AK Saipan breaks ground on new dealership

Gov. Arnold I. Palacios, sixth from left, and Inchcape managing director for South Asia and Pacific Alex Hammett, seventh from left, lead the groundbreaking ceremony for the new $23-million, 43,800-square-foot AK Saipan Toyota Lexus Showroom and Service Center last Friday in Puerto Rico. (MARK RABAGO)

Gov. Arnold I. Palacios best characterized it as a “welcome change” to the news of the past couple of weeks during Friday’s groundbreaking of Atkins Kroll’s new $23-million, 43,800-square-foot AK Saipan Toyota Lexus Showroom and Service Center in Puerto Rico.

“This is the second groundbreaking event that I’ve attended just within the last two weeks and I look forward to more so that we can get many of these large projects, and our Commonwealth economy, moving forward,” he said.

Aside from congratulating Atkins Kroll for the groundbreaking of their state-of-the-art facility, Palacios also thanked the company for always being at the forefront in the islands’ development since opening shop in 1968.

“Atkins Kroll has been with our community for more than 55 years and we thank them for their continued support and partnership for all those years, not just for their service in the wholesale and automotive business, but also for their philanthropic contributions to our islands.”

The groundbreaking also holds promise that bright things are indeed ahead for the CNMI, he added. “Not only will this project benefit the future of the CNMI through the enhanced revitalization of this area, but it will also provide jobs during the construction phase and after its completion, supporting the automotive needs and the economic growth of our community, which is an important part of our daily lives.”

Alex Hammett, Inchcape managing director for South Asia and Pacific, said the new facility will herald a new chapter in the company’s history in the CNMI.

“Toyota has been part of the NMI for more than five decades, and now it’s Lexus’s turn. The new Lexus dealership will be the first of its kind on Saipan, and it is a physical manifestation of our commitment to grow our business and further invest in the NMI. This means that we will have a beautiful new dealership to showcase the latest Lexus models and be able to expand our Lexus-certified services to better serve our customers,” said Hammett, who spent his formative years on Saipan and used to work as a clubmate at Pacific Islands Club Saipan.

He said the new Toyota Lexus dealership has been in the works for nearly three years.

He thanked the island community for patronizing them in the last five decades.  “As we gather together to bless this land, the project, and the future success of the new Toyota Lexus dealership, we also take this time to thank our community for their support for the past 55 years! It has been our honor to serve you, and we are taking even bolder steps to plant deeper roots in the Marianas.”

Hammet agrees that the new dealership will provide more employment opportunities in the CNMI. “[This] comes with the ability to provide more career opportunities from highly trained technical roles in our service center to senior management level positions. …As we turn the soil today, let’s look positively at the future and continue to work together to build up the CNMI for generations to come.”

Hammett also thanked the landowners of the property, the Camacho family; architects and project managers of Neil Paynter of ARI Partners; Sonya Dancoe and the team at SP Dancoe & Associates for their engineering expertise and support of the project; and Saipan-based GPPC, Inc., their construction partner for the $23-million mammoth project.

Atkins Kroll president Alex Yap, meanwhile, assured residents of the surrounding community that the new dealership will be environmentally friendly and won’t negatively affect their day-to-day lives.

“As environmental concerns are one of our four pillars, we conduct responsible business. It is also important to our company that the facility be environmentally friendly, so we included features such as rainwater harvesting, solar panels for energy offsetting, and low-noise-generating equipment.”

He added that the Saipan dealership will be uniquely special. As a new build, ARI Partners took meticulous steps to meet all U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards while incorporating state-of-the-art features that will minimize noise and emission levels.

They also included energy-saving fixtures throughout the property and will utilize the latest tools and technology to improve employees’ overall work experience.

Yap added that the new dealership will also be aesthetically pleasing and Atkins Kroll is already looking forward to contributing to the beautification of the area through their landscaping and planting of trees while improving visibility and security in the area.

Aside from championing Atkins Kroll’s campaign to be environmentally-friendly, Yap also shared the state-of-the-art features of the new dealership.

“This new 43,800-square-foot facility will be AK’s first new build in the NMI. We wanted the design to be longstanding with state-of-the-art features. …The Toyota and Lexus showrooms will be sufficiently spacious at 14,244 square feet combined, which is more than double the size of our current Toyota showroom in San Jose.”

Aside from being the first dedicated Lexus showroom, the new dealership will also serve as AK Saipan’s corporate offices and will also house an automotive service and body repair shop that will be able to service personal and commercial vehicles.

The high-tech vehicle repair shop will be close to 30,000 square feet in area and will include 14 vehicle service bays. The auto body shop, meanwhile, consists of nine repair bays and a contained and fully ventilated internal paint booth.

Last Friday’s groundbreaking was also attended by Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang, members of the Legislature, and the business community. Atkins Kroll Saipan sales manager Kevin Barnes served as the emcee, with Bishop Ryan Jimenez blessing the ceremony.