Tom Doll Presents Eco-Friendly Trophy to Stevens Creek Subaru

SOA President and CEO Tom Doll was on hand for last month’s Grand Opening event at Stevens Creek Subaru where he presented Brian Bakhtiari, Stevens Creek executive vice president, with the Eco-Friendly Retailer trophy.

Located in California’s Bay Area, Stevens Creek moved into its state-of-the-art 118,000-square-foot facility earlier this year. A large, glass eco-wall summarizes how environmental commitment was woven into the retailer’s building and operations.
 

“When we were planning for this building, we wanted it to be one of the greenest dealerships in the nation, with the goal in mind to recycle almost everything that comes through our facility,” explained Stevens Creek General Manager Kevin Akbarzadeh. “We knew that we had an obligation to our community to reduce our carbon footprint, and we also wanted to set an example for how businesses plan their future operations from an ecological impact standpoint.”
 

Permits are pending on a solar array that will cover approximately 10,000 square feet of the third-story rooftop parking area. According to SFO Zone Retailer Development Manager Raymond Smit, once installed, Stevens Creek will be the first net positive Subaru facility in the U.S.

“From the solar rooftop that will make us net positive, to the large exterior green wall, a showroom filled with beautiful plants, and different types of recycle bins everywhere you look — along with a laundry list of other eco-friendly aspects of our facility — we hope to set a new standard of how automotive retailers can also be eco-friendly,” said Akbarzadeh.

Additional facility highlights include green signage in the in-dealership café, high speed service doors, and LED lighting.

“Subaru of America is proud of all that Stevens Creek has accomplished in this new eco-friendly facility. Following the tenets of the Subaru Love Promise, Stevens Creek put forth an exceptional effort to minimize the environmental impact of their facility. Stevens Creek serves as a positive example of what other retailers can do for our customers and their communities,” said Megan Fleck, SOA Eco-Friendly Program Manager.