ALHAMBRA – Ed Netka says that in Sierra Acura of Alhambra, “Thecustomer is always right.” Those are welcome words to anyone and a large reasonwhy his dealership has one of the highest customer satisfaction scores in thenation, when it comes to Acura dealerships nationwide, scoring 98.4 out of apossible 100 points.
Acura in Southern California has its historical roots as farback as the early 20th century, when Paul Hoffman began selling carsin 1908. Paul would begin selling Studebakers in 1910 in Los Angeles (he beganin Chicago). At the age of 21, he won a national sales contest, selling 26 carsin six weeks. His prize was $100.
Paul would later meet John M. Studebaker and would serve aspresident of Studebaker from 1935 to 1948. He helped pioneer the Studebaker carin the late 1940s, a car that was inspired by the horse and carriage, only morefuturistic looking. And he would later serve as the managing director of theUnited Nations Development Program.
His grandson, Peter Hoffman, has since 1987 operated and ownsthe Alhambra branch. His father’s name is Lanthrope G. Hoffman. Anotherintegral part of the Alhambra branch has been Alvin Trinh, who has been aleader in the company for 13 years.
The big three auto companies, however, squeezed out theearlier Hoffman and his innovative ideas. But today they remain strong. Theyare number three in the district that includes the area surrounded by Covina,Ventura and Cerritos. In addition they are the number 11 dealership in the zonethat is composed of California, Oregon, Washington and Arizona.
Netka said that 2009 was a challenging year for them, withthe increase in sales tax and DMV fees. But he said that Acura has weatheredthe storm, although challenges still remain. Once having as many as 175 cars,the dealership now has 100. And for those who think this might diminish thequality, look no further than the 2010 ZDX, a car with bold styling, advancedsafety technology and a designer who studied at Pasadena’s Art Center andDesign.
Acura is the only company that produces cars on the marketthat have a 5-star rating, determined by the National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration. They have also won numerous awards for styling and design.
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