Sconda

New Sconda Photo Booth Nears Completion

Vice President, Duke Scott stands to the right of General Contractor, Joseph G. Schorn P.E., of Schorn Construction Co., Inc., as they work out the final details of Scott Honda's brand new, state-of-the-art, vehicle photo booth.

With over 90 percent of Scott's customers visiting the web before calling or stepping foot inside our showroom, we know their first impression is usually a vehicle photo online. That was a big motivation for renovating this three car garage located about a half mile away from the dealership and devoting one, rather large section to the photo booth. 

"It will be nice having a space dedicated to taking pictures," says Stephanie Bahnatka, Assistant to the Used Car Manager.  "It will allow us to showcase our vehicles without any distractions around."

This new space will have a white epoxy floor, sloped white walls and great artificial lighting, putting all the focus on the vehicle.  Currently our photos are taken in the middle of our service drive, which can be a hectic and dark place to take pictures.

"It’s nice to finally get a separate facility to photograph our inventory," says Assistant Used Car Manager, Andre Revnell, who is responsible for taking most of our pictures. "Now we have a chance to capture and focus on the vehicle and not that random guy who always seems to make his way into all the photos."

The new photo booth is expected to be fully operational by the end of the summer.

Nothing to do with Cars: Meet "Dolphin 56"

I love a good human (or animal) interest story and the fact that this blog is Scott Honda-centered doesn't mean every post has to be on or about cars...so without further adieu I present our first post on something that I find interesting and think that you might as well.

    On my way in to work today a story on The Michael Smerconish Morning Show caught my ear.  It was the tale of a fisherman out with his buddies one day off the coast of New Jersey.  The big fish weren't biting so they worked their way back to about 500 yards off the shore, when he noticed something odd.  A dolphin was racing straight towards his boat in a most peculiar fashion.
    "He swam out of the water at a 45-degree angle," Angler, Rod Houck, of Yardville, N.J. told The Star Ledger. "He literally came up to the side of the boat -- like Flipper."
    Houck went on to tell Smerconsih that the dolphin seemed like something out of Sea World and while it was "performing" for food he noticed the dorsal fin on this Flipper wannabe had been branded with the number "56".
    Upon returning home Houck did what any of us would do, he Googled "Dolphin 56".  Imagine his surprise when page after page and sighting after sighting appeared on his computer screen.
    According to SeaWorld.com, Dolphin 56's known history began on August 28, 1979 when he was captured along with five other dolphins in the Indian River Lagoon in Florida and was branded for a field study.  That study ended in the Spring of 1982, but the Dolphin 56 sightings were only just beginning.     
    Although we are reminded it is illegal to feed wild dolphins, people fed Dolphin 56 anyway and he learned how easy we humans are to impress in order to get some food. He has even been known to put his snout right on the edge of a boat, which has really surprised boaters like Houck.
    Dolphin 56, now an estimated 42-years-old, has been sighted hundreds of times, from Florida to South Carolina to most recently the bay in Avalon, N.J.  So while you're out on the water this summer, keep an eye out for the number 56 poking out of the water.  And you better believe there will be a major motion picture out in about 3 years about the most famous dolphin since Flipper.

Honda Celebrates 50 Years of US Innovation

In the same summer that Scott Honda celebrates it's 25th year, Honda itself celebrates 50 years of engineering excellence in America. 

Honda really began in 1946 when Soichiro Honda established the Honda Technical Research Institute, but this 50th year marks the opening of the American Honda Motor Corporation in Los Angeles, CA.  Establishing itself as motor bike specialists,it wasn't until the release of the S500 in 1963 that Honda got into the automobile indistry.  Then came the Civic in 1972, the Prelude in 1978 and the famous Accord in 1982.

With a lineup that now includes 2 auto brands, 16 vehicles, ranging from Fuel Cell vehicles like the FCX Clarity, to award winning four door pick-up trucks, not to mention lawnmowers, Indycar racing, marine engines, robots and jets...the sky is truely the limit for the next 50 years of Honda turing dreams in to reality.

June "Fish Award" Winners Announced

Each month at Scott Honda’s aptly named “Monthly Meeting” two awards are given out.  They are the Fish Awards and one is given to an individual and one to a group or department who best represents the spirit of the FISH! Philosophy: Be There, Play, Make Their Day and Choose Your Attitude.

The FISH! Philosophy came to being in 1998 based on the film, FISH! Catch the Energy, Release the Potential.  This film is about the Seattle's world-famous Pike Place Fish Market. The premise of this motivational documentary was even in a workplace where fishmongers spent stinky, grueling 12-hour shifts stocking, selling and packing fish, remarkable results can occur when people accept the invitation to: 1) Be There for their coworkers and customers; 2) Play; 3) Make someone's day, and; 4) Choose their attitude about how they show up for work.

June’s winners were Larry Robinson and the Accounting Department, read about why they won in the paragraphs below written by the previous months winner, with a little help from yours truly.  We also created a Fish Award page so you can see many of the past winners.

Our First New Commercial Debuts Tonight

Here is the special preview I promised to you loyal Sconda Fans.  This commercial will debut this evening on Comcast Sportsnet during the Phillies versus Orioles game (where the Phils try not to lose another home game). 

This is the first of four branding commercials where we will emphasize the rich history of our family's time in the automobile business.  We will not be yelling monthly payments at you while digital fireworks explode over grown men in monkey suits.  We will be clean, clear and concise in the message to our customers.

Stay tuned for our second commercial which will focus more on our 25 year Honda history.

New Beachy Billboard in the Works

This is a billboard idea I have had for a while and when I was at the beach a couple weekends ago I decided to give it a shot.

I have always been attracted to using natural objects that are real, physical objects or locations in my designs.  Not that it always works out that way, but when possible I would rather use something in my surroundings, than something that is artificial/created on a computer.

So with that understanding I am trying to create a billboard design using the beach as my canvas.  I would like to do one similar to this for each season...you know leaves or sticks in fall, snow/Christmas lights in the winter.  What I am not sure about is whether or not to just let the image speak for itself and remove the words?  This is by no means the final product and may not ever happen at all, but I think it has potential.

Our Billboard is on 202 North, just before the Westtown Road exit.  Your Sconda feedback is welcome.

Location of 1920's Scott Dealership Discovered

One piece of Scott's dealership history was revealed last evening when my Grandfather Raymond P. Scott Jr., (aka Who Who) found a buyer's order from August 8th, 1935.  At the top of this document was the address "Lancaster Avenue at Church Road, Ardmore, Pa" presumably belonging to one of our old dealerships'.

So I jumped on to Google Maps, typed in the address, hit "street view" and there it was.  It seems corny, but I was so excited that it had not been torn down or altered beyond recognition, as I fear our two other stores from that era were. The unique ridges on the roof line and the downward slopping sidewalk going down to the right as you face the store shows that this is indeed the same store my great Grandfather Raymond P. Scott Sr., sold cars in the 1930's.

My plan is to drive down there, take a better photograph and present the Napa folks with a framed picture of our dealership from nearly 80 years ago to hang on the wall.

The old bill of sale is a great artifact in itself.  The older something is, the more interesting I find each piece of information.  This bill of sale shows "R.P. Scott" as salesperson.  It has those great old Dodge and Plymouth logos in the corners.  It shows the type of car sold, a "Dodge four door sedan 'A' group". It is overflowing with great information, all on a tatered piece of paper nearly 74 years old.

Collins Kids Sell Lemonade for Alex

For the fifth year in a row Callie and Max Collins, will be spending a Saturday afternoon selling lemonade, but not for the same reasons you and I did when we were their age. 

It's not for a new toy or a video game.  They are trying to raise $2500 for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, to help children their age who are fighting cancer.

Callie, age 11 explains why she loves having her lemonade stand year after year.  "I do it because I want to help get rid of childhood cancer and let everyone have the chance to live."

"I enjoy making the posters and getting a new bracelet each year," says Max, age 8.  "I am also glad I can stop children from suffering. Nobody should have to suffer."

The story behind the lemonade stands is both heartbreaking and motivational.  

Sconda Adopts a Pig for a Great Cause

We really did adopt a pig, it's just ceramic, eats money and helps young children who are fighting cancer.  So we thought we would join this little pig in his effort to make the life of a child going through an incredibly difficult time, a little easier.

According to adoptapig.org  the mission is simple, "To provide coping mechanisms to children fighting cancer and their families.  The founders of this program, experienced these cancer treatments firsthand and understand it is neither a simple nor a short process.  By providing support to children and families, they hope to ease some of the struggles and pains associated with this emotional and physical battle."

Like many people, the battle against cancer has touched members of the Scott family as well.  Without warning on January 2, 2007 my Unlce Rip Scott was diagnosed with metastatic squamous cell head and neck cancer.  Just 6 days later nearly half of his jaw was removed along with lymph nodes, neck muscle and salivary glands. Two weeks later  doctors transferred muscle from his left quadricep and rebuilt his jaw. His entire spring was filled with day after day of radiation therapy, chemotherapy or some days both.  His body was withered, his energy was sapped, but he stayed strong.

I had the honor of taking him to his radiation and chemo treatments on a few occasions.  Those waiting rooms are filled with emotions that are hard to describe.  Some people are optimistic, some are hopeless, some old and some are very young, too young to be put through the physical and mental anguish that is the fight against cancer.  It is those children that we are attempting raise money for by adopting this precious pig.

So please help us by dropping some loose change in him while you're in for service or buying a car, or send a check to Adopt a Pig by following this link. 

Our pig was painted by Julie age 11...good luck Julie.

Sconda Adds a New Page - Video Center

Sconda has created a Video Center that can be accessed via the page headings at the top.  Within that page are our four commercials that are web worthy.

Moving forward we have purchased some pretty nice video equipment (camera, tripod, lights, mics, editing software, etc) that we will use to create some unique videos that tell the story of our dealership.

This is also where we will debut our four new branding commercials in the weeks to come.  Stay tuned as I try to justify my college communications degree from Colby-Sawyer College, in New London, Nh (shameless plug).