North Kingstown, RI: Gov. Lincoln Chafee, U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, U.S. Rep. James Langevin and North Kingstown Town Council President Liz Dolan joined Ed Tarbox and the Tarbox Toyota team this morning to break ground on a new dealership in North Kingstown. Tarbox Toyota is relocating from its 13,000 square foot location across town on Post Road to a state of the art, 49,000 square foot Toyota dealership at 3671 Quaker Lane. The project has provided millions in investment and spurred hundreds of short- and long-term jobs during a local and national recession.
“In these difficult economic times, Tarbox’s ability to grow is particularly impressive,” Governor Chafee said. “A large-scale expansion such as this has ripple effects throughout the state’s economy and will create jobs for Rhode Islanders at a time when we need them. I am grateful to the Tarbox family, a Rhode Island institution since their first Chrysler dealership opened in North Kingstown in 1935, for their continued commitment to our state.”
“Well, ‘Here We Grow Again!’ is our slogan for this project,” Tarbox said, standing in front of the working construction site. “I think this construction confirms that this car salesman from North Kingstown, Rhode Island is bullish on the town of North Kingstown, bullish on the State of Rhode Island and bullish on this country of ours.
“It may not surprise you that many naysayers are asking, ‘Why would you ever build in this economic climate?’ The answer is that business owners across Rhode Island are hoping to expand and create jobs for our residents. And if the opportunity is there, we invest in it.”
Tarbox noted that the dealership and the Toyota brand have faced a recession, recalls and the wrath of Mother Nature in the form a devastating tsunami and despite the headwinds, navigated through with much success.
Creating Jobs:
The Tarbox project has provided jobs for more than 20 vendors across Southern New England including Rhode Island’s Narragansett Improvement of Providence, Spino Brothers Masonry in Smithfield, Cullion Concrete Corporation of Wakefield and Barker Steel from Pawtucket. The new dealership will also provide the company the opportunity to expand its corporate workforce from 65 employees to 150 over time due to its increased capacity.
A third generation car dealer, Tarbox plans to grow sales and create jobs by combining his commitment to customer service and customer convenience with the high quality Toyota product. “Behind me you see fourteen acres and the site of a soon-to-be 49,000 square foot facility. Well, I see our new home which will be home to more than 100 dedicated and determined employees working and providing for their loved ones,” Tarbox said.
In addition to the federal and state officials, the event drew a crowd of town officials and planners, local business owners, construction workers and myriad vendors employed on the project. Kevin Dorsey of Cranston, the superintendent for Providence-based Narragansett Improvement Company who manages the site preparation, estimated at least 550 workers will be employed either directly or indirectly over the course of the project on site preparation alone.
Project Details:
The dealership employs a custom “Toyota Image USA II” designed for high visibility and customer convenience. Inspired by the new “Toyota Image USA II” design initiative, the exterior architecture will provide a contemporary retail experience. Careful exterior material selection will create a distinctive look and offer see-through visibility to support the needs of the dealership, its staff and its customers. The dealership will be clad with light grey aluminum composite panels and architectural masonry elements; the showroom entrance is clearly identified with a bold architectural form of illuminated glass.
The dealership also boasts multi-level platforms for the cars due to existing landscaping elevation and visibility from Route 4 and Route 2. In addition, the three levels of the building will be connected with a dramatic interior atrium space featuring a glass elevator and this unique configuration creates a raised entry courtyard that provides an appealing transition area for customers as well as a new product display zone.
This new, three level retail and service facility establishes a highly recognizable signature building for Tarbox Toyota and creates a dominant, tasteful impression. The building takes advantage of the sites sloping terrain through vertical organization of functions, with service on the lower level, office on the mezzanine and the showroom with views from the highway on the top level.
By minimizing the building’s footprint and engaging the sloped earth, Tarbox Toyota is also able to reduce its carbon footprint.
A History and a Legacy:
A third-generation car dealer, Ed Tarbox purchased his first dealership, Tarbox Toyota, in North Kingstown, Rhode Island in 1996. The purchase marked the continuation of a family tradition that began with his grandfather’s purchase of a Chrysler franchise in the 1940s and continued with his father’s dealership in this same town.
Since that initial purchase of a small Post Road dealership, Ed Tarbox has worked to grow his investment in Rhode Island. He expanded his first Toyota location to 13,000 square feet and a workforce of more than 65 employees and purchased a Hyundai dealership in the City of Warwick. Presently, Tarbox employs nearly 125 employees in both locations.
Tarbox made keeping the Toyota dealership in his hometown of North Kingstown a priority due to his family’s history and commended the town officials and planners, “The result of this town’s commitment will be a thriving business in the community paying a good deal of taxes and employing workers,” said Tarbox.
“This groundbreaking marks the continuation of a family tradition of entrepreneurship that began with my grandfather more than 90 years ago right here in North Kingstown; secures the future of Tarbox Toyota as the premier Toyota dealership in Rhode Island; and signifies our commitment to investing in our home state of Rhode Island,” he concluded.
The project began in May of 2011 and will continue through February 2012 with a grand opening in the Spring.
A Bramley Communications Press Release.
