Business Profile: Rafferty Subaru

Newtown Square family-owned since 1977 and dedicated to excellent customer service and hard work

by Craig Whitney

Photography by Shannon Lynn Photography www.ShannonLynnPhotography.com

Rafferty Subaru has been a trusted part of the Newtown Square community for 42 years. The company has gone through many iterations, from a rebranding in 2000 to a massive renovation in 2018. Through it all, the company has remained true to its dedication to customer service and hard work since it was founded in 1977.

Robert Rafferty began the dealership in Newtown Square after spending years working in the auto industry. Immediately after returning from the Air Force, he began selling cars, starting with small dealerships and eventually working for a national leasing company. He worked for a Cadillac dealership in Boston for a short period until he decided to start a dealership of his own in Newtown Square.

The dealership initially sold many different brands of cars, including Pontiac and GMC. Robert’s sons, Kevin and Bob, grew up with the business and worked there part-time in high school. They shared a very similar path, working part-time before college and joining the sales department full-time after graduating college.

I like people," Kevin said, "and I liked the job as soon as I started doing it, One of the aspects of this business I really enjoy is that you work with new people every day.”

Kevin and Bob worked in sales together, and worked their way up into management. Working at a family business may have had its challenges, but at the core of the business was a fundamental learning experience in the value of hard work.

One of the more valuable things I learned early on," Kevin said, "was to focus on what you need to do; avoid getting distracted; and keep the goal at the front of your mind,”

When Robert Rafferty first started his dealership in 1977, Newtown Square was still a rural town with a relatively small population. Over the years, as Rafferty Subaru and the Subaru brand grew, Newtown Square also underwent a renovation and a rebuild. With the new properties at the Ellis Preserve and massive housing projects being completed around town, the community is in a boom phase that has greatly encouraged the growth of business and industry.

Rafferty Subaru's goal all along has been relatively straightforward: growth. In 2000, the company underwent a rebranding and sold the Pontiac and GMC product line so that they were exclusively a Subaru dealership.

Since then, Subaru as a brand has grown in volume and popularity around the world and has provided a wonderful opportunity for Rafferty Subaru to take advantage of. This past year marked the 11th consecutive record year in sales for Subaru, and with hard work of their own, Rafferty Subaru has worked to match that rate of growth.

The recently remodeled Rafferty Subaru showroom

The renovation completed last November doubled the dealership's square footage and number of bays; added a car wash, complementary for every new car; created a large luxurious waiting room with a coffee bar and a kids room; and provided a three-lane, climate-controlled car porch for customers to comfortably review and decide on their service options.

Subaru's growth has been tremendous, and on the dealer side, our challenge was how to capitalize on that growth, how to maximize our opportunities on the dealer level,” Kevin said.

Today, Kevin and Bob work as General Managers of the business and feel very fortunate to have been a part of the growth that has come with their hard work and the growth of the overall brand. As the goals of the business have been met -- and outdone -- over the past 10 years, the Rafferty Subaru team decided to do a massive building renovation project, to ensure they're one of the most state-of-the-art Subaru dealerships in the country.

Rafferty Subaru's 2018 renovation doubled its size

We had a tremendous builder and a fantastic architect,” Kevin raved about the renovation. “Many of us have been in the car business for 40 years. That experience helped us to make a great plan for developing the new dealership. Now we are poised to go well beyond 2019.”

New Raffery Subaru waiting room with fireplace, TV and coffee bar

In addition to the newly renovated space, there are also now nearly 100 loaner cars for customers whose repairs will take several days. The investment in this loaner-car service ensures that every customer will be taken care of and any long-term work will be as convenient as possible.

Rafferty Subaru's newly renovated car bay

Walking into this new space, there is an obvious sense of upscale luxury in the size of the showroom and the sleek design, but also a passion for service and commitment to customer satisfaction. The waiting room is more like a social spot nestled inside a dealership, with a fireplace and inviting chairs. As managers walk the showroom, they introduce themselves to customers and guests. The passion for customer service is clear in the way every employee conducts themselves and the environment that they have crafted around them.

The kids room at Rafferty Subaru

There is a serious love of community at Rafferty Subaru, with one great example being their animal rescue events that happen multiple times per year. Several dogs from local shelters have made appearances in Rafferty Subaru commercials over the years.

Kevin is proud to say that every dog that has been featured was then rescued. From that original relationship with the shelters, Rafferty Subaru started to host animal adoption events, to support those local shelters. The events are held in the dealership, and people from all over Newtown Square come to adopt an animal or donate to the shelter.

Rafferty Subaru employees all love and look forward to these pet-adoption events. Many employees have rescued animals at these events, and the whole team has been able to get to know the dogs and cats over time. The most-recent event was in partnership with the Providence Animal Center, and those partners are already planning the next event.

L to R: Kevin Rafferty with grandson CJ and daughter Jillian, Bobby Rafferty with his father Bob Rafferty

Rafferty Subaru has always been a generational family business. When Robert Rafferty was starting the business in the late 1970s, Kevin and Bob were in high school and itching to work for the family business and help in any way they could. Until his passing in April 2018, Robert Rafferty would come to the dealership and talk to all the customers, making sure they were happy and their needs were being met.

My father was always focused on making people happy, whatever it took. He worked in the business more than 60 years, and his love for it was always obvious,” Kevin said proudly.

Bob’s son, named Bobby, works as Rafferty Subaru's Pre-Owned Manager. Bob and Kevin are proud of how hard Bobby works for the company.

Since Kevin’s daughter Jillian was a child, she has been the face of Rafferty Subaru on TV and its voice on radio. The people of Newtown Square have seen Jillian grow up; noticed her engagement ring and came in to say congratulations; saw her TV spots when she was pregnant; and will soon see a new ad with her eight-month old son, CJ.

Jillian has been amazing. She has happily been the face of the dealership her whole life. She comes off so genuine and has promoted family values by just being who she is,” Kevin said, beaming.

Jillian’s lifelong commitment to representing Rafferty Subaru is a symbol of this exceptional dealership. From the sales department to the service team, from insurance to upper management, there is a true sense of family and a genuine interest in making people happy.

The new building may be bigger and sleeker with more features, but what makes it come to life is that authenticity at the heart of the company that has persisted and grown for 42 years.

4700 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square

www.RaffertySubaru.com

(610) 353-6900