Sconda

Nor'easter DiRocco Predicting 6-12" Storm

Can it be that Chester County and the Delaware Valley will be hit with the 4th major storm of this white winter?  Gregg "Nor'easter" DiRocco says  "Yes", but this one is tricky.

"A blocking high from the north will put the brakes on this storm and cause it to move northwest and do a loop de loop before it heads out to sea," DiRocco said.  "I believe that northeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey will ge the brunt of this storm, but we will still get 6" to a foot of snow."

The snow should begin around 10 p.m. this evening and continue all the way through Friday morning.

The folks in Scondaland are sick of digging out our cars, but it looks like we'll be back at it again for the next couple days.

Scott Honda will remain open tomorrow, but depending on the weather we could close our doors before our scheduled 9 p.m. closing time.  Check our website for updates.

Scott Honda's 2nd Annual Pen Amnesty Day

Dog's chew on them, children write on walls with them and adults horde them.  You've used them at local restaurants, doctor's office's and even other car dealerships.  They are Scott Honda pens and they are all over the Delaware Valley, but once a year when we run a little low on our own supply we need to have Pen Amnesty Day.

"Basically it means I submitted our pen order too late and we're about to run out," admits Marketing Manager, Douglas P. Scott. "But I know employees collect these pens, either by accident or on purpose and this special day was created to allow those folks to bring them back without apology."

Within 10 minutes of the company-wide voice mail announcing Pen Amnesty Day, 473 pens had already been handed back in with a smile.

"Here you go Doug," said Internet Sales Consultant, Kim Meissner, with a sheepish grin as she handed over a rainbow collection of pen colors in two large rubber band wads.  "These are my favorites, but I didn't even realize I had so many."

It appears to be the endless color combinations and the Bic quality that makes these pens such a fan favorite.  Whenever the boxes of the new pens arrive employees can't wait to see what colors will be inside.

Some wives have been known to be hand Ziploc baggies to their husbands, filled to brim with our pens saying things like "Get these darn pens out of my house."

"I am part of the problem," Doug admits.  "I give them away to anyone I meet.  I leave them at restaurants, at Home Depot, at the movie theater, literally any time I sign a check or see a stash of pens, I leave one of ours.  I see it as guerrilla marketing.  Getting Scott Honda's name anywhere I can."

One employee is even getting a custom color combination done for his wedding at his wife's request, that's how popular they've become.

"I have pondered creating a Sconda Pen of the Month Club," Doug revealed to Sconda Blog.  "I have even thought about letting people win the ability to pick the colors."

Stay tuned to hear more about the potential for the Sconda Pen of the Month Club.

Sconda Snow Madness and it Ain't Spring Yet

Snow is beautiful...for skiers.  Snow is fun...for kids.  Snow is a money maker...for Plowers.  Snow is a nightmare...for car dealers.  Scott Honda is still digging out in some satellite lots, after back to back snow storms dumped nearly four feet of snow in a five day span.

You know how aggravating cleaning the snow and ice off your car is.  Now imagine doing that 600 times.  The organization, implementation and continued motivation of a snow crew is a task relished by few and perfected by no one...but we're getting better.

"I was really impressed by how many people chipped in to dig us out," said Jason Reitelbach, Internet Sales Manager.  "We had more people working harder and longer then we ever have before, which is fortunate because we have never dealt with blizzards like this before."

The severity of this storm forced the creation of a "Snow Task Force" comprised of 10 individuals from all areas of the dealership that arrived at 5 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday morning to try to get the cleaning up of the dealership off on the right foot before all the employees arrived.

However despite their best efforts (this is called burying the lead) Scott Honda still had to close the doors due to weather for the first time in our 25 and a half year history.

"We really had no choice," Vice President Duke Scott said.  "With these storms being so huge and so close together we knew it would be too dangerous for employees to make it to work, much less customers."

The fun news is Sconda has discovered a weather savant in our midst with Gregg "Nor'easter" DiRocco. The "Nor'easter" has predicted two storms on the nose and is building quite a web following.  Stay tuned folks because it sounds like our weatherman will be busy again next week with some more white stuff headed this way.

Nor'easter DiRocco Says 18"+ More Coming

The Sconda Weather Center has been buzzing all day with activity and Gregg "Nor'easter" DiRocco predicts another 18-24 inches will pound the already white landscape this evening and into tomorrow night.

"For Chester County the snow should start tonight around 6 p.m. and continue into Wednesday night," DiRocco says.  "The heaviest snow will fall tomorrow from 7 a.m. through the rest of the day when the secondary low takes over."

This snow will make the 2009-10 winter the snowiest in Philadelphia history. The current snow total is 56.3 inches, putting it only 8.2 inches away from the previous record of 65.5 inches set in 1995-96.

This winter's massive snow totals have created unprecedented situations for Scott Honda to manage.

"This is the first time I can ever remember closing the dealership due to snow," said Vice President Duke Scott. "But the safety of our employees and customers is paramount, so we'll clean our lot Wednesday and be back open for business Thursday."

Please remember to drive safe and don't leave your house unless you absolutely need to.

The #1 Dealership Weatherman on the Web

Sconda Blog is proud to welcome our brand new weatherman, the go-to guy for all things meteorological at Scott Honda, a man who digs deep into the weather models and doesn't just take Glenn "The Hurricane" Schwartz's word for it, introducing our very own Gregg "Nor'easter" DiRocco.

Using the in-depth analysis of arctic air masses, barometric pressure and the gut instincts you need to make it in this industry, DiRocco's predicting 18-24 inches to fall in the West Chester area. He believes the snow to begin around 5 p.m., with the heaviest amounts occurring from 10 p.m. through Saturday morning, with as much as 2 inches falling an hour.  The storm should finally wind itself down around 3 p.m. tomorrow.

The best news for all you kids out there is that this snow will be great for building a snowman or having a good old fashioned snowball fight.

"Unlike the big snow storm we got in December, this snow has a lot of moisture in it, making it wet and heavy, perfect for some snow-packing fun tomorrow.  However it will make the shoveling a bit harder on the back," DiRocco told Sconda Blog.

Since he began working at Scott Honda 2-years-ago, the newly anointed Sconda Weatherman has been a Mecca of weather information for the entire dealership, fielding question after question about the weather, but he never tires of it, he has loved the weather ever since he can remember.

"Meteorology has fascinated me since I was young," DiRocco recalls.  "As a little kid I would always get up in the middle of the night to see if it was snowing and usually I would catch that first snowflake coming down."

DiRocco also has a good friend who is a Meteorologist at the National Weather Service (NOAA) in Tulsa, Okla. where he was lucky enough to receive a tour of the weather center.  "I was like a kid in the candy shop," he said.  "Tornado sirens were going off, satellite screens were everywhere, it was an awesome experience!"

Sconda Blog hopes this is the first of many forecasts from our very own weatherman Gregg "Nor'easter" DiRocco.

Please remember to drive safe in this storm and avoid going out tonight at all if possible.

Sconda Hoodies Across America - NJ

"Only you can prevent forest fires" and only Ken Barker can prevent the rest of the world from claiming  New Jersey in Sconda Hoodies Across America, and that's just what he did.  In one of the most memorable photos of the contest Ken palled up with a famous bear in Cape May for this portrait.

While most folks refer to this fire fighting Black Bear as "Smokey the Bear", his official name is just Smokey Bear.  This is a misconception the United States Forest Service has been battling and losing ever since songwriters Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins wrote the hit "Smokey the Bear".  According to Wikipedia the duo said they added "the" to Smokey's name to "keep the song's rhythm".

Smokey Bear, the public educator, was born in 1944, but it wasn't until a real bear cub got caught up a tree and rescued during a New Mexico forest fire in 1950 that the now classic character really became an American icon.

Thanks to Ken we all know a little more about our furry friend Smokey and we know Ken is a sucker for the beach in winter...who can blame him, no crowds and no sunburn.  This state tied him with Zach Zimmerman at four states a piece, but Ken was in a New York state of mind after this pit stop.

Sconda Hoodies Across America - MD

It was by stage coach and ferry that the first beach-front renters arrived in Ocean City, Maryland in 1869.  Now a days it's via Scott Honda Pilots, by men wearing Sconda Hoodies.  Ken Barker added the "Land of Mary" to his list, which was his third of five states racked up in two weekend road trips.

"My photographer caught me in front of the entrance to the boardwalk," Ken wrote to Sconda Blog.  "As you can see, there is still plenty of ice and snow on the street and for some reason the beach was not crowded," he wrote jokingly.

It was George Calvert who applied for Maryland's royal charter in 1629.  He had lived in Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland and after winter lasted until May he wrote to a friend, "There is a sad face of winter upon all this land."  When the seas thawed he sailed south, wisely planting himself in Maryland the next summer, a trend millions would emulate in the centuries to follow. 

I'm sure Calvert never envisioned anything like the Ocean City Boardwalk, which started in 1902 as a wooden walkway that was small enough to get rolled up during high tide and has evolved into 2.5 mile long food and fun extravaganza.

Coming up next, Barker's trips to the Garden and Empire States.  Want to join in the fun, click here to learn how.

Sconda Hoodies Across America - DE

Ken Barker is back in the game! This is the first of a three state tour he made last weekend to tie the contest at four with early leader Zach Zimmerman.

"I got up early this morning, jumped into the Honda Pilot, grabbed my photographer (my loving and very patient wife of 44 years) and headed for the beach," Barker told Sconda Blog last Saturday.  "My first stop was Bethany Beach, Delaware where we took this picture along Route 1 near the National Guard training center.  Not quite so cold and windy as the Valley Forge adventure from last week, but still not beach weather!"

Barker stood before the Delaware National Guard Training Site and a sweet helicopter which definitely got him some points for "unique objects in the background", under the creativity portion of the contest.

To all you other eager hoodie wearers there is still time to get in the contest.  All you need is a Sconda Hoodie, a camera and a smile.  As we speak hoodies are being mailed across the country, but one road trip to Florida could yield 5 states and put you right in the lead. 

Get your picture taken in a new state (only 42 remain), in front of a prominent, obscure or unique landmark and you'll get a special post on Sconda Blog.  The best photograph and the person who sacks the most states will win a new iPod Nano 8gb and even more Sconda gear. Scott Honda employees are not excluded, the more the merrier.

Send your photo's to dougscott@scotthonda.com or post them on our Facebook Fan page.

Sconda Hoodies Across America - VT

The travels of Zach Zimmerman, in his pursuit of Sconda Hoodies Across America immortality, brought him to the birthplace of arguably the most beautiful state in this fair nation.

Windsor, Vermont, a (granite) stones throw from New Hampshire, was also the summer home to former President Woodrow Wilson and also the residence of Winston Churchill, (no not that one) this one was the American novelist, but he was friends with his British counterpart.

Vermont, the leading producer of Maple Syrup is also the 2nd least populated state, with only Wyoming having fewer residents.  If you're a surfer, Vermont is not for you, it's the only New England state without any coastline, but Lake Champlain is a great substitute for you water lovers.

So ZZ has jumped out to a commanding  4 state to one lead, can Ken Barker make a charge and get back into this race, or should I send Zach his iPod now?  Stay tuned.

Sconda Hoodies Across America - Mass

ZZ strikes again.  The New England Bandit bags another state, as Massachusetts gets put in Zach Zimmerman's "Basket o' States".  Bringing his tally to four, Zach has started off Sconda Hoodies Across America with a bang.  This time our version of Carmen Scon-diego landed in Beantown.

"This photo was taken in Boston with the famous Citgo sign in the background, the one next to Fenway Park." Zach told Sconda Blog.  "I apologize for it being blurry...that would be Brian Doucet's fault, he took the photo."  (Que sound of bus being driven by Zach, running over Brian)

While it took a little Photoshop magic to make up for Doucet's photography woes in order to bring the Citgo sign to life, the effort was there and the hoodie was on.  The question is, can ZZ capture all of New England?  Only the Ocean State, the Constitution State, and the Green Mountain State remain.  I do however know of several Sconda hoodies making their way northward, back to college as we speak.

Want to get in the game click this link for info on getting your Sconda Hoodie.