Build it and they will come: Bennett Toyota’s new car dealership facility at 2635 West Cumberland Street is open for business, following a well-attended ribbon cutting at the end of October.

All photos by Will Trostel.

The total acreage of the new grounds is just shy of five acres, combined from three separate lots bought by the Bennett Automotive Group
The official ribbon cutting.

The facility was officially opened at a public ribbon cutting on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at around 12:30 p.m. Those in attendance included General Manager Chris Zerfass, Bennett Automotive Group President Robert Bennett, and Gregory Moreland, Chief of Staff to Senator Dave Arnold.

Bennett Automotive Group is the owner of the dealership, headed by Robert Bennett, whose father began selling Toyotas in the region back in 1969. The current headquarters of the business are in Allentown.

Robert Bennett of Bennett Automotive Group speaks to the crowd during Wednesday’s event.
Dozens attended the public ribbon cutting ceremony.
The Toyota Image USA II design features large floor space and prominent company branding.

Read More: Online shopping may be hot, but Bennett believes car sales is a people business

The new two-level facility measures up at 29,145 square feet, about six times larger than the old location, and is based on Toyota’s Image USA II dealership design. Construction was undertaken by Arthur Funk & Sons after the project was announced back in August of 2019. In all, the new digs cost around $9.2 million.

Chris Zerfass, General Manager of Bennett Toyota of Lebanon, speaks to the crowd.
Zerfass has stated previously that the number of employees at the new facility is expected to double from about 20 to 40 from its Quentin Road location.

The dealership is now the latest addition to what Zerfass nicknames the “Lebanon Auto Mile,” an area on and around Route 422 that also includes Ebersole Honda, Ladd-Hanford Dodge Chrysler Jeep, Maguire’s Nissan of Lebanon, and Ebersole Buick GMC.

Dick Miller, Chairman of North Lebanon Township, speaks on the facility uplifting the community and creating jobs as well as a pleasing structure for the community.
Many awards, recognitions, and plaques were given during the event, including this certificate of recognition presented by state Sen. Dave Arnold’s Chief of Staff Gregory Moreland.
The new facility is six times larger than Bennett Toyota’s previous home on Quentin Road.

Bennett Toyota’s former location, at 1509 Quentin Road south of Lebanon, was previously the home of Diamond Toyota until it was reopened in 2018. Bennett Toyota stayed at the 5,000-square foot space for about two years while planning the new one. The old address is now owned by Frederick Chevrolet, which plans to transform it into an oversized lot with the capacity for 400 vehicles.

Read More: Frederick Chevrolet expands pre-owned operation into former Bennett Toyota lot

Guests head inside to tour the new facility which was open to the public.
The facility is located at 2635 West Cumberland Street, just west of the Lebanon Valley Mall.
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