kansas City members have joined these stores’ efforts and followed their lead. On several occasions, Kansas City Section members have been spotted on Uplift Inc. trucks, making dinner runs to provide a hot meal to the homeless. The local Section also sponsors an annual clothing drive and a Shirt Off Yer Back event for Uplift, as well as devoting its November meeting each year for an Uplift presentation and monetary donation.

Community outreach for these dealerships doesn’t stop there. As noticeable players in the online community, these two dealerships have embraced Facebook, Twitter, email marketing and search engine optimization technology, providing examples in social media for other Mercedes-Benz dealerships to follow. Being ranked in Facebook’s top ten for Mercedes-Benz dealers and having the fastest growing Internet car sales departments in the area demonstrate the commitment these dealers have for the future of automotive marketing.

KC Section member Mike Schulz checks out a new C300 on the lot of Aristocrat Motors.

Beyond all this, the dealership actively supports local MBCA members. Both dealers offer generous 15-percent discounts on parts and labor to club members and host a variety of events each year for the local section. Service Manager Jim Schmidt’s award-winning barbecue makes Aristocrat’s annual Service Clinic one of the most anticipated events of the year. Both dealerships advertise in the Section’s newsletter and at its website.


Two MBCA member vehicles waiting to be checked out at MB of KC’s Annual Tech Event.


Doyle and Maureen Comfort listen as the Aristocrat service technician explains some points of interest at the dealership’s Technical

Reaching out to the community, maintaining a strong relationship with the local MBCA section, and inspiring club members to participate in community service are the magic ingredients that Soave Automotive Group shares with Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts in the area. Kansas City MBCA members are proud of this partnership and applaud the commitment that continues to bring so much to so many.