George Gillett And Rod Buscher, Founder Of Elway Dealerships, Buy Burt Toyota And Subaru

July 31, 2009 - PRLog -- Englewood, Colo.—In a move that bodes well for Denver’s automotive consumers and is sure to shake up Denver’s car-buying scene, the George Gillett family, together with business partner Rod Buscher, today announced the acquisition of Burt Toyota Scion and Burt Subaru, located on south Broadway, in Englewood. The two auto dealerships have been renamed Groove Toyota Scion and Groove Subaru.

George Gillett had only kind words of appreciation for the Burt organization’s Colorado legacy, which is family owned and has been a fixture on Broadway’s auto row for 70 years. “I want to salute the Chavez family for their long history of community involvement, service and contribution to our state’s automotive industry,” He said.

Over the past two decades, George Gillett and his family have assembled an impressive, global sports and recreational empire including the Montreal Canadiens, England’s Liverpool Football Club, NASCAR Team Richard Petty Motorsports and Booth Creek Resorts. They
began acquiring automobile dealerships with Buscher in 2006.

“We are a Colorado family and we’re thrilled to make this commitment here,” Gillett said. “We’ve assembled an incredibly talented team to represent us and to deliver our customers consistent, excellent service above and beyond.

Groove’s CEO Rod Buscher, and Co-Founder Alex Gillett, promise the Groove team will bring an innovative, youthful attitude to the car-buying experience along with the proven, award-winning and customer-centered principles Buscher instituted during his ownership of the John Elway Dealerships.

“It’s very exciting to be back in business in Denver—the most invigorating, energetic place to live and to work in the country” Buscher said, “and we’re honored to represent two sterling manufacturers—Toyota and Subaru.”

“We understand that Burt has many long-time, very loyal Toyota and Subaru customers and we promise them a smooth transition as well as a unique dedication to service excellence. We look forward to welcoming them to Groove,” Alex Gillett said.

The Groove management team includes Partner and Chief Operating Officer Bill Carmichael, who first distinguished himself as General Manager at John Elway Toyota and later won national awards for customer satisfaction and excellence while serving as a Regional Market President for AutoNation. Former GO Toyota General Manager Rob Meador, will also contribute his award-winning talents to the new Groove line-up, as Vice President of Dealer
Operations.

This is the second foray into the Colorado auto business scene for the Gillett and Buscher group—they also own Vista Subaru and Jeep Chrysler Dodge located in Silverthorne and Vista Chevrolet, Honda and Subaru in Glenwood Springs. Their excellent track record has allowed them to establish a customer base not just in the mountain communities but also along the front range, in the Denver Metro area, and in Grand Junction.

Groove Toyota Scion and Groove Subaru join a group of 30 other auto dealerships (including those in the Colorado mountains,) that the Gillett family, Buscher and Carmichael own and operate in New England and Nashville, under the parent company name, Summit Automotive Partners—summit-ap.com.

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Summit Automotive Partners is a privately-held automotive management group headquartered in Denver, Colorado. We are owned by George Gillett and family with partners Rod Buscher and William Carmichael. ■ The Gillett family owns or is partners with some of the most respected brands in the world today: The Liverpool Football Club, NASCAR Team Richard Petty Motorsports and Booth Creek Resorts. ■ Summit Automotive Partners was founded based on a set of firm beliefs: long-term relationships, the empowerment of employees and customers and the innovation and creativity that come from a positive work environment. It’s not business as usual—it’s business as it should be.