Business Profile
by Craig Whitney Photography by Shannon Lynn Photography
Rafferty Subaru has been a trusted part of the Newtown Square community for 42 years. The company has gone through many iterations, from a rebranding in 2000 to a massive renovation last year. Through it all, the company has remained true to its dedication to customer service and hard work since it was founded in 1977. Robert Rafferty began the dealership in Newtown Square after spending years working in the industry. Immediately after returning from the Air Force, he began selling cars, starting with small dealerships and eventually working for a national leasing company. He worked for a Cadillac dealership in Boston for a short period until he decided to start a dealership of his own in Newtown Square. At first, the dealership sold many different brands of cars, including Pontiac and GMC. Robert’s sons, Kevin and Bob, grew up with the business and would start working there part-time in high school. Robert’s two sons shared a very similar path, working parttime before college and joining the sales department fulltime after graduating college. “I liked people, I liked the job as soon as I started doing it,” Kevin explained. “One of the aspects of this business I really enjoy is that you work with new people every day.” Kevin and Bob worked in sales together and worked their way up into management. Working at a family business may have had its challenges, but at the core of the business was a fundamental learning experience in the value of hard work. “One of the more valuable things I learned early on was to focus on what you need to do, avoid getting distracted, and keep the goal at the front of your mind,” Kevin said.
daughter Jillian, (L to R) Kevin Rafferty with grandson CJ and rty Raffe Bob r fathe his with rty Bobby Raffe
The goal the past decade has been relatively straightforward: growth. In 2000, the company underwent a rebranding and sold the Pontiac and GMC product line so that they were exclusively a Subaru dealership. Since then, Subaru as a brand has grown in volume and popularity around the world and has provided a wonderful opportunity for Rafferty to take advantage of. This past year marked the 11 th consecutive record year in sales for Subaru, and with hard work of their own, Rafferty Subaru has worked to match that rate of growth. “Their growth has been tremendous, and on a dealer side our challenge was how to capitalize on this growth, how to maximize our opportunities on the dealer level,” Kevin stressed. Today, both Kevin and Bob work as general managers of the business and feel very fortunate to have been a part of the growth that has come with their hard work and the growth of the overall brand. As the goals of the business have been met and outdone the past ten years, the team at Rafferty Subaru decided to do a massive renovation project for the building, making Rafferty one of the most state-of-the-art Subaru dealerships in the country. With the new renovation completed last November, the dealership now has double the square footage, twice the number of bays, a car wash complementary to any new car, a large luxurious waiting room with a coffee bar and a kids room, and a three-lane, climate-controlled car porch for customers to look at their options in comfort.
e, Newtown Square 00 West Chester Pik Rafferty Subaru 47 Waiting room with fireplace, TV and coffee bar 12
Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors
March 2019
