Bennett Toyota/Scion Case Study
Partnering with the right sign company provides end-product synergy
When Rob Bennett, owner of The Bennett Automotive Group, decided to build a new home for his Toyota/Scion dealership in Allentown, Pennsylvania, the last thing on his mind was signs. However, about a month before his state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly facility was due to open, the absence of an interior signage package became a pressing issue that needed to be addressed rather quickly. So with the clock ticking, Bennett’s team took on the challenge and turned to Valley Wide Signs & Graphics.
Design Challenge Parts manager Chris Hendershot, one of the lead construction managers on this project, contacted Valley Wide Signs’ owner, Steve Gingras. Gingras and his experienced design team toured the new facility – a nearly 50,000 sq. ft. building that was almost all glass. The team immediately agreed that the signage package needed to be subtle, so it would not overpower the design aesthetics of the building. The Valley Wide Signs team studied Toyota literature and visited other similar Toyota facilities to immerse themselves in the “Toyota / Scion look and feel.” Gingras’ philosophy is that a sign should be more than just a sign. While the primary purpose of a sign is to provide information, instruction or direction, Valley Wide Signs also believes that it should enhance brand recognition, complement a building’s décor and create the appropriate professional environment.
Safety First The open, light-filled design of the facility presented the team with a challenge: the floor to ceiling glass has a great contemporary look – but it can also be difficult to see. One of the first requirements spotted by the Valley Wide Signs team was the need to reinforce the safety of Bennett’s customers and employees while inside the building. Valley Wide Signs’ design team suggested that, as a safety precaution, they use frosted vinyl banding with color coordinated logo cut-outs on interior windows to enable customers to easily distinguish glass walls from open areas. Valley Wide Signs designed numerous individual signs for the facility incorporating the Toyota and Scion brands’ color schemes. The wide range of signs provide clear identifiers for various locations in the customer lounge area such as Parts, Cashier, Restrooms, Kids Zone, and the customer-friendly Bennett Café.
Customized ADA-Compliant Signage The Company’s designers also created customized ADA-compliant office signs that meet the needs of the visually impaired and nicely matched the exterior of the building, thereby bringing exterior design elements into the interior environment and tying the two together. Valley Wide Signs was able to meet the tight delivery times because the Company has the equipment to produce ADA-compliant office signage in-house. One of the additional services that Valley Wide Signs provides is the ability to add content to the signs they manufacture. For example, the request was made that side and rear exterior entrance doors carry the message: “Employees Only – Do Not Enter.” Valley Wide Signs suggested changing the wording to the more customer-friendly “Employee Entrance – Bennett Toyota/Scion Respects Your Safety.” Not only is this a more positive message, it also evokes brand recognition of both Bennett and Toyota/Scion – and links it to Bennett’s safety commitment.
Strong Finish Five days before the facility’s grand ribbon cutting ceremony, Bennett’s General Manager, Chris Zerfass, asked for Valley Wide Signs’ help once again. Zerfass wanted signage that highlighted Bennett’s commitment to environmental sustainability and the facility’s compliance with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards. The Bennett facility is the first LEED-certified Toyota dealership in the mid-Atlantic region. Valley Wide Signs saw this as an opportunity to highlight the Bennett brand and its commitment to environmental sustainability. They created a series of sixteen coordinated glass-and-aluminum signs that explain LEED principles and also describe the features the dealership incorporated in various parts of the facility to reduce its environmental footprint. Valley Wide Signs managed the content development and specific placement of these signs. “We had a tight timeframe to be prepared for our Ribbon Cutting ceremony. Valley Wide Signs went above and beyond. Just four days after we asked for them, our LEED signs were up,” said Dean Carnes, Bennett Toyota/Scion Service Manager. “With the myriad issues you inevitably deal with when opening a state-of-theart facility,” said Zerfass, “it was reassuring to work with Valley Wide Signs and have the signage work practically take care of itself. It was one less thing for our team to worry about.”
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