OpenRoad Driver Volume 13 Issue 1 | Page 92

Photos courtesy of Ventana Construction 92 » OpenRoad Driver walnut and creamy-white colour tones, understated lighting and vestibules, and cabinets and workstations that mimic a modern boutique that allows the vehicles to truly shine. The 30,000-square-foot dealership has two levels. Upstairs a boardroom seats forty, with additional rooms for parts storage, a catering kitchen and the staff lunchroom. On the main floor lies the showroom for new and certified pre-owned Jaguars and Land Rovers, the sales offices, a delivery area, customer lounge, and service and parts departments. There’s also a lifestyle boutique, a retail space for the Jaguar and Land Rover lifestyle collection products, including distinct drinkware, writing apparel and sportswear. General Manager Daniel Russman has long had a passion for the automotive industry. He previously worked with Toyota and Audi in the OpenRoad Auto Group. “There are three JLR retailers in the Lower Mainland already, but Langley was a natural fit for the new JLR dealership,” he says. “Dubbed the hub of the Fraser Valley, the City of Langley has a fast-growing economy and residents of the Fraser Valley have an abundant appetite for opulent vehicles,” he reflects. “We were encouraged by the City of Langley’s vision, energy and proactive approach to investment and support for the business community.” At JLR Langley Russman heads up a staff of 25 that he recruited personally. “We were looking for highly driven individuals with a great attitude and a passion for the Jaguar and Land Rover brands,” he says. Russman is thrilled to work in close proximity to his all-time favourite vehicle, the Range Rover Sport SVR. “It boasts the best of both worlds with incredible onand off-road performance,” he says of the five-seat, 510-hp SUV with a 5.0-litre V8 engine and adjustable four-wheel-drive. Some 400 new Jaguars and Land Rovers will be delivered to the Langley JLR dealership in 2016 alone. Already, in the dealership’s first month, 35 new vehicles were delivered to their owners. Inside the dealership there’s space to accommodate up to 16 vehicles: six new Jaguars, six new Land Rovers and four certified pre-owned vehicl es.