Making a good impression is important to any business, but that’s especially true for a business as personable as the car industry. Your car dealership is a lot like your barber; once you’ve found the right one, you’ll never go anywhere else. That’s why Patriot INFINITI of Merrillville welcomed the Region to its grand opening on September 9 with free food, free music, and other family-friendly activities.
“We didn’t want to do a stuffy grand opening. We wanted to do something fun and festive,” said Mark Mizera, executive manager. “We’ve got all of our employees and their families here. We're a very family-oriented business; we like to give back to the community.”
Patriot INFINITI’s employees and their families were taking advantage of the tunes provided by DJ Nurotic, the face-painting station, and the selfie station. Several new and old customers were also using the event to check out the new and used cars Patriot INFINITI had on its lot. In everything, the attending employees were enthusiastic.
“I've got a salesman out there handing out little goodie bags to customers as they drive by on the street as a way of saying, ‘Come have some free food. Party with us and have some fun,’” said Mizera. “Some people see grand openings as suits and ties or banquets, and that's just not what we're about. We're about having fun, and we're very transparent. Get to know us, and we'll get to know you.”
Patriot INFINITI understands how important a car can be and strives to make every customer interaction as smooth, painless, and easy as possible. Part of the process is getting to know the customer for who they are as opposed to what they can purchase.
“One thing about the car industry is that, no matter where you go, somebody is going to bring up cars,” said Mizera. “It's always talked about, so that's why we do stuff like this. We want people to go talk about us like, ‘Wow, these guys are super cool. They opened their doors to us.’ We want to treat our customers like family.”
The enthusiasm to get to know Patriot INFINITI’s customers extends into its employees and the work they do. Kaylon Eaton has been doing detail work at Patriot INFINITI since the beginning of 2023, and he was very proud to see all the hard work he’s put into the cars on the lot pay off as customers see the cars on offer.
“I'm proud. I didn't think I could do it, but months down the line and everything's good,” said Eaton. “We’ve got good cars here. This is probably the best place to be for anyone who wants to look for a car.”
Goodie bags containing Patriot INFINITI merch amongst other items were being distributed to attendees and people passing by the dealership. Cameron Howell was the sales representative in the street meeting people as they passed by. He was hired at Patriot INFINITI the day before the grand opening party, but he was eager to help out however he could because he already felt like part of the family.
“This is great,” he said. “It's a great way to get customers, let them know we're here and that we’re something different. It’s great to be considered a part of the family already.”
While a grand opening party like this leaves a great impression on the Region, Mizera is certain that this party is just the first of many more to come.
“We're looking forward to having more of these,” Mizera said. “We want to do some seasonal stuff, maybe something for the Halloween season or Christmas. This is one of many; it's not just one and done. This is the beginning of a lot of good things. You can just see the smiles on the faces out there. You see the kids running around, you see the parents happy – that’s what it’s all about at the end of the day.”
To see what Patriot INFINITI of Merrillville has in store for the Region or in stock on the lot, visit www.infinitimerrillville.com.
