BMW Northwest 2020 Magazine - Flipbook - Page 3
From the President and Owner
The Road Ahead
BMW Northwest L.I.F.E.
the
best way to do business: take
care of your customers. I’ve
always known he was right
and this year, despite a f lat
car economy, BMW is growing nationwide and so is
BMW Northwest.
In 2019, BMW brought out
fantastic new products, we
launched our concierge and
mobile service programs and
we added Allstate Insurance
offices to our dealerships. In
December, we broke ground
on the Collision Center Northwest, our certified BMW and
MINI autobody repair shop,
located on the Northwest
MINI site. The Collision
Center is expected to open
in early summer 2020 and
we’re expanding our retail
offerings to give clients more
access to detailing, window
tinting, tires and paint chip
protection services.
PHO TO: LUCIEN KNU TESON
M Y FAT H E R TA U G H T M E
The road ahead is
about meeting the
needs of our customers at all stages of
the car-buying journey, from insurance,
purchase and detailing through to maintenance and repairs.
I’m excited about
the Collision Center
because I hate seeing BMW and MINI
owners getting the
runaround after an
accident. Customers
are often sent to direct
repa ir prog ra m s
(DRPs) at autobody
shops that don’t have certified
BMW and MINI technicians.
That can be problematic
because cars are increasingly
complex, and require specialized knowledge and/or equipment to repair. On top of that,
technicians need to know
how to repair complicated
technology including cameras and collision sensors. As
a result, repairs often aren’t
done right, and clients come
to us to fix the car they just
had f ixed elsewhere. With
our new Collision Center,
BMW and MINI owners will
get their damaged cars fixed
right—the first time. And our
work is guaranteed, which
keeps customers (and insurance companies) happy.
Expanding how we help
customers also puts our
staff on the road ahead.
We’re hiring 10 –15 people
for the Collision Center;
Two technicians are already
training for BMW body shop
certif ication and another
person is training in repair
estimating. Additionally one
of our off ice employees is
transferring to our new inhouse insurance agency.
In November, I went to
Germany as a member of
the BMW Product Committee. This group inf luences
product design and creation
and we share the desires of
the North American market
with BMW headquarters.
We spoke to engineers and
designers about future products and talked about issues
affecting our business and,
the continued desire for the
internal combustion engine
and autonomous driving.
As a business owner and a
lifelong fan of the ultimate
driving machine, I’m excited
about electrification of cars.
Alongside hybrids with great
engine technology, we’ll see
fully electric, high-performance
luxury cars late next year.
All of this is the driving force
behind the magazine you are
holding in your hands. With
this issue, our second edition,
we celebrate what we stand
for—our dedication to our
customers and the community at BMW Northwest. We
also want to give you a deeper
understanding and appreciation for the history, engineering and culture of the driving
choice you’ve made. After all,
it’s not just business for us—
it’s our way of L.I.F.E.
L.I.F.E.
Loyalty
Passionate team
members dedicated
to building lasting
and impactful
relationships.
Integrity
Exercising the highest
ethical values and
professionalism.
Family
Our home is locally
owned and grown in
the Pacific Northwest,
welcoming and
supporting our
community since 1968.
Excellence
We take pride in being
great today, better
tomorrow.
On behalf of everyone at
BMW Northwest, I’d like
to thank our customers for
inspiring us to do our best.
I’m proud to continue the legacy of service my dad started
51 years ago.
Manfred Scharmach
BMW Northwest Life 2020
1