At Taylor AutoMall, customer happiness always comes first. As the dealership celebrates fifty-one years of success in the automotive sales industry, Dealer Principal Jason Taylor and his team continue to offer the very best service, facilities, and sales assistance in the Kingston area.

Hard work, Dedication, and One Fantastic Opportunity

Jerome Taylor, Jason’s Dad, arrived in Kingston in 1963. At the age of 27 he was the youngest ever in Canada to own a dealership without benefit of family connections. He had been presented with an opportunity to take over an existing Chrysler dealership. The business was floundering, but Jerome implemented a strategy of very hard work and a complete focus on the Customer (Guest). Within three months, the dealership was back on track and Jerome Taylor never looked back. By 1967, it was necessary to expand the business. A new location was found at 1429 Princess Street and Kingston Dodge Chrysler was opened, where it still stands today.

The business continued to grow and prosper. In 1979, Jerome decided it was time to make a change. With all of the turmoil that Chrysler was experiencing, Jerome took a completely new direction and purchased a GM dealership deep in the city core. It was reintroduced as Taylor Chev Olds Cadillac and was an instant winner. Along with his other business, Limestone Auto Body, the Taylor automotive landscape was now a complete package.

Phenomenal success ensued and again in 1988 the need to expand became evident. Jerome Taylor opted to purchase property situated at the corner of Princess Street and Centennial Drive. The brand new Taylor AutoMall was born. A modern, sleek design gave an airy, open atmosphere complete with a restaurant and lush gardens. The booming business added a Saturn dealership in 1991 that operated until 2009 when the Saturn Brand ceased to exist.

Jerome’s son, Jason, came on board in 1995 after completing a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from Dalhousie University. After two years of managing Saturn of Kingston, Jason was appointed Director of Operations in 1997 and oversaw all aspects of the business. The unexpected and sudden passing of Jerome Taylor in 2006 was a dark day for his family and his employees.

Since then, General Motors and the entire automotive industry have faced significant challenges. In 2009, General Motors, after streamlining the business, emerged from bankruptcy and closed many dealerships across Canada. The Taylor AutoMall was selected to serve as Kingston’s exclusive GM dealership and at the same time, they were awarded the Buick and GMC franchises effective January 1, 2010. Today, Jason maintains the tradition and philosophy his father so successfully engineered in the business as he is now the owner and Dealer Principal of Taylor AutoMall.

“We are very proud to sell Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac products,” Jason Taylor explains in an interview with The Canadian Business Journal editorial team, “In fact, General Motors’ brands have won more awards than any other manufacturer over the past three years. This is a testament to the quality of the product and the value buyers receive.”

In 2011, the Greater Kingston Chamber of Commerce awarded Taylor AutoMall the Large Business of the Year Award. This award recognizes companies who both succeed in growing their business and contribute positively to the wider community.

New Look, Same Great Service

Four years ago, local newspaper The Kingston Whig-Standard featured Taylor AutoMall in a series of articles focusing on the dealerships past success. Since its publication, Taylor AutoMall has experienced substantial changes in operations and appearance. They not only added two new brands to their product offering, Buick and GMC, but completely reinvented the Taylor AutoMall image.

The year 2012 was a major milestone for the dealership. In April, the Taylor AutoMall facility completed a substantial nine month renovation project. The renovation updated the building to adhere to GM’s “Image” requirements. The changes include an expanded showroom, more visible corporate signage, and improved facility technologies.
“I couldn’t be happier with the look of the building,” explains Taylor, “I believe we made the right decision going ahead with the renovations.”

A few short months following the facility renovations, Taylor AutoMall experienced another major transition. CARSTAR, a popular and well respected body shop franchise specializing in collision, paint, and glass repair service, approached Jason Taylor to see if he would be interested in owning the local Kingston CARSTAR franchise.
“I saw the way the auto body industry was going,” Taylor says, “The number of body shops across Canada declined by about 2000 in the last 5 years. Insurance companies want to work with larger, reputable body shops with strong quality and customer service processes already in place.”

Taylor negotiated a deal with corporate CARSTAR and officially became CARSTAR Kingston in February of 2013. Adopting the CARSTAR tagline, “Where Accidents Unhappen,” Taylor and his team transitioned from Limestone Auto Body to CARSTAR Kingston (Limestone).

Since the merger, the facility’s sales have increased by over 50%, with substantial, continued growth on a month-to-month basis still to come.

Community Involvement

“When a Kingston resident buys from us, they’re contributing to the wider community,” says Taylor, “We support several different charities and initiatives, both financially and through energy and resources.”

Each holiday season, the Taylor AutoMall runs the annual Jerome Taylor Kingston Whig-Standard Salvation Army Christmas Hamper Campaign. Named after the dealership’s late founder, the initiative joins the Salvation Army in collecting funds to fill ‘hampers’ with holiday treats for less fortunate families. In 2013, the hamper campaign provided more than 3000 families throughout Kingston with a holiday meal.

For the past two years, Taylor AutoMall has been an active supporter of breast cancer awareness. One of the dealership’s top salespersons, Re Haslett, leads many events throughout October to help raise awareness and money towards finding a cure. The funds are donated to the local charity Breast Cancer Action Kingston. The dealership has currently raised over $10,000 in support of a cure.

Taylor AutoMall is committed to several other organizations, including the United Way, the Easter Seals, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and the Kingston Impact Basketball Team. Each receives the best monetary and advertising support the dealership can provide in hopes of making a positive impact on the Kingston Community.

A Recommendation After Every Visit

“Our focus is to provide our guests with the very best service for all of their automotive needs – be it buying or leasing a new vehicle, buying a used vehicle, general automotive maintenance, repair, or warranty work,” says Taylor.

In recent years, the Taylor AutoMall team has narrowed its goal into achieving one, measurable key to success in every interaction: to earn a recommendation from every customer, every time. Each time a patron receives some sort of service from Taylor AutoMall, the team hopes they will promote the dealership to a friend, family member, or colleague.

”It really is that simple. I know we’ve done a great job if after a guest leaves Taylor AutoMall or CARSTAR Kingston and they then refer a friend, relative, or co-worker to come to us. Mission accomplished as far as I’m concerned.” 

For more information on Taylor AutoMall, please visit www.taylorautomall.com, call 613-549-1311, or visit the dealership at 2440 Princess Street in Kingston, Ontario.

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