Imagine this for a moment if you will, and if you have the opportunity have a friend read it to you while your eyes are shut...

You have an oil change service appointment at Handy Chevrolet of St. Albans, VT, located at 699 Highgate Road.  As you know, Walmart is soon to arrive and for the sake of this imaginative moment it has, so you decide you'll pick up some socks, a 50-pound drum of your favorite pretzels, and a video game.  You also had to run over to Jo Anne Fabrics to get some needlepoint material.  Thanks to Handy Chevrolet's courtesy shuttle this isn't a problem.

But as you drive your car into our service welcoming bay, you see Certified Service advisor Lori shuffle off into parts & service director Bobbi's office and start talking hurriedly.  Oh no!  Your car is in worse shape than we or you realized and you need an emergency ball joint and brake pad job!  Due to our tight, over packed schedule, the quickest we can get you into the service area for the new service menu jobs and out the door is within 5 hours - but you came from the greater Burlington area!

And just as quickly as your blood pressure rose it subsides... you remember you're not at a non Certified Service center, you're at a GM dealership, and thanks to General Motors' Essential Brand Elements program, Handy Chevrolet now has a childcare center for your toddler, a full gym so you can work out, shower, and maybe even get a steam, and then you can spend the rest of your time in our cafe with high-speed WiFi and a comfortable ambiance the likes of the classiest and most overrated coffee joint.

As you start to sip your second mocha chai double latte grande (???) you hear your name come up; "five hours has passed!?" you cry, saddened that you now have a reason to leave this incredible experience that feels like anything but an auto dealership.  The bottom line:  you'll be back to this place.

Now let's get back to reality for a second.  Am I saying that Handy Chevrolet is going to get a sauna, work out room, and classy coffee bar?  No, sadly I cannot make such a claim.  But what I am saying is that things like this ARE happening to 3,400 General Motors dealerships - Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac - across the United States, and most of its being done on the GM bill.

General Motors and Chevrolet have come to the conclusion that, unlike the pre-bankrupt, corrupt leader-heavy days of yonder, our products are nothing short of stellar.  Whether you're driving a Chevy truck or the classiest of Cadillac sedans, the GM product of today is nothing to shake a stick at.  Thanks to the GM Essential Brand Elements campaign, GM wants our stores to get completely refreshed and blend them into the modern landscape of American life... with maybe a few out of the ordinary perks!

Again, am I telling you Handy Chevrolet of St. Albans, VT is one of these 3,400 dealerships?  No.  Am I saying we'll get even a single part of the above dream?  Nope.  But what I am saying is that I know we can all agree that that sounds like a place we'd all want to buy a car, get our cars serviced, or drop by fcor auto parts in VT.

Stay tuned as we let you know of any news regarding the Essential Brands campaign, and in the meantime do me a small favor:  keep your fingers crossed!

Chris Dugan
Handy Chevrolet
St. Albans, VT  05478