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Milestones: Brandfon Honda
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Business New Haven
11/24/2003
By: Richard Rangoon
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Brandfon Honda
515 W. Main St. Branford, 06405
Tel: (203) 481-1616 Fax: (203) 481-1717
Web: brandfonhonda.com
Ownership: Jeff Brandfon
Milestone: 30 years with Honda
Timeline: In the 1920s and 1930s, Jeff Brandfon's grandfather raced at Indianapolis, while making his living fixing cars at his shop in the Bronx. Before long, Brandfon's father began selling cars, started a dealership in New Haven and purchased a Honda franchise in 1973.
In February 2001, under the presidency of Jeff Brandfon, Brandfon Honda relocated from its 7,000-square-foot facility in New Haven to a 4.5-acre home in Branford.
Thirty years ago the company employed about a dozen people, Brandfon recalls. Since then, the staff has increased to 56, with some 22 workers added in just the past two years.
Brandfon's preparation for his company's success began at age 16 when he worked in the parts department of his father's dealership. "If you can manage the parts department and accommodate the customers, that's really the core of the business," he explains.
The business passed on to Brandfon when his father passed away in 1980. "The dealership was something I just gravitated toward, and I assumed more and more responsibility," Brandfon says.
Awards and Accomplishments: The dealership's new Branford home exemplifies a new approach Honda is trying in the design of its dealerships. The design provides seating for 20 customers and allows them to use a computer to search for options they want, or even to compare a Honda to a competitor's car. "It's almost like a café - it was probably over a $50,000 commitment just to do that," Brandfon explains.
"We were the first dealership to do a ground-up build in Connecticut." Brandfon says of the new design. "We took a raw piece of land and put up a brand new building." Dealerships that adopt the new building design will feature a logo comprising a wave and a cylinder.
Brandfon Honda also has been preparing for the future in its car line. Two years ago the dealership began carrying hybrid vehicles - cars powered by a combination of gasoline and electricity.
The dealership sold 1,200 new and used vehicles this year, and Brandfon projects selling 1,400 this year. "We're already looking for room. We've already outgrown this facility," Brandfon says with obvious pride.
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