Dealership Wants To Buy Stadium, Boost Local Economy

A car dealership is looking to lend a helping hand to a small town in Virginia. Pulaski, Virginia is a town with an observatory, railway station and numerous restaurants, however, it does have a potential problem.

Pulaski also has a minor league baseball team, the Pulaski Mariners who play at Calfee Field. The park itself isn’t in shabby condition, however, it could use a facelift. Upgrades to the stadium and surrounding area could make sure that the team stays in Pulaski and potentially attract new businesses. So, what exactly is the problem?

The problem is that the city hasn’t been able to fix up the ballpark; however a local car dealership has made a proposal to do just that. The Shelor Automotive group wants to purchase of the field for $100,000, and foot the bill for the necessary field repair and upgrades.

Mark Winters, a long-time Dealership Insider feels that dealers who reach out in their community are making a great decision. He said that, “consumers are always looking around at businesses and how they want to interact with them. When they see a dealership interacting in a way that’s beyond just we’re selling you something, it really raises their awareness and their trust level with you.”

“We want the Pulaski Mariners to be part of the community. We want businesses to come to the town of Pulaski and to do that we need to keep our team local. So, we’ve acquired a piece of property that we hope to turn into an extended stay. It has a hotel and workout facilities and possible retail spaces as well.”

Finally Winters added that, “getting your hands into the community by offering service by working with chartable organizations, or buying a stadium and building it back up again are probably some of the best things that you could do as a dealership. Not just from a marketing standpoint, but from a whole dealership’s perspective. You’re involving your employees and you’re connecting with the people in your community.”