20th Annual Dallas Stars Casino Night at Park Place Lexus Plano raises more than $400,000 for the Dallas Stars Foundation
More than 750 Dallas Stars fans filled the showrooms at Park Place Lexus Plano for the 20th Annual Dallas Stars Casino Night. The event raised $403,711 for the Dallas Stars Foundation, shattering last year’s record for the most money ever raised in a single night for the charity.
The Star-studded event featured the entire Stars hockey team serving as casino dealers, including players, coaches, play-by-play announcers, and front office staff.
Tess Constable; Dallas Stars Foundation President Marty Turco; and Ashley Wasserman
“Our signature fundraising event was another smashing success,” said Marty Turco, Dallas Stars Foundation President, former Stars goaltender and NHL All-Star. “Being at many of these great nights over the years, we experienced our best yet! Nothing beats our fans, sponsors, donors mingling with our players and staff. Always the best night of the year, we continue the tradition of having fun and making an enormous difference in the community. Our relationship with Park Place continues to be inspirational; we cannot thank them enough for their friendship and gratuitousness. The Dallas Stars Foundation and our community thanks and applauds everyone for their attendance and support this year.”
DJ S.O.U.L Jah entertained the crowd as fans bid on a selection of autographed memorabilia, including jerseys from current and former Dallas Stars players, as well as unique experience packages such as the opportunity to travel with the Stars team for a two game road trip. Guests enjoyed a delicious buffet from III Forks Steakhouse, Jack Daniel’s Whiskey Tastings and a diamond bar provided by J. Patrick Diamonds, Inc.
“We’re very excited to be part of this outstanding achievement,” said Jordan Case, Park Place Dealerships President. “Over the years, this event has grown into one of the highlights of our philanthropic program. I loved walking through the dealership and hearing everyone laughing and having a good time. The Stars players, coaches and executives were all fully engaged with the fans. And the players seem to be having as much fun as our guests. We are very proud to be associated with the Dallas Stars Foundation. They have done so much over the past two decades to help kids throughout North Texas.”
Dallas Stars VP Corporate Partnerships Grady Raskin; Park Place Dealerships president Jordan Case; Dallas Stars head coach Jim Montgomery; Park Place Lexus Grapevine GM Gary Venner; Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn; and Dallas Stars Foundation president Marty Turco
The Dallas Stars Foundation focuses its efforts on providing support to the children in the community through youth hockey programs, youth engagement, and health and education. More at https://www.nhl.com/stars/community
Ken Schnitzer founded Park Place Dealerships in 1987 with a single Mercedes-Benz dealership on Oak Lawn. Today, Park Place Dealerships employs more than 2,000 people and operates 16 full-service dealerships representing luxury brands including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volvo, Jaguar, Lotus, Land Rover, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, McLaren, and Maserati. For more info, visit parkplace.com.
Park Place Motorcars Arlington Supplies Grand Marshal’s Car for Grand Prairie ISD 2019 MLK Jr. Parade
Grand Prairie ISD sponsored the MLK, Jr. Day parade Monday, January 21, which featured a variety of student and civic groups, including floats, marching bands, decorated vehicles and more.
Park Place Motorcars Arlington provided a new 2019 Mercedes-Benz Convertible for Grand Marshall Dr. Susan Simpson Hull, Grand Prairie ISD Superintendent to lead the parade.
“Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously stated, ’The function of education is to teach one to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education,’ recounts Park Place Motorcars Arlington General Manager Terry Powell. “Park Place Dealerships is proud to support Grand Prairie ISD. There is nothing more important to our future success than education. We’ve hired numerous GPISD graduates to work at Park Place. And we look forward to a brighter future because of their commitment to excellence.”
Dr. Hull has been a Texas educator for 39 years, serving as a teacher, coach, principal, and superintendent. She is in her 11th year as the superintendent of Grand Prairie ISD, a district with over 29,000 students.
The march began at the Liberty Bell on City Hall Plaza and ended at David Daniels Elementary Academy of Science and Math. Grand Prairie ISD, in conjunction with the City of Grand Prairie, the NAACP, and local community businesses and organizations honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s contributions with the annual parade.
Park Place Motorcars Arlington is a 91,000-square-foot Mercedes-Benz dealership located at I-20 and Collins.
Ken Schnitzer founded Park Place Dealerships in 1987 with a single Mercedes-Benz dealership on Oak Lawn. Today, Park Place Dealerships employs more than 2,000 people and operates 16 full-service dealerships representing luxury brands including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volvo, Jaguar, Lotus, Land Rover, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, McLaren, and Maserati. For more info, visit parkplace.com.
After School All Stars provides children with comprehensive after-school programs that keep children safe and help them succeed in school and life. Heath Strayhan, General Manager at Park Place Premier Collection, is also an Advisory Board Member for After-School All Stars because of the program’s impact on kids in the community:
“In the middle school age group, these children are exposed to many negative influences between the hours of 3 and 6 during the week because they are often home along. ASAS not only occupies their time, but maximizes it by teaching life sills and exposing them to career choice possibilities they did not know existed.
So, when a need for a new after school excursion came up, Heath didn’t hesitate to step up and offer experiencing some our most premier level vehicles and the opportunity to learn about the various careers in automotive.
“It’s a perfect fit. We decided that, as opposed to me speaking at a school, we would immerse them in our dealership environment and introduce them to people who have taken advantage of career opportunities that are available. I also love an excuse to give out free cookies and hot chocolate,” said Strayhan.
The day began with the children arriving at the Premier Collection Service Center off Northwest Highway, where they were able tour the client lounge and get a sneak peek at some our high-performance supercars in the front showroom.
Afterwards, they met with Assistant Service Manager, Sharon Stanley, who explained how integral her role is in ensuring a great client experience. Sharon’s role is to connect the dots between our parts department, Service Technicians, and valuable clients.
Afterwards, the kids ventured into our McLaren, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and Maserati workshops, where they witnessed technicians performing repairs, live. To top it all off, the group of All-Stars also were shown a few of Mr. Earl’s (one of the Premier Technicians) favorite tools, which became a hit with the group.
While walking through each service bay, a few of the kids mentioned how cool it would be to work at Park Place and get to work around such cool cars- and as you can imagine, that just warmed the hearts of our Park Place team members who had the chance to share their story.
Before heading over to the New Car Showroom off Lemmon Avenue, the AS-AS group had the opportunity to meet our Inventory Control Specialist, Niki, who actually received her full-time job after interning with Park Place in High School. Her story is especially meaningful to these kids and was General Manager Heath’s favorite part of the day too:
“My favorite Part of the Day was when Niki told the group a little about her history, how she came to work for us through the internship program, and how vital and important her role is in our organization.”
Fast forward to a small bus trip to the Lemmon Avenue Dealership, the kids were greeted with fresh hot chocolate and cookies to refresh the students before learning all about our premier brands. Malcolm Gage, our New Car Sales Director, ended the day with a short quiz, asking questions like “Where are Bentley’s made?” and let’s just say there wasn’t a shortage of hand raising during this Q&A session.
Tori Schwarzlose, Program Manager at After-School All-Stars shared how important these experiences are to the AS-AS kids:
“Our All-Stars had so much fun learning about new cars and seeing the showroom, but the most impactful part of the field trip was meeting the incredible people that work at Park Place. Each employee got to share about their unique role within Park Place, and it helped expose our All-Stars to career and education paths that they wouldn’t otherwise know. We couldn’t do this work alone, so we are very grateful for our new friends at Park Place and the amazing experience they provided our students!”
Learn more about our community giving or submit a community request by visiting www.ParkPlace.com/Community.
Park Place Motorcars Fort Worth Donates Mercedes-Benz for the 65th Annual Jewel Charity Ball
Thinking outside the (jewel) box in 1953, Nenetta Burton Carter and Bille Brandsford Clark sought to raise funds to meet the needs of children whose families could not afford their medical care. A committee of 15 women planned the first Jewel Charity Ball, which resulted in a $9,000 donation to Fort Worth Children’s hospital.
On December 15, 2018, the 65th Annual Jewel Charity Ball will be held at the Fort Worth Convention Center. With over 625 members, Jewel Charity has raised over $71 million dollars to ensure that all children at Cook Children’s Hospital are provided the health care they need.
This year’s event will feature a silent auction and raffle prizes for everything from fine jewelry and trips abroad to the winner’s choice of a Mercedes Benz GLE or E300, donated by Park Place Motorcars Fort Worth.
“We are proud to be a sponsor of the Jewel Charity Ball,” said George Johnson, general manager of Park Place Motorcars Fort Worth. “Nothing is more important than the health and well-being of the children in our community.”
Park Place Motorcars Fort Worth is located at 5601 Bryant Irving Road, just off the Chisholm Trail Parkway in southwest Fort Worth.
Ken Schnitzer founded Park Place Dealerships in 1987 with a single Mercedes-Benz dealership on Oak Lawn. Today, Park Place employs more than 2,000 people and operates 17 full-service dealerships representing luxury brands including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volvo, Jaguar, Lotus, Land Rover, Rolls-Royce, McLaren, Bentley and Maserati. For more info, visit parkplace.com
Park Place has four, core pillars of community giving, with education and a passion for children’s advocacy, at the forefront of our involvement this past fall. It’s no secret that Fall in Texas equals football season, and we are so excited to not only support one of Texas’ favorite past times but to also show our support for the local teams, like the Boswell Pioneers or Southlake-Carroll Dragons, as a part of our community giving efforts.
Boswell Football
This past season, we had the privilege of supporting the Boswell High School Football Team (see the 2019 team photo below) with not only cheers and encouragement as our Park Place Mercedes-Benz Fort Worth members attended the games, but through a donation to the Boswell Football Scholarship Fund.
This fund supports their local athletes with scholarship opportunities at the close of the school year for their future pursuits, and we are eager to hear what these kids accomplish thanks to their hard work, determination, and little extra help from their community.
Boswell Pioneer Varsity Football
Southlake-Carroll Dragons
Similarly, Park Place is very involved in the Southlake-Carroll Community, with each of our four Grapevine dealerships showing up at home games at Dragons Stadium with plenty of team spirit and vehicles to enhance the game-day experience.
Southlake-Carroll Dragons Football Team, 2019
One well-known opportunity each year is our “Kick One of These [a field goal]” to “Win One Of These [a new car]”, donated by Matt Woolsey, General Manager of Park Place Jaguar Land Rover.
The rules are simple (no practicing!) and the experience an absolute blast, as Park Place Members pack the stands alongside Dragon fans, eagerly watching the one lucky winner kick for a new luxury auto!
Kristen Hill at the Park Place field goal challenge, Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, in Southlake, Texas. (Michael Ainsworth)
We haven’t had someone successfully make a field goal yet, but who’s to say we won’t bring back that community opportunity next year?
On the Radio with Colleyville Heritage High School
Radio is an integral part of our fall sponsorships and one that helps add an element of excitement to local fall football games for Colleyville Heritage High School. Live commentary on the radio enhances the fans experience, when they may not be able to make it to the field for a live viewing. It’s all about experience at Park Place, so this radio sponsorship was a natural extension of our fall community involvement for area schools and athletes.
Participating in school athletics has the ability to impact students far past just an athletic acknowledgment, and Park Place strives to support these programs in an effort to support their academic successes and futures far past just a singular football season. We encourage you to join us next season in cheering on your local high school football teams in person or by tuning into local radio to catch the play by play of our young student-athletes in action.
Learn more about our community efforts at Park Place by visiting ParkPlace.com
Park Place Dealerships Donates $55k Sprinter Van To Salesman Ship Club’s Momentous Institute
As we enter a season of gratitude and giving, it’s crucial we take a step back to reflect on the why behind last month’s October 13th event. Rain couldn’t keep the crowds away from the 2nd Annual Park Place Luxury & Supercar Showcase last month, where luxury manufacturers, local retailers, restaurants, and collectors came together to host almost 3,000 attendees for a day of fashion, food, and, of course, show-stopping vehicles.
The event benefitted the Momentous Institute, owned and operated by the Salesmanship Club of Dallas since 1920. Each year, the organization serves more than 6,000 children and family members through its nationally acclaimed Momentous School and innovative Therapeutic Services. Ken Schnitzer presented Patton Chapman, Salesmanship Club president, with the keys to a $55,000 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Van, on stage during the awards ceremony, to help the organization with its transportation needs for the kids.
during the Park Place Luxury & Supercar Showcase in Irving, Tx, on October 13, 2018. (Michael Ainsworth)
The following week, Corey Bedford, Fleet Sales Manager at Park Place Motorcars Grapevine, delivered the shiny, new 2018 Sprinter Passenger van to Momentous Institute- red carpet style. Momentous Institute, owned and operated by Salesmanship Club of Dallas since 1920, has been committed to building and repairing social-emotional health for all children so they can achieve their full potential. It was our privilege to host the community to benefit such a worthy cause for the second year in a row.
Stay tuned for more on information on next year’s 2019 Park Place Luxury & Supercar Showcase by tuning into our blog (news.parkplace.com) and our social media channels (@parkplacetexas).
The Park Place Luxury & Supercar Showcase Mini-Macan Winners Receive Luxury Delivery Experience at Porsche Grapevine.
Guests of the 2nd Annual Park Place Luxury & Supercar Showcase had the opportunity to win a miniature battery-powered car all for themselves (or at least for their aficionados in the making). Entering was simple (post a photo of the little ones enjoying the Kiddie Concours), and it was clear that guests were well aware of the stakes- snapping photos left and right for the opportunity to win hearts on social media and hopefully, a brand new Mini Porsche Macan.
That was at least the story for Xavier and Janet, and their almost one-year-old, Bekim, who has quite the head start in sharing in his parents’ love of exotic cars:
“We found out about the [Mini Macan] contest through the Park Place Instagram page. This seemed like a very unique and inclusive contest for our little one so, we decided to make it a point to visit, while at the showcase.”
When asked if the weather forecast almost deterred them from coming, Xavier and Janet shared that they just planned their day to arrive at the tail-end of the last round of forecasted showers so they could enjoy the outdoor experience, noting that “This is one of those events that you have to experience firsthand, vs trying to explain with pictures. Under the same weather circumstances, we would absolutely go again.”
By random drawing, Bekim’s entry (see below) in the Mercedes-Benz G Wagon won the ultimate prize just in time for his very first birthday.
Given the special circumstances, our Porsche Grapevine team didn’t hesitate to invite Bekim, his older brother Elijah, and his parents, to the dealership for a luxury delivery experience sure to create lasting family memories.
Poised next to a couple other life-size Porsche’s ready to meet their owners, Denette Norlie, Service Director, set up the Mini Macan with a few extra surprises for the two boys. After all, Park Place is their place too.
“Our experience at the Porsche dealership was absolutely wonderful! The amount of people that took the time out of their workday to help make this a special day for Bekim and to include his older brother, Elijah, is truly amazing! It really meant a lot to us all.”
Not every one year old can say they receive a Porsche Macan for their 1st birthday, but we certainly hope the memories created last long after Bekim outgrows his first car.
“The Mini Macan might be a little tough to top for a 1st car. For Bekim’s 16th birthday, we aren’t quite sure what his first car will be. However, things will probably come full circle and his first actual car WILL be from Park Place.” – Xavier, Bekim’s Dad.
Holiday Event Included Unwrapping New Lexus ES Luxury Sedan
Park Place Lexus, the official “Drive For Toys” sponsor of the GRACE (Grapevine Relief And Community Exchange) Christmas Cottage, hosted the kick-off party for the 2018 toy drive collection.
The GRACE Christmas Cottage provides gifts for local children in a store-like setting and is open for a full two weeks prior to Christmas.
As guests arrived, they filled the back of several Lexus SUVs with Christmas toys.
“We’ve partnered with GRACE for many years now,” said Gary Venner, Park Place Lexus Grapevine General Manager. “We are blessed to help local families through our support of the GRACE Christmas Cottage. We want to make sure every child in our community has the best possible Christmas. The GRACE Toy Drive makes it easy to participate.”
The community is invited to drop off a new, unwrapped toy for the GRACE Christmas Cottage through December 15th at Park Place Lexus Grapevine, located at 901 Highway 114 East. Or drop them off at GRACE Christmas Cottage, 3100 Timberline in Grapevine. You can also make a monetary donation to the GRACE Christmas Holiday Fund at gracegrapevine.org.
during the GRACE Toy Drive at Park Place Lexus, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, in Grapevine, Texas. (Michael Ainsworth)
During the event, guests enjoyed eclectic bites from DRG Concepts, including Mediterranean fare, chicken tacos with cilantro rice by Wild Salsa, and chopped beef short ribs with horseradish and onion strings courtesy of Chop House Burgers.
during the GRACE Toy Drive at Park Place Lexus, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, in Grapevine, Texas. (Michael Ainsworth)
Seasonal cocktails were provided by Hendricks Gin and Reyka Vodka, with celebratory sips by Dark Horse Wine and Peroni Beer. Guests danced to popular tunes by the Adrian Garcia Band, then capped the night with innovative coffee creations by Nightowl Coffee Cart, including a delicious Peppermint Latte with a sprig of mint and crumbled mint cookies on top.
Pat and Janet McCoy of Colleyville dance during the GRACE Toy Drive at Park Place Lexus, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, in Grapevine, Texas. (Michael Ainsworth)Alan Tracy and Karen Roberts of Colleyville dance during the GRACE Toy Drive at Park Place Lexus, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, in Grapevine, Texas. (Michael Ainsworth)
The GRACE Christmas Cottage provides new, unwrapped gifts to families facing financial hardship due to limited income or recent emergency. Each qualified family is given a voucher with a value based on the number of children in the family, allowing the parents to “purchase” donated toys, home goods and appliances in a private, store-like setting. This unique approach allows families to budget their resources and select unique presents while preserving the family’s dignity. More than 2,700 individuals and families are served at Christmas Cottage each holiday season.
Guests also got to see the new 2019 Lexus ES luxury sedan, featuring bold new styling inside and out, astonishing power and state-of-the-art safety and entertainment technology.
Ken Schnitzer founded Park Place Dealerships in 1987 with a single Mercedes-Benz dealership on Oak Lawn. Today, Park Place Dealerships employs more than 2,000 people and operates 18 full-service dealerships representing luxury brands including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volvo, Jaguar, Lotus, Land Rover, Rolls-Royce, McLaren, Bentley and Maserati. For more info, visit parkplace.com
Lexus is proud to sponsor the 2018 Gaylord Texan’s ICE! Experience, open November 9th through January 1, 2019. Experience your favorite scenes from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer brought to life in our walk-through winter wonderland. Click the banner below or scroll for more information on the Lexus Exclusive Discount
This year’s display includes:
2 million pounds of ice sculptures hand-carved by 35 artisans from Harbin, China
6 ice slides
colorful ice sculptures depicting the story of Rudolph
Crystal clear ice sculpture scene of the Nativity
Best of all? Lexus is gifting all Lexus owners with exclusive discounts to last you the entire holiday season. See below for details:
Discounted Tickets for Lexus Owners:
Receive a Lexus Owners Discount for Adult, General Admission ICE! Tickets by using the code PARKPLACELEXUS at GaylordTexanTickets.com
Valet Parking
You’ll automatically receive a $10 discount on valet parking when driving your Lexus to ICE!. Please note that you MUST be driving your Lexus to the actual event to receive the discount.
Complimentary Self- Parking
Enjoy complimentary self-parking in either the garage or Lot R when driving your Lexus to ICE! Simply take a ticket upon entry and present it along with your Lexus key to the box office cashier to get your ticket validated prior to departing. Again, you must be driving your Lexus to the actual event to receive the discount.
Park Place Dealerships and the Cattle Baron’s Ball have a now 21-year relationship that has resulted in yet another successful event at Gilley’s Dallas, all for the pursuit of a cure for cancer. The Cattle Baron’s Ball is one of the largest one night fundraisers, and Park Place is proud to provide support through what we know best- and that is luxury cars.
For our 21st year, Park Place donated the choice of a brand new 2018 Volvo XC40, Mercedes-Benz GLC 300, Porsche Macan, or Range Rover Velar, to the winner of the raffle.
As a core tenant of Park Place’s mission, giving back and community involvement is never overlooked but rather, constantly adapting and changing so that we can make a greater impact year after year. As leaders in the automotive industry, Park Place has been honored with the opportunity to give to the Cattle Baron’s Ball to benefit the American Cancer society, leaders in cancer research, for 21 years now.
Since 1974, Cattle Baron’s Ball has raised over $77 million for cancer research- which they cite happens mostly here in DFW. True to “Everything’s Bigger in Texas” mantra, the Cattle Baron’s Ball has proven year after year, that they in partnership with the community, are the world’s largest sing-night fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.
Cattle Baron’s has provided more than 30,000 services to cancer patients in North Texas, rides to and from treatments, and wigs free of charge. The American Cancer Society is the beneficiary of the event whose mission is to save lives, celebrate lives, and lead the fight for a world without cancer.
