By Joe Overby, Staff Writer
September 15, 2010
NEW YORK — If he had to choose between taking a vacation or working at the dealership, Brian Benstock said he would pick the latter.
The minority owner of Paragon Honda in Queens and the vice president and general manager of Paragon Acura has mirrored his work ethic after that of the late Paul Singer, the founder of what is now Paragon Auto Group.
"To say he was a workaholic would be an understatement," Benstock shared with Auto Remarketing in a recent interview.
So after more than two decades of working alongside Singer and watching his work ethic firsthand, Benstock said, "It's in my DNA."
That drive and a slew of innovative approaches to selling certified pre-owned have helped Paragon Honda and Paragon Acura excel in the CPO segment, and they have been selected to receive the Auto Remarketing's inaugural CPO Dealer of the Year Award presented by vAuto.
Paragon Honda has been Honda's top dealer for CPO sales volume each year since 2007, while Paragon Acura has been Acura's top CPO seller each year since 2008, said Dan Crowe, national remarketing manager for the automaker.
And both stores are on the way to achieving that distinction for their respective brands once again this year, Crowe noted.
Paragon Auto Group — which also includes White Plains Honda in White Plains, N.Y. — is headed by majority owner Edith Singer, wife of the late Singer.
"She's a part of everything," Benstock shared. "It's great to have someone intelligent to bounce these ideas off of and have her input before we send them off to market."
Benstock has been working with the Singers for more than 28 years, as he began his career at the store in May 1982. He grew up on Long Island and right after college, began working at a Lincoln-Mercury store, planning to stay there "until something better came along."
Eventually, he applied and got a position at what was then P.S. Honda and has been with the company ever since.
With decades of experience in the field, Benstock finds the auto business to be "fascinating because it's always changing, but it never changes."
He emphasized that while a slew of enhanced technology has become available, "The basics of the business never change."
Benstock noted: "I think it's made us hybrid dealers, per se. We're old school, but we embrace technology."
In the old-school approach, "It's getting away from the bad stuff" of the old days, while still maintaining those core foundations of selling vehicles.
The dealers who can blend the best of new innovations and the old-school foundation of selling cars are the ones who will win, Benstock emphasized.
The Paragon stores have certainly been winning in the CPO market these days, and others have taken notice.
For one, Crowe said he believes the store has a keen awareness of the "value" it gains from the CPO segment.
"It's allowed them to expand their ownership base significantly," Crowe share, also crediting Benstock for "always thinking outside the box" for ways to drive dealership traffic.
"Last year, Paragon's aggressive marketing helped them grow from number 17 to the number one Honda and Acura retailer with the most new and certified pre-owned sales of any retailer in the country," said Sean Wolfington, owner of Tier 10 Marketing.com, Paragon's marketing company.
This type of insight from Benstock will be available for dealers attending the 2010 CPO Forum.
Benstock is being honored at the event, and is offering the "CPO Dealer of the Year: Building the Best Certified Pre-Owned Stores in the USA" presentation and is participating in the "Building the Best Certified Pre-Owned Stores in the Country, Luxury Brands" workshop, along with Frank Lynch, of Vista BMW.
"We're proud to honor Edith Singer, Brian Benstock and the entire family at Paragon Honda and Paragon Acura with our inaugural CPO Dealer of the Year Award," said Bill Zadeits, associate publisher of Auto Remarketing and conference co-chair. "And we are thrilled that attendees to the 2010 CPO Forum will be able to gain invaluable insight and perspective into the market."
Zadeits added: "Paragon's innovation in the certified space over the last year has been industry-leading, and their stores' success in CPO sales is reflective of that."
Dale Pollak, chairman and founder of vAuto, said: "Brian Benstock is exceptionally deserving of being recognized as the Certified Pre-Owned Dealer of the Year. With intelligence and boldness, Brian thrives in an urban environment where few could survive. As an early adopter of the vAuto Velocity Method of Management, we are honored to sponsor this award. We couldn't be more proud of Brian's accomplishments and we are excited to continue to work together."
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