A New Road Opens for the Luxury Auto Dealer With a Spectacular North Miami Showroom CRAIGZINN A sk any Lexus owner and he’ll tell you without hesitation that he has “the best car on the road.” But was purchasing the vehicle as enjoyable as driving it? Most times, the answer is a resounding no. Enter Craig Zinn, president and CEO of Craig Zinn Automotive Group, whose philosophy remains, “One happy customer tells five potential customers. I want to turn them all into advocates.” As a kid, Zinn watched his father sell the first Toyota in Florida and turn a boat factory into the state’s first dealership offering the brand. He worked as a washer, detailer, tech- nician and salesman at the business. “My love for cars is mechanical. I was always intrigued by the noises of engines,” he says. “I was gauging oil on cars in the ‘60s – I was always the guys with dirty knuckles. My mother hated it.” Zinn was certainly forgiven for dirtying the family’s sofas when he enrolled at the University of Florida to study medicine. But when a professor pointed out that Zinn seemed much better suited to work in business, he took matters into his own hands. “I realized that the University of Florida was the worst possible place to learn about business, so I dropped out of the pre- med program and transferred to Michigan to learn the other side of the car business.” Zinn subsequently took over Toyota of Hollywood, entering the industry that would define his career. Now, as the owner of nine franchise loca- tions boasting internationally recognized names like Toyota, Lexus, Acura, GMC, Pontiac, Buick, Scion and Spyker, Zinn plans to open the world’s largest Lexus dealership in April. But it would be an understatement to classify the latest North Miami Lexus addi- tion as merely a “dealership.” As Zinn says, “It is literally a ‘Club Lexus.’ You can come in, work out, have your makeup freshened by Clinique, get your nails and hair done, and then get a bite to ear from our boutique kosher-style bakery/café.” But that’s only the beginning: Zinn is currently hashing out deals with high-end designers such as Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci to create a personal- shopping service whereby Lexus customers can drop off their vehicles and be shuttled to the Bal Harbour Shops, where flutes of cham- 112 Ocean Drive Magazine February 2009 O CEAN D RIVE Magazine FLORIDA FACES BY LINDSAY SHAPIRO PHOTOGRAPHS BY GARY JAMES
Transcript
A New Road Opens for the Luxury Auto Dealer With a SpectacularNorth Miami Showroom
CRAIGZINN
Ask any Lexus owner and he’ll tell youwithout hesitation that he has “the bestcar on the road.” But was purchasing
the vehicle as enjoyable as driving it? Mosttimes, the answer is a resounding no. EnterCraig Zinn, president and CEO of Craig ZinnAutomotive Group, whose philosophyremains, “One happy customer tells fivepotential customers. I want to turn them allinto advocates.”
As a kid, Zinn watched his father sell thefirst Toyota in Florida and turn a boat factoryinto the state’s first dealership offering thebrand. He worked as a washer, detailer, tech-nician and salesman at the business. “Mylove for cars is mechanical. I was alwaysintrigued by the noises of engines,” he says.
“I was gauging oil on cars in the ‘60s – I wasalways the guys with dirty knuckles. Mymother hated it.” Zinn was certainly forgivenfor dirtying the family’s sofas when heenrolled at the University of Florida to studymedicine. But when a professor pointed outthat Zinn seemed much better suited to workin business, he took matters into his ownhands. “I realized that the University ofFlorida was the worst possible place to learnabout business, so I dropped out of the pre-med program and transferred to Michigan tolearn the other side of the car business.” Zinnsubsequently took over Toyota ofHollywood, entering the industry that woulddefine his career.
Now, as the owner of nine franchise loca-
tions boasting internationally recognizednames like Toyota, Lexus, Acura, GMC,Pontiac, Buick, Scion and Spyker, Zinn plansto open the world’s largest Lexus dealershipinApril. But it would be an understatement toclassify the latest North Miami Lexus addi-tion as merely a “dealership.” As Zinn says,“It is literally a ‘Club Lexus.’ You can comein, work out, have your makeup freshened byClinique, get your nails and hair done, andthen get a bite to ear from our boutiquekosher-style bakery/café.” But that’s only thebeginning: Zinn is currently hashing outdeals with high-end designers such as Dolce& Gabbana and Gucci to create a personal-shopping service whereby Lexus customerscan drop off their vehicles and be shuttled tothe Bal Harbour Shops, where flutes of cham-
112 Ocean Drive Magazine February 2009
OCEAN DRIVEMagazine
FLORIDAFACESBY LINDSAY SHAPIRO PHOTOGRAPHS BY GARY JAMES
CRAIGZINNOCEAN DRIVE
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pagne and personal shoppers – not to mentioncustomer discounts on couture – await. Thissymbiotic relationship continues, moreover,with the Lexus Lifestyle Center, where gymfacilities are available for use and lifestyle-modification consultations are provided byThe Rosomoff Comprehensive Pain Center.“We are currently forming a relationship withThe Setai, Fairmont Hotels and Turnberry, sothat guests will be given a Lexus LX todrive,” says Zinn. “We plan to have rooftopparties. There’s definitely something to besaid about our incredible cross-marketingexperiences.”And while the dealership boasts more than amillion square feet fo space with 120 servicebays and a stock of 2,000 new and used vehi-cles, the facility is also a completely environ-mentally conscious endeavor. “We wanted todo it the right way. The car dealership’scapacity to pollute is always a problem,”Zinn reasons. So, by using non-petroleum-based substances and natural and/or recycledmaterials (bamboo wallpaper, for instance),Zinn hopes to avoid much of the physicalenvironmental damage that constructing and
driving cars inevitably create. The dealershipis also entirely indoors. Cars are protectedfrom the sun while customers observe thework being done from a Technology Loungeplated with glass windows. “We want to havegreen technologies in the showroom. We alsomodify the processes, like lightweight oil thatgets a lot of mileage,” Zinn says. “And we area distributor of nitrogen products in tires,which provide a pure roll and better gasmileage.”Still, Zinn claims that “amenities are ameni-ties,” and his success ultimately lies with hiscustomers. “It’s all in the way we treat them,”he says. “No one is here just to water theplants. Everyone is involved in selling the carand if the customer isn’t satisfied, we find outwhat we did and how we can change it. Somedealers are all about making money, but ifyou compromise on anything – the facility,the training, the staff – you are settling forless.” At the end of the day, says Zinn, it canbe simplified even further: “People hategoing to the dentist and buying a car. Wewant to at least have the dentist be worse.”
Ocean Drive Magazine February 2009 114
“WEWANT TO HAVE GREEN TECHNOLOGIES IN THE SHOWROOM.”
JUST THE FACTS:
Career highlights: “The biggest thing for mewas pulling a huge American flag out of thebox at Toyota of Hollywood. We hoisted it upa 100-foot flagpole and I was thinking what agreat country this is and what a great opportu-nity I had to take advantage of what my fatherand grandfather did before me.”
Hobbies: “Snow skiing, car collecting andhigh-performance driving.”
Car you currently drive: “A 1967 Toyota2000 GT. I also have a Ferrari Daytona, a ’67Corvette and a James Bond-style Bentley fromthe mid ‘60s.
Vacation destination: “Capri and Milan. Mywife and I love Italian food and going to Italianfashion shows. We’ve been to all the greatshows.”
