Surangel Supercenter with Toyota dealership opens doors

Takenao Sato from Toyota Tsusho Corp. presents a commemorative plaque to Surangel & Sons Corp. for their appointment as the first Toyota dealership in the Republic of Palau. From left, Alex Hammett, Inchcape managing director for Asia Developing Markets; Takenao Sato from Toyota Tsusho Corp.; Eric Whipps, Surangel & Sons CEO; Mason Whipps, Surangel & Sons COO; Marliyn Whipps, mother of Eric and Mason; Ernie Galito, Atkins Kroll Business Development Director; and Tom Mazzei, Atkins Kroll Sales director. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS)

TAMUNING, Guam—The Surangel Supercenter, the location of the official Toyota dealership for Palau, celebrated its grand opening on Monday, Sept. 5, in Airai and is ready to serve.

Home to Ksau’s Motors, the Surangel Supercenter retails Toyota models such as the Hilux pickup truck. The new Toyota showroom is designed to display up to four vehicles and offers a vehicle delivery suite for customers receiving their newly purchased car. There are over 120,000 square feet of retail space with 345,000 square feet of warehouse space on the center’s site. The Toyota service department includes multiple service bays, paint spray booths and parts store.

Surangel and Sons Co. partnered with Atkins Kroll, Inc., Guam’s Toyota distributor, in November of 2021. Present for the grand opening were Alex Hammett, Inchcape Managing Director for Asia Developing Markets, Tom Mazzei, Atkins Kroll Director of Sales, and Ernie Galito, Atkins Kroll Director of Business Development. Takenao Sato from Toyota Tsusho Corporation was also in attendance. On behalf of the Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Sato congratulates the Whipps family on their 25-year journey to open the largest retail center in Micronesia.

“We at Atkins Kroll are extremely excited that the highly anticipated Surangel Supercenter has opened its doors. We congratulate the Whipps family and all of Palau on this huge achievement and we are grateful for the expansion of Toyota that our partnership with Surangel and Sons has brought to fruition. It is our hope that customers experience the very best that Toyota has to offer in our new showroom and service department. This is history in the making and it is a true honor to witness and take part in it,” said Hammett.

Airai residents can now enjoy many Surangel and Sons businesses located in Koror. The supercenter is a full-service department store offering a grocery store, hardware store, furniture store, beauty salon, travel agency, surf shop, food court and more.

Surangel Whipps Jr., President of the Republic of Palau; and Alex Hammet, Inchcape managing director for Asia Developing Markets, in attendance during the Surangel Supercenter grand opening in Airai, Palau.

Atkins Kroll, an Inchcape company, is the leading distributor of vehicles in Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Micronesia enabling it to provide a full range of products and services in the region. Atkins Kroll is Guam’s oldest corporation established in 1914 and represents Toyota, Lexus, BMW, Chevrolet, Toyota Rent A Car, Avis, Budget and Payless Rental Brands, ACE Rent a Car, and AC Delco brands. In December 2021 Atkins Kroll acquired Morrico Equipment, one of Guam’s largest heavy equipment dealerships representing Freightliner, Mercedes Benz, Hyundai Construction Equipment, Kohler Power Systems, Rosenbauer Fire Trucks and Thomas Built School Buses. Morrico Equipment operates new and used heavy equipment sales, rental, parts, diesel fuel delivery, Trashco Guam, and specialized diesel repair service to Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. (PR)