To our members, being in business is not just about sales. Our members employ nearly 36,000 men and women in good-paying, local jobs that can’t be outsourced and support another 33,600 jobs in New Jersey. Last year, the $34.6 billion in industry sales generated $1.73 billion in state and local tax revenue. Even during a worldwide pandemic, the automotive retail industry continued to be a primary driver of the state’s economy. This is great news, but dealers do a lot more than just sell new cars and trucks.
New Jersey’s neighborhood new car and truck dealerships are relentlessly committed to New Jersey. Beyond their considerable investment in staff, brick-and-mortar facilities, and internal operations, they also support the neighborhoods in which they do business in a variety of ways.
The generosity of New Jersey’s franchised dealers, highlighted by as much as $15 million in charitable contributions last year, serves as an incredible indicator of the industry’s longstanding commitment to their local neighborhoods and customers.
Below, you’ll find examples of just some of the organization’s dealers have supported over the past 18 months:
Bergen County
- Adopt a Soldier Platoon, Inc. (Liberty Subaru and Subaru of America)
- Hackensack University Hospital Foundation (Quality Automall)
- Little Sister of the Poor (Quality Automall)
- NY-NJ Trail Conference (Liberty Subaru and Subaru of America)
- Oasis (Quality Automall)
- Paterson Boys & Girls Club (Quality Automall)
Cape May County
- Avalon, New Jersey’s Annual Dune Grass Planting Project (Subaru’s Eastern Region and Burke Subaru)
- Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Atlantic & Cape May Counties (Burke Motor Group)
- Cape Hope and the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation (Burke Motor Group)
- Cape May County Chamber Education Foundation (Kindle Auto Plaza)
- Habitat for Humanity, Cape May County (Burke Subaru)
- Heroes on the Water, South Jersey (Burke Motor Group)
- Volunteers in Medicine, South Jersey (Burke Subaru)
Essex County
- The Nutley & Suburban Essex Chambers of Commerce and Nutley Scouts (Nutley Kia)
- Pediatric Nutrition Center- Haiti (St. Cassian Church- Montclair) (Nutley Kia)
- The Phoenix Center (Nutley Kia)
Gloucester County
- Local Kiwanis Club of Greater Swedesboro (Spirit Chrysler Jeep Dodge)
Mercer County
- Boys and Girls Club of Trenton (Scott Harvey Subaru)
- David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation (Scott Harvey Subaru)
- Ewing Township Police Benevolent Association (Scott Harvey Subaru)
Middlesex County
- American Cancer Society (Dayton Toyota)
- South Brunswick Township Night Out (Dayton Toyota)
- South Brunswick Commission on Women (Dayton Toyota)
Monmouth County
- ARC of Monmouth County (M. Schwartz & Sons)
- Camp Quality New Jersey (Chevrolet of Freehold)
- Christian Brothers Academy (M. Schwartz & Sons)
- Freehold Open Door Food Pantry (Volkswagen of Freehold)
- Freehold YMCA Gifts for Children (Volkswagen of Freehold)
- Police & Schools L.E.A.D. Program (M. Schwartz & Sons)
- Turning Lives Around (Lester Glenn Ford Auto)
- YMCA (M. Schwartz & Sons)
Morris County
- Toys for Tots (Paul Miller Audi and Paul Miller Porsche)
Ocean County
- CauseWheels Vehicle Donation Program (Causeway Family of Dealerships)
- Friends of Island Beach State Park (Lester Glenn Chevrolet of Toms River)
- NJ Chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation (Lester Glenn Buick GMC)
- Ocean of Love for Children (Lester Glenn Hyundai)
- Robert Gallagher Charitable Foundation (Lester Glenn Mazda)
- USO Liberty Chapter at Joint Base McGuire (Lester Glenn Chrysler Dodge Keep RAM)
Somerset County
- New Brunswick Police Department, New Brunswick North Branch and Green Knoll Fire Departments (BMW of Bridgewater)
Sussex County
- Pope John XXIII High School, Sussex County (to defray COVID-related sanitation costs) (Nielsen Ford)
- PPE Masks Donations (Nielsen Ford)
Warren County
- Abilities of NW New Jersey (Smith Motor Co.)
- ARC of Warren County (Smith Motor Co.)
- Local Fire Companies (Smith Motor Co.)
Additionally, New Jersey’s neighborhood new car and truck dealerships have worked to accommodate the evolving needs of their customers throughout the pandemic with online transactions, no-contact pickup and delivery of vehicles and more. Some of these changes to operations will outlive the pandemic.
Additionally, New Jersey’s neighborhood new car and truck dealerships have worked to accommodate the evolving needs of their customers throughout the pandemic with online transactions, no-contact pickup and delivery of vehicles and more. Some of these changes to operations will outlive the pandemic.
The leadership efforts of New Jersey’s neighborhood new car and truck dealerships have garnered favorable national attention during the past year. Rick DeSilva, Jr., Dealer Principal of Liberty Subaru and Liberty Hyundai, was named the 2021 TIME Dealer of the Year. This award was presented in part because of the organization’s charitable efforts, including hosting annual pet adoption events and supporting Adopt-a-Soldier Platoon, Special Olympics New Jersey Torch Run, Jersey Cares Coat Drive, the Valerie Fund, Ramapo College Foundation, New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, Bergen Highlands Ramsey Rotary Gift of Life, and other organizations.
This review highlights only a few of New Jersey’s neighborhood new car and truck dealerships’ charitable efforts. While capturing this moment in time, it reflects the generous nature of the dealerships and their commitment to their communities.
