Mr. Virg Bernero,

Mr. Bernero, let me first start off by offering my commendation on your pursuit for the Governor’s seat of the State of Michigan—we are very excited at the possibilities of what you will be able to accomplish, not only for Michigan, but more importantly, the Lansing and mid-Michigan area.

We want to take note at the pointed comments you made towards Toyota that were published in a Lansing State Journal article that appeared Feb. 25, 2010. As Michigan’s largest Toyota dealership that employs over 125 mid-Michigan citizens from every walk of life, we want to remind you of the exemplary corporate citizen that Toyota is and the contributions that are made not only the nation, but also locally in Michigan. Our Auto Group has five dealerships spread across Michigan, two in Lansing, two in Ann Arbor and one in Monroe, totaling over 300 employed Michigan citizens.

With your strong roots to the Lansing area, we are very excited to see the potential reform you can bring to this city of ours. As you are currently the Mayor of Lansing, you also will know that we are the largest drop-off location for the Toys for Tots program, a staunch supporter of Lansing’s Old Town and their “Compassionate Feast” program, the Ronald McDonald House charity program and are also a top-tier donor to the Michigan State University. Our community involvement in city of Lansing is second-to-none, especially when compared to other dealerships in this city.

Being in business for now 26 years in Lansing, we have built a very established and loyal customer base and a reputation of our community involvement. Over these 26 years, we have also contributed greatly to the State of Michigan with respect to tax dollars. In 2009, Spartan Toyota and our Monroe store Elite Toyota have contributed over $2.8m in sales taxes, $1.2m in payroll taxes, paid out over $5m in wages and provided over $220,857 worth of employer-side health benefits to our employees. We have spent over $8m on building renovations on our Spartan Toyota facility and will be spending an additional $1m this year to renovate our Customer and Parts Center. We constantly strive to be a shining spot in Lansing’s South Side, an area that is often disregarded.

Mr. Bernero, as you well know, there are 29 Toyota dealerships across the State of Michigan that employee Michigan citizens. Toyota also has substantial Research and Development facility in Ann Arbor that played a significant role in the development of the 2011 Avalon, 2010/2011 Venza and others. There are countless other jobs in Michigan that are dependent on Toyota, including the approximately 80 outside parts and materials vendors that supply us with their products.

We are the highest volume Toyota dealer in Michigan and also one of the most decorated as well. It took the contributions of each and every individual here to accomplish those things and the dedication to continually improve and not become complacent. These individuals take the same effort they display at work and assist their communities at-large.

Mr. Bernero, I would love to invite you to our Spartan Toyota location to sit down over coffee and have a dialogue about your views, so I can better understand where you are coming from when you speak regarding Toyota. I know each employee here would love to hear your thoughts, and hopefully offer you some insight on the great things that they not only bring to our store, but also the communities they are involved in.

Regards,
Rosario Criscuolo
President, Spartan Auto Group
Spartan Toyota/Scion, Lexus of Lansing, Lexus of Ann Arbor, Infiniti of Ann Arbor, Elite Motor Mall