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Overlanding Community Gathers at Park Place Lexus Plano

Thousands of overland enthusiasts recently gathered for the Calvary Overland Rigs & Coffee event at Park Place Lexus Plano. The free event was open to the public and featured more 500 custom off-road vehicles, making it one of the largest gatherings of its kind in the country. 

Overlanding, a self-reliant form of travel to remote locations within the U.S., continues to grow in popularity, particularly among millennials and Gen Z. These adventurers prioritize outdoor recreation and value meaningful experiences and connecting with a community where they can share stories, learn new techniques and explore the latest gear. 

Launched in 2021 with just a few dozen vehicles, Calvary Overland’s quarterly Rigs & Coffee meetup have grown into a premier event for the overlanding community, drawing enthusiasts from across the region to connect and celebrate the spirit of adventure. 

Several years ago, Park Place Lexus Plano connected with members of the Overland community to see how the Service Department could help support them.

“This initiative has been a personal passion of mine,” explained Rod Moreno, Park Place Lexus Plano Service Director. “We have several vehicles that are designed to take you off road and do it in style and comfort. The GX460 and GX550 are very popular models for overlanding. While being very comfortable to drive, it is a reliable truck with a body on frame construction and a fully solid rear axle. We can outfit them with off road wheels and tires and complete suspension. And, if we install it, we will back it with a full warranty, so our client is protected.”

Park Place Lexus Plano’s Service Department can:

·       Personalize an Off Road Lexus by adding suspension components for better ground clearance.

·       Enhance wheel and tire combination for better appearance and off-road capability

·       Add roof racks to help with storage solutions.

“We were happy to partner with Calvary Overland to host the event at our dealership,” concludes Moreno. “It was a fun family-friendly event that appealed to a wide range of our clients. We’re always happy to give back to our community.”

Moreno has been with Park Place 25 years, starting as a Sales Associate/Porter at Lexus Grapevine. He was an Assistant Service Manager in 2005 when Park Place Lexus won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the first automobile dealership to win the prestigious award.

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Bee-lieve It or Not: A Swarm of Bees Finds a Temporary Home in a Lexus

At Park Place Lexus Plano, no two days are ever quite the same—but recently, one particular day definitely stood out.

When a client pulled into the service drive to report an issue with their loaner vehicle, Service Manager Bryan Martin was quick to assist. What he discovered wasn’t your typical service concern. Nestled in the tire well of the Lexus RX 350 were some very unexpected guests: a full swarm of bees.

Bryan promptly got the client into a new loaner vehicle. Then he called in an expert from his team.

Enter Nick Lindsey, a Certified Technician and Glass Specialist who’s been with Park Place since 2005. While Nick is known for his precision with luxury vehicles, he’s also an experienced beekeeper. For nearly a decade, he’s managed a small bee farm—a passion that has grown into an operation that includes the sale of queen bees, nucleus hives (“nucs”), raw honey, and even honeybee genetics research.

So when Nick took a closer look inside the fender liner, he knew exactly what he was dealing with: an early-stage colony of 10,000 to 20,000 bees.

“It’s not uncommon for a swarm to leave its original hive and find a new home within 20 minutes,” Nick explained. “That’s probably how they ended up in the Lexus. It happens fast—and once they find a spot, they hold on tight to protect the queen.”

With care and calm, Nick drove the Lexus to a remote location and safely released the bees, allowing them to relocate naturally—queen and all. No stings. No damage. No drama.

It’s safe to say that handling swarms of bees isn’t in the average technician’s toolkit, but Nick’s unique background turned a wild moment into a smooth solution.

At Park Place, going above and beyond is part of the culture—even if that means saving a Lexus-loving swarm.

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Local Resident Places First In Statewide Auto Body Association Competition

Dallas technician Adrian Ortiz recently won first place in the Paint Competition at the Auto Body Association of Texas (ABAT) BIG SHOTS Competition at the Irving Convention Center.

“The best part was I got to try new products and learn new things,” said Ortiz. “These are things I can apply daily in my job. The biggest opportunity was being trusted to step into the booth to show what I had learned over the course of my career thus far.”

Ortiz has worked for Park Place Bodywerks for 18 years. He is a certified painter for Bentley, McLaren, and Mercedes-Benz automobiles.

“It is a great honor that our Members can publicly show their strengths and represent Park Place in such a good light,” said Brandon Gillespy, Bodywerks Dallas Shop Manager. “We celebrate their accomplishments and value their commitment to excellence.”

Born and raised in East Dallas, Ortiz graduated from Woodrow Wilson High and the Autobody Tech program at Eastfield Community College. He married his high school sweetheart, Johanna, and they live on the east side of White Rock Lake with their two children. In his free time, Ortiz is restoring his high school car: a 1962 Chevy Nova.


When asked what advice he’d give someone just starting out in the business, Ortiz answered, “Be a sponge and ask questions…learn as much as possible. We have some of the best technicians in the country that reside within the walls at Park Place.”

Other Bodywerks Dallas members representing Park Place in the annual statewide competition included Philip Glass, who placed third in the Estimating Competition out of 25 participants, and Bodywerks Estimator Davis Richards, a two-time winner in the competition. After his first place win last year, Richards volunteered to judge the 2024 estimating competition.

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Park Place Land Rover DFW Wins Pinnacle and Wilks Elite Awards

Park Place Land Rover DFW was one of only 12 dealerships in the United States to receive the coveted Land Rover Pinnacle Retailer Excellence Award. In addition, the Grapevine dealership also received the Wilks Elite designation for being the top in sales in the largest volume group nationwide.

“Achieving the Pinnacle Award is a testament to the dedication and performance of our entire team,” said Matt Woolsey, Land Rover DFW General Manager.  “We are all committed to delivering unparalleled service to our clients and I am incredibly proud of the team’s hard work and relentless pursuit of excellence.”

The 12 Land Rover dealerships which received the Pinnacle Award were selected based on their performance in core business categories including exceptional sales, service and customer satisfaction. Park Place Land Rover DFW has earned the Pinnacle Awards multiple times over the years.

Park Place Land Rover DFW is located at 1300 E. State Highway 114, just west of Main Street in Grapevine.

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Park Place Service Technicians Are Experts At Keeping Engines Purring, But This Is Next Level

Sometimes an ordinary day at work turns into a rescue mission with a happy ending. Sebastian Jimenez, a service valet at Park Place Motorcars Fort Worth, recently had an unexpected encounter. A client returning a loan car mentioned hearing a faint “meow” coming from the vehicle while stopped at a red light. Concerned, the client explained that he had seen several cats hiding under the car during a recent rainstorm and feared one might have become trapped.

Sebastian informed the service manager, Mauricio Zenon, who assembled a team of technicians including Jacob Munoz, Mark Hawkins, Josh Brunk, and Josh Chandler.

Equipped with tools, the team proceeded to the service drive to investigate rather than driving the car into the shop and potentially harming the kitten. Jacob, Mark, and Josh crawled under the vehicle and began removing panels. Before long, they discovered a kitten hiding under the passenger front side of the vehicle. The kitten was unharmed and in good spirits. In a heartwarming turn, Mark Hawkins decided to adopt the kitten and give it a new home.

The sweet kitten’s rescue was featured on WFAA and FOX 4 highlighting the compassion of the team at Park Place Dealerships.

Founded in 1987, Park Place Dealerships has been engaged in the community through its support of the arts, medical research, children’s advocacy, and education. Park Place employs more than 1,400 members and operates nine full-service dealerships representing luxury brands including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volvo, Land Rover, Acura, and Sprinter Vans. Park Place BodyWerks Collision Centers in Fort Worth, Dallas, and Plano and the Park Place Auto Auction, round out the company’s offerings. Park Place was acquired in 2020 by Asbury Automotive Group, Inc., a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Duluth, GA. For more information, visit parkplace.com.

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MEET KORTINA CHANDLER, SERVICE MANAGER, PARK PLACE ACURA

Kortina started at Park Place in 2007 working in Organizational Excellence and has since moved from Service Coordinator to Assistant Service Manager and now Service Manager at Park Place Acura.

“Technology has come a long way in speeding up our check-in process, more history on our clients’ vehicles, etc., which allows us to spend more time with our clients. I’ve attended management training and learned so much to share with my team. It’s all about giving our clients a better service experience.”

Originally from Oklahoma City, Kortina moved to Dallas in 1997 for a “bigger city and better life.” She’s married with a 30-year-old daughter and three grandchildren. After work, she loves going home, spending time with her husband and watching her “shows.”

Don’t be surprised if you catch her crying while watching the news, commercials, or movies. “I’m super sensitive and cry very easily,” she confided.

Her advice to other Park Place Members: “Make sure you are the Park Place Experience. We take great care of our clients who trust us with their vehicle. No matter whose client it is, it’s all of our client!”

Bottom line: “I’m very passionate about work and providing a great guest experience. I also want to save the whole world!”

Park Place Dealerships was founded in 1987 and has been engaged in the community through its support of the arts, medical research, children’s advocacy, and education. Park Place employs more than 1,400 members and operates nine full-service dealerships representing luxury brands including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, Acura, and Sprinter Vans. Park Place BodyWerks Collision Centers in Fort Worth, Dallas, and Plano and the Park Place Auto Auction, round out the company’s offerings. Park Place was acquired in 2020 by Asbury Automotive Group, Inc., a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Duluth, GA. For more information, visit parkplace.com.

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Porsche Dallas Techs Are Solid Gold

Park Place Porsche Dallas Technicians Tony Araguz and Jade Dugurechaff recently earned the prestigious Certified Porsche Technician – Gold  (CPT Gold) designation! They join six other Gold techs at Porsche Dallas and approximately 575 Gold techs in the U.S., with less than 2,000 worldwide.

‘We are extremely proud of Tony and Jade for their commitment to this lengthy process and accomplishing their goal,” said Patrick Huston, Porsche Dallas General Manager. “Our clients will be the beneficiary of their hard work and we will continue to support each team member in their journey to hone their skills and truly be an expert in the industry.”

A Porsche Gold Technician must have a minimum of one year experience before they are eligible to take the Gold test. The candidate must work their way up from Bronze to Silver, then Gold level. It takes an average of six years to obtain all the required training courses. Testing is broken up into two parts: they must first pass a written assessment in order to be eligible to take the hands-on portion, which includes diagnosing and documenting repairs on a bugged car.

The Gold test was conducted at Porsche Training HQ in Atlanta. It is a pass or fail test. The same test is conducted worldwide. After achieving the Gold standard, the technician has to maintain certification quarterly and attend at least 40 hours of hands-on training at the Porsche facility in Atlanta every year.

“I had never so much as changed a car’s oil before becoming a tech at a Honda dealership when I was 23 years old,” said Tony Araguz. “I spent 10 years at Honda and have been a tech at Porsche Dallas since 2017. I was absolutely in awe when I started at Park Place! It’s a great shop and everyone was so helpful. It’s really a team effort!” 

Porsche Dallas is located at 6107 Lemmon Avenue, near Love Field. 

Park Place Dealerships employs more than 1,400 members and operates nine full-service dealerships representing luxury brands including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volvo, Acura, and Land Rover. Park Place BodyWerks Collision Centers in Fort Worth and Dallas, and the Park Place Auto Auction, round out the company’s offerings. Park Place was acquired in 2020 by Asbury Automotive Group, Inc., a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Duluth, GA.

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Lexus Grapevine Members Spring into Action

Last summer, Micah Owens was working for another automotive company when he saw his client pull out from their service drive onto the Highway 114 service road. Suddenly, the client’s trunk flew open and papers started flying out and scattered across the road.

“Someone on the drive forgot to close her trunk. She had thousands of important documents sitting loosely in the trunk. I jumped into action to help my client. No one from my dealership came out to help. But I noticed people coming from Lexus Grapevine on foot and in golf carts, picking up pieces of paper to help. It was true compassion.”

“I knew in that moment I wanted to be a part of the team that never leaves anyone behind and is always willing to help. It reminded me of what I loved about being in the U.S. Navy: compassion, fortitude, and always helping your teammates out. That is the Park Place standard of care…for clients and each other.”

In November 2023, Micah joined Land Rover DFW as a loan car coordinator. “My first impression of Park Place was that they do things right. They don’t make things robotic. They make it personal.”

Micah says the biggest challenge since joining Park Place is learning new systems and how to streamline the process in the loan car department.  “It’s also the biggest opportunity to make things seamless for the benefit of our clients.”

“I can confidently say I have found a place where I want to be for a long time and work my way up. I’m very excited for the opportunities Park Place and Asbury have offered me. I’m excited to learn and grow with all the tools they provide. I truly have a wonderful, amazing, talented support team!”

Founded in 1987, Park Place Dealerships has been engaged in the community through its support of the arts, medical research, children’s advocacy, and education. Park Place employs more than 1,400 members and operates nine full-service dealerships representing luxury brands including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volvo, Land Rover, Acura, and Sprinter Vans. Park Place BodyWerks Collision Centers in Fort Worth, Dallas, and Plano and the Park Place Auto Auction, round out the company’s offerings. Park Place was acquired in 2020 by Asbury Automotive Group, Inc., a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Duluth, GA. For more information, visit parkplace.com.

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Paul Quinn College Receives $20,000 HBCU Change Donation

Park Place Dealerships recently visited Paul Quinn College in Dallas to present a $20,000 check from the “Round Up Change for HBCU Change” program.

“I’d like for every student that graduates from Paul Quinn College to believe they are capable of more now than when they started,” said Paul Quinn President Michael Sorrell. “I’d like for them to believe in the inevitability of their own success.”

From May 2021 – August 2023, Asbury Automotive Group (ABG) dealerships across the U.S. raised more than $800,000 for the HBCU Change program through guests’ donations and the company’s matching donations.

“Through our interactions every day, we’ve had the opportunity to educate our North Texas community about what HBCU does and how it can impact them,” said Tony Carimi. “We both strive to make an impact in our own backyard…to provide not just a higher level of service, but a higher level of connection.”

This was the third presentation to a HBCU in the past 12 months. Asbury Automotive executives David Hult, Wendy Reynold-Dobbs and Sid Barron presented a $100,000 check to Clark Atlanta University in October 2022. Malcolm Gage and Plaza Motors St. Louis presented $20,000 checks to both Lincoln University and Harris Stowe State University last month. HBCU Change has a goal of raising $1 billion for Historic Black Colleges & Universities over the next 5 years working with partners like Asbury.

Founded in 1987, Park Place Dealerships has been engaged in the community through its support of the arts, medical research, children’s advocacy, and education. Park Place employs more than 1,400 members and operates nine full-service dealerships representing luxury brands including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volvo, Land Rover, Acura, and Sprinter Vans. Park Place BodyWerks Collision Centers in Fort Worth, Dallas, and Plano and the Park Place Auto Auction, round out the company’s offerings. Park Place was acquired in 2020 by Asbury Automotive Group, Inc., a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Duluth, GA. For more information, visit parkplace.com.

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Land Rover DFW Tech Goes the Extra Mile to Help Couple in Distress

Paul Vandenberg, Team Lead/Technician at Land Rover DFW, was in his Park Place uniform a few weeks ago when he stopped at a grocery store on his way home from work. He noticed an elderly couple sitting in their car. When he came out of the store, they were still there, and he noticed they had a flat tire. Paul tapped on the window and asked if they needed help.

What Vandenberg didn’t know was the Graffs had called Roadside Assistance and had been waiting three hours for help.

“It took me five minutes to pull the flat off,” said Vandenberg. “Their spare was also low, so I ran it up to a station and aired it up. They offered me money, but I said, ‘I can’t take any money from you, sir.’ They couldn’t change the tire themselves. It didn’t cost me anything to help.”

Since Vandenberg was in uniform, Mr. Graff called the dealership the next day and talked to Land Rover Service Director Jordan Welch. “We preach and preach that we must represent Park Place at work and outside of work,” said Welch. “Mr. Graff took the time to tell me all about their experience. To Paul it was easy. A simple tire change. To Mr. Graff, it meant the world. He was crying as he shared his story with me. You never know what your actions mean to others!”

It’s worth noting the Graffs are not Park Place clients. They simply needed help. And Vandenberg didn’t hesitate to help.

“I know I represent the company any time I’m in uniform,” concluded Vandenberg.

About Park Place Dealerships

Park Place Dealerships was founded in 1987 and has been engaged in the community through its support of the arts, medical research, children’s advocacy, and education. Park Place employs more than 1,400 members and operates nine full-service dealerships representing luxury brands including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volvo, Land Rover, Acura, and Sprinter Vans. Park Place BodyWerks Collision Centers in Fort Worth, Dallas, and Plano and the Park Place Auto Auction, round out the company’s offerings. Park Place was acquired in 2020 by Asbury Automotive Group, Inc., a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Duluth, GA. For more information, visit parkplace.com.