Article below is reprinted with permission from the 2008 January/February issue of BC Magazine:
Bergen County is home to countless great and successful businesses, many of which have been around for generations. In this article, and in upcoming issues as well, we’ll be showcasing some of our area’s most dynamic and vital entrepreneurs and their businesses. All help to prove what a great wealth of wonderful, resourceful, creative and long-standing establishments Bergen County has to offer its residents.
Bergen Jaguar: A Class Act
“Even when we lived in a middle-class neighborhood, my parents’ home always looked as if we had company,” says Dennis Squiteri with a laugh, as he explains how his “car-crazy” father loved to accumulate automobiles. “Our driveway actually looked like a car lot with a ’57 Cadillac, ’57 Chevy Bel Aire, ’56 Thunderbird, ’58 Corvette and a ’55 Buick all parked in tandem.” His dad’s passion for all things automobile
ultimately led to father and son teaming up to acquire a prominent Jaguar dealership, growing that company and catering to a prestigious roster of clients the likes of Spike Lee, Danny Aiello, Little Kim, Missey Elliot, along with numerous sports stars, CEOs and chairmen of local and global corporations.
The owner and managing director of Bergen Jaguar, Squiteri recalls his transition into cardom. “Back when the dealership was called Rally Motors, my dad, who was looking to add a sports car to his collection, happened to pull into the lot driving a huge Cadillac. One of the salesmen made a comment about the ‘big tub’ he was driving, and slightly offended, my father asked to see the owner. Both men met, struck up a fast, long-lasting friendship that eventually led to us acquiring the business.”
Originally, Jaguar Corporation was against the acquisition, since the new
owners had little or no experience in the field. “We were shopping center developers,” explains Squiteri. “However, as successful entrepreneurs, we knew how to run a business; we understood the fundamentals of customer satisfaction, building trust and working an honest deal. In addition, we had the financial backing to take over the beautiful Paramus location and, in keeping with a traditional British image, design a distinctive, woodsy, English cottage building, which is not stuffy, but elegant and classy, a perfect environment to house Jaguars.” In the end, corporate ultimately supported the deal, and the father/son team
set about the process of introducing themselves to customers, bringing up the level of customer satisfaction, renovating the property to house more inventory and a pre-owned showroom, and in January 2002, adding a second “more intimate” location on Grand Avenue in Englewood.
A winning combination from the getgo, Bergen Jaguar prospered under Squiteri’s management. Garnering many awards for exceptional service, the fivetime winners of the Pride of Jaguar (given for excellence in customer satisfaction) have also consistently placed among the top 10 dealerships in the country. Even more than awards, perhaps a true measure of Bergen Jaguar’s success is the fact that most of the sales consultants have been with the company for time periods unheard of at other dealerships (more than 20 years in many cases). And, since the company only sells and services Jaguars, these salespeople are automatically among the best experts in the industry.
“This car is not for everybody,” asserts Squiteri, the father of two daughters who recently celebrated his 31st wedding anniversary. “There’s a certain aura of exclusivity about Jaguars. Beautiful, fast and sleek, they are always in style, and devotees are definitely in a class of their own. They are people who love life, name their cars and even bring their pets into our dealerships. We like to spoil them with personalized, luxury service, and have been known to really go out on a limb and do the unusual for our customers.” That would include perks such as sneaking Jaguars into people's driveways and tying large bows on top to surprise clients' spouses or the standard practice of hand-washing and vacuuming every serviced vehicle. “We’ve dropped off dry-cleaning left in a car being serviced, even made a stop on a test-drive so a prospective client could get his little daughter ice cream,” says Squiteri, who mandates a company-wide philosophy of “treating customers as you would want to be treated.”
Given that level of personalized attention, it should come as no surprise that Bergen Jaguar clients are extremely loyal. “We aim to keep it that way,” exclaims Squiteri. “It’s not just one car lease or purchase we're after; we want to retain our clients for life, along with their family members and friends.” And while he laments the loss of his partner and father, who passed away at age 92, in his honor, Squiteri considers it a privilege to carry on the proud heritage of Jaguar to a new generation. |
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