To say that Szott Automotive Group in White Lake, MI supports the community they belong to is an understatement. A big one.
The dealership donates $30,000 annually to the Huron Valley Schools, leases a custom Jeep Gladiator for $1 for one year to each local police department each year, supports the Joe Kocur Foundation for Children, the White Lake Police Foundation, the Oakland Kiefer Foundation, the Children’s Foundation and so many more. The dealership’s General Manager, Jeff Schneider even lives outside in Detroit for four nights in February to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House of Detroit.
“We are involved in a lot of fun events to raise money for different charities in and around our community,” said Schneider. “It’s part of our DNA to be involved and to help where we can.”
GENERAL MANAGER, JEFF SCHNEIDER
A byproduct of this involvement is their deep understanding of what their community and customers need, and their efforts to then build unique services that fit those needs.
“Our customers ask for things and we try to find ways to deliver,” says Schneider.
An example of this is their partnership with Free2move – a subscription-based lease service that offers short-term vehicle rental, car-sharing, long-term rental, and more.
“This service allows you to pick out a vehicle online, have it delivered to any determined place, and rent it for as long as you like and it’s much less expensive than standard car rental,” says Schneider. “If you don’t have insurance you can even acquire it through Free2move.”
Detroitisit’s own Ivana Kalafatic utilized this service recently and says of her experience, “Jeff Schneider recommended Free2move when I was in need of a vehicle and looking to rent. It was flawless, efficient, easy, and a lifesaver for me – much better than renting, a great vehicle, and much less expensive.”
Szott Automotive Group is one of just a handful of dealerships that offer Free2move across the country.
The dealership also offers three-day test drives for customers who are in the market for a new vehicle and need more than a quick test drive to make the purchase.
“Buying a car is a big and expensive decision and sometimes people need a few days with a vehicle to see if it’s a good fit for their needs, so this is a popular service,” says Schneider.
Schneider also creates custom and deeply discounted leases for local municipalities. “Manufacturers used to offer municipalities up to 35% off on vehicles and they don’t do this anymore,” says Schneider. So, we lease them out for a year, and it helps them immensely.”
As if that’s not enough, the dealership also runs a Turo outlet, which is a car-sharing marketplace that allows individuals to rent a car somebody else owns for a determined period. “This allows people to rent unique vehicles that can’t be found at a rental agency,” says Schneider.
Schneider and Szott are involved in supporting multiple charity golf outings with prize vehicles, and instead of running Hole-in-One contests, they launched Closest-to-the-Pin contests so more people would benefit.
Schneider says, “No one would hit a hole-in-one at these events, therefore no one would win the lease vehicle that was the prize. I started thinking that’s a lose/lose for everyone and came up with Closest-to-the-Pin where the prize is a great vehicle for a weekend and people love it.”
It’s clear there is no shortage of creativity when it comes to the dealership’s willingness to support its customers.
To this, Schneider says, “We are in a good position to help facilitate people’s needs and help the community, so we do.”
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