To better serve its growing family of customers, Wagner Subaru officially opened its new state-of-the-art, 15,000-square-foot dealership at 5470 Intrastate Drive, Fairborn, next to Interstate 675, with a grand opening “Blue Tie Affair” celebration on Dec. 8.
The eco-friendly facility features LED lights inside and out, battery-operated service lifts and a “living wall” live plant display in the showroom, which fits four-to-five beautiful new Subarus. The new digs are four times the size of its downtown Fairborn location and include customer-centric features such as expanded parking and an increased service capacity with a larger and more comfortable waiting area.
“There is LED lighting, solar tubes, a living wall with different tropical plants that give off high levels of oxygen, a whole row of offices and a large showroom,” owner Bo Wagner said. He and his wife Maria greeted friends and family from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Guests were treated to a large display of food and beverages and a band, the Repeating Arms, to entertain them.
“We started building in October of 2013 and opened the new facility just a week ago,” Wagner added. “We chose this place because of its close proximity to I-675, Yellow Springs, Fairborn and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. We have a lot of presence in those areas and we didn’t want to be part of an ‘auto row’; we like to conduct our business differently.”
Wagner Subaru LTD, the 11th-oldest Subaru dealer in the United States, began operating out of the 217 N. Broad St. location in 1966. Doc Wagner specialized in the resale of foreign cars including Simca, Sunbeam and Triumph until early 1970. In 1971 he added a new Subaru franchise to the mix; 10 years later, the business became the Miami Valley’s exclusive single-point Subaru dealer.
In 1999, Doc’s son Bo purchased the organization and began a new phase of growth for Wagner Subaru. As business grew, a major remodel was completed in 2001, but in late 2012, the family realized it would need a new home — this new facility — to better serve its customers.
“There will probably be between 60 and 100 cars on site. We have a sales and service department where customers can just pull up and drive in through the automatic doors that open to the service department,” said Mike Reed, general sales manager of the 48-year old Fairborn business. “Being a family-owned business, we realize how important customer service is.”
Wagner Subaru supports the communities of Fairborn, Yellow Springs, Beavercreek, Springfield, Dayton and the entire Miami Valley area. To show their community appreciation at the Blue Tie Affair, Wagner Subaru handed out blue bow ties to guests to vote for one of three charities by placing the bow tie in that charity’s vessel. Roads to Recovery collected the most bow ties and received $1,000 from Wagner Subaru. TAASC and the Riding Centre were the other two charities and will receive $500 each.
For information about Wagner Subaru, visit its website at www.wagnersubaru.com.
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