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GM applauds the LaFontaine Automotive Group’s opening of a $15-million Buick-Pontiac-GMC-Cadillac dealership in Highland Township. The 63,000-square-foot facility, located on 24 acres, incorporates key principles of sustainable design and construction that enable it to qualify for LEED certification under the Council’s Green Building Rating System. When LaFontaine achieves the designation, it will be the first dealership in Michigan and among the first in the nation to do so.

The dealership left no detail untouched in its quest to achieve Gold LEED certification – the second-highest award the Council confers. Attributes range from recycled construction materials and an elaborate, $600,000 geothermal heating and cooling system to drinking cups made from corn products and organic cotton casual shirts that employees can wear on Saturdays.

“At GM we have invested heavily in making cars and trucks that impact the environment as little as possible. Our initiatives begin with energy-efficient facilities, many of which have achieved zero-landfill status; include powertrain technologies such as hybrids and alternative fuel vehicles; and address the future with range-extended electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cells,” said Susan Docherty, vice president, Buick-Pontiac-GMC. “With the opening of this dealership and those that are sure to follow, our customers can enjoy a 360-degree ‘green’ car-buying and car-owning experience.”

In fact, two models from GM’s Buick and GMC brands – the very popular Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia midsize crossovers – are currently manufactured at Lansing’s Delta Township Assembly Plant, the only automotive facility in the world to achieve Gold LEED certification.

Ryan LaFontaine, general manager of the family-owned LaFontaine Automotive Group, said the dealership had been planning a new facility since 2000 because it was outgrowing its longtime location in Highland, but didn’t look to go “green” until about two years ago. He estimates that the dealership spent an extra $2 million to do what was needed to qualify for LEED certification, and that the geothermal system investment will be recouped in five years, mostly due to an annual energy savings of up to 54 percent.

Bloom General Contracting, Inc. of Redford, Mich. was the general contractor for the facility, and was heavily involved in the measures that were undertaken to achieve LEED certification.

“No one required us to do this,” LaFontaine said. “We thought it was the right thing to do for our employees, for the environment and for the community. We want to set a good example and we believe in giving back to the community. But we also think this facility continues the good work that GM is doing to make cars and trucks that impact the environment as little as possible.”

The previous Highland facility will house some of the dealership’s pre-owned vehicle inventory and sales staff.

LEED certification provides independent third-party verification that a building meets the highest sustainability standards. LaFontaine’s original decision to use a geothermal heating and cooling system soon led to other features such as the use of recycled building materials; a car wash that recycles 85 percent of the water conventional car washes would waste; waterborne basecoat paint in the body shop; 85 skylights; and computer controlled lights that automatically shut off when enough daylight fills the facility.

Special parking spots are reserved for employees who carpool to work; or anyone who drives low-emissions or alternative fuel vehicles. Storage areas and changing rooms are provided for employees who bicycle to their jobs.

Other environmentally friendly elements include service bay lifts that use vegetable oil instead of caustic and difficult-to-dispose-of lubricants; a white roof and generous use of green belts to reduce the “heat island” effect of such a large facility; a rainwater collection system for irrigating the landscaping and indigenous plants that require less water.

“Not all of our dealer partners may be able to take on all of these green initiatives, but some can be easily incorporated into an existing or remodeled facility,” said Docherty. “I’m thrilled that so many of our own hybrids and alternative fuel vehicles – as well as 30-mpg highway performers like our new Pontiac Vibe and G5 and G6 sedans – will be sold in this beautiful facility.”

In addition to its expected LEED certification, LaFontaine Buick-Pontiac-GMC-Cadillac is among the first dealerships in the country to follow BPG’s new facility image program. The Buick-Pontiac-GMC team worked with dealer input, GM Design staff and a nationally recognized architectural firm to come up with the design, which provides Buick-Pontiac-GMC dealers with consistent brand identification, as well as a modern and pleasing environment for customers.

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2008 Buick Dealership Goes Green Review

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