January 14th, 2010
Congratulations to Frank Lira!
Frank Lira recieves the keys to his 2010 Mazda3 hatchback from Genral Manager Mike Barraza
On Friday January 8th 2009, a frigid cold front gripped the city of San Antonio; however warmth and excitement could easily be found building inside the Ingram Park Auto Center dealerships. Baker Shaw IPAC’s Chief Operating Officer was gathering together all the General Managers and their staff for an unprecedented appreciation celebration. Mr. Larry Benson, owner of Ingram Park Auto Center said, “2009 looked to be a difficult year in the car business, however it turned out to be a tremendous year for IPAC”. In 2009 IPAC was recognized as one of the Top 40 Workplaces in San Antonio by the Express News. Mr. Benson states, “We are so proud to be the only company in the automotive industry listed”. Larry Benson and his management team at IPAC wanted to give back to those who contributed to that success. On Friday January 8th 2009, Ingram Park Auto Center honored the top salesmen from each dealership with a brand new 2010 vehicle. “These men exhibit exceptional character and drive, they are dynamic individuals that deserve to be celebrated and honored for all they contributed this year to the company” beamed Shaw.
Ingram Park Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram honored salesmen Larry White for all his hard work and contributions in 2009 with a brand new 2010 Jeep Liberty. Upon receiving the keys to his brand new Jeep Liberty Larry gushed, “It is incredible, I would like to thank all my fellow salesmen, and this is truly a blessing to my family. It is perfect timing, I just had an accident in my vehicle and now this, the feeling is indescribable.” Bob Ralph the General Manager for IPAC Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram says, “Larry everyone you work with respects you, and looks up to who you are. The enthusiasm you bring to IPAC is extremely commendable. We all appreciate the dedication you show to your family, your faith and your IPAC team.”
Gabriel Hernandez of Ingram Park Nissan was awarded the honors of top Salesmen for 2009 with a brand new 2010 Nissan Xterra. General Manager Rick Elizondo says, “This is Gabriel Hernandez’s first year in the automotive industry. It is amazing what can happen when you come to work with a good attitude and a positive approach to everything that you do. Gabe’s attitude and work ethic inspires everyone around him. I am very proud of Gabe and everything he has accomplished this year. I look forward to watching him continue to grow in the business, thank you Gabe for your commitment and will to preserver, it is infectious.” Elizondo then handed the keys to Gabriel and his response was one of humility. “I would like to thank god first for the ability to work hard, I would also like to thank my family for their support, my beautiful amazing wife Erica for always encouraging me through out the entire year. I want to thank my first manager Jeff Hartsfield for teaching me about the business. I would also like to thank General Manager Rick Elizondo for giving me the opportunity here at Ingram Park Nissan; to be a part of the number one Nissan team in San Antonio.”
The final vehicle went to top Ingram Park Mazda salesman Frank Lira. General Manager Mike Barraza and COO Baker Shaw handed over the keys to a brand new 2010 Mazda 3 hatchback. “I don’t even have any words to express how I feel about this” exclaimed Frank Lira.” I knew that there would be challenges this year, I never looked back, I just persevered.” Barraza claimed “We knew that 2009 would hold challenges for our team, and we wanted to offer the ultimate reward, which in turn would motivate the entire staff. Here at IPAC Mazda we are a little bit unorthodox in our approach to team building. We have been able to create a family like atmosphere which has allowed us to keep our turn over very low. 2010 is going to be an even better year than 2009.” Barraza also added “We have such a great group of guys; each and every member of the staff is dedicated to the overall success of this store.
In October of 2009 Ingram Park Auto Center was named in the San Antonio Express News as a top 40 Workplace. The 40 businesses listed were based on results from a 3rd party survey. Individual surveys were completed by every employee in the company, regardless of the employee’s position. The feedback from the results where tabulated and IPAC shined as the ONLY automotive company to make the list. “Building a successful business has to start from the inside out”, says Shaw “Great attention has been given to the development of our employee’s and their customer service skills. This philosophy is one of the many reasons IPAC has one of the lowest turn over ratios in the automotive industry.” “Happy employees create happy customers”. Ingram Park Auto Center sells and services Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Nissan and Mazda brand lines. All the IPAC brands are continuously San Antonio market leaders. Baker Shaw states “It is the entire team here at Ingram Park Auto Center that keeps us on the top month after month. It is so gratifying to honor those members of our team that have shown exceptional dedication and effort. The attitude and commitment of the entire IPAC team keeps us looking toward the future and all the exciting things that are yet to come.”
Ingram Park Auto Center is located between Culebra and Ingram Road off Loop 410. Hours of Operation include: Showroom M-F 8:30am – 9p, Sat. 8:30 - 8 Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Nissan, Mazda all offer Service Departments operating M-F 7am-7pm, Sat. 8am – 4pm Body Shop hours M-F 8am – 6pm, Sat. 8am – 2pm. You can contact IPAC by phone at (210) 684-6610 or visit them on the web at IPACAUTO.com.
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December 24, 2009
2010 MAZDA3: The Best Cars of 2009
Poor little Mazda gets so little respect. It’s a line of cars that is never compared as equals with bigger Japanese cousins Honda or Toyota. Yet Mazda often has the best in class vehicle. Even the Ford Motor Company has been spinning PR stories lately about having saved Mazda from failure over the past 15 years. If you know a bit about the automotive industry, you know that that well may be true; but it’s equally true that Mazda’s engineers have also been responsible for some of Ford’s biggest hits of the past decade. In balance, I believe that Mazda has done more for Ford than Ford has done for Mazda (as you will see in pick No. 3), but it is fair to say that cooperating has yielded exceptional vehicles for both companies.
The updated Mazda3 is not a vehicle that people ask about when they are comparing the Honda Civic (best interior) or the Toyota Corolla (most improved small car). But that may just be ignorance of the fact that for years it has actually been the Mazda3 that has set the standards on what an exceptional compact car should be. I didn’t have to drive the new Mazda3 for more than a couple of blocks to understand that the body’s structural engineering puts it in a class with the Mercedes models of the early to mid-nineties – when that company set the standards for auto body construction.
Unbelievably rigid, its body structure is properly tuned: You don’t get the residual noise from different road conditions coming into the cabin. The dash layout was expensive looking and logically designed, easy to operate. When I reviewed this car for Fox Four’s Good Day, I summed up by saying that if the Mazda3 had been the new entry-level Lexus, it could have carried a $35,990 window sticker – and Lexus dealers would immediately become sold out of this car for two years.
I can’t think of any higher praise for this exceptional small car, except maybe this: If there were a compact car in my future, the Mazda3 would own the top spot on the list.
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