Findlay Subaru of Las Vegas Excels at Labors of Love

The dealership receives the celebrated “Subaru Love Promise” award.

Burton Hughes, general manager of Findlay Subaru of Las Vegas, knows something about treating others like family.

As a one-time resident of the Big Island of Hawaii, his almost two decades of work at the Las Vegas-area dealership embodies a statement made by author Richie Norton: “No one has family in Hawaii. Everyone is family in Hawaii.” Hughes (pictured, below left) ensures he and his staff live that philosophy at their dealership. The commitment has culminated in the Subaru Love Promise Award.

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The essence of that greeting is carried throughout the dealership and into the community, as evidenced by its manufacturer bestowing it with the Subaru Love Promise award, given to the retailer that shows significant commitment to their customers and community throughout the year.

Clearly, that’s not easy, especially in these post-pandemic times when dealers face various challenges, including shifting consumer preferences, high-interest rates and inventory shortfalls. The changing retail landscape has led some dealers to shelve community outreach and charity events to preserve staff time and revenue.

That wasn’t true at Findlay Subaru of Las Vegas. Hughes and the team felt it was important to preserve their charity sponsorships and community support at the expense of traditional advertising mediums as the community weathered the pandemic-related supply chain issues and economic uncertainties.

“We are all extremely proud to support our community,” he says. “We have lists of employees that want to join different volunteer opportunities.”

Since 2021, the dealership has donated more than $1 million to Make-A-Wish Southern Nevada, Michael’s Angel Paws and 50 other community organizations. Subaru of America notes: “Beyond dollar figures, their employees actively volunteer beyond expectations and advocate for community organizations and customers in need. The retailer’s reputation for ensuring that customers’ best interests come first has also earned Subaru of Las Vegas the Subaru Customer Commitment Award from 2018 through 2023.”

But just as important, Hughes says, is that customers embrace the dealership and staff as part of their families, too, just like in his home state.

“Without question, the culture of our business is all about family – ‘ohana!  As we rallied together during the shutdown, when many of our employees were mandated to be sent home, no one was terminated or furloughed without pay,” he says. “Our customers saw how we supported our staff and their families – even as other auto retailers around us were terminating their team members. Although we may not have sold as many cars during the factory shutdowns, our service business remained strong, and we weathered the financial challenges with (customers’ solid) support.”

Subaru of America Inc. created the Love Promise Retailer of the Year Award to shine a spotlight on exceptional Subaru retailers who contribute to their local communities while making efforts to turn customer transactions into lifelong owner relationships. The Love Promise is a pledge to show love and respect to all people at every interaction with Subaru and positively impact the world.

This is the eighth annual Subaru Love Promise Retailer of the Year Award.