It doesn’t seem long ago when Ken Gorin transformed an ordinary car dealership into “THE” COLLECTION, and with the eleven year anniversary upon us, we look back.
For those who don’t remember, THE COLLECTION was once a luxury car dealership comprised of 15 separate warehouses scattered along Bird Road.
Enters: Ken Gorin.
On an April evening back in 2002 fifteen hundred A-List Miamians were introduced to one of the most innovative facilities in one of the fastest growing areas – a car dealership that is more than a car dealership – THE COLLECTION. A 350,000-square-foot building designed by Revuelta Vega Leon architectural firm gives a fresh face to modern luxury by unifying the dealership under one roof. A grand piazza leads guests into the concierge where the seven strategically placed showrooms connect. What’s above? The parts and service department, 85 air-conditioned service bay, and a full-service parking garage. And the interior was no disappointment either; Massimo Iosa Ghini of Studio Iosa Ghini brought the facility to life with stainless steel, glass walls, mosaic tiles, and marble to accent the plasma TV’s, internet docking stations, DVD Players, and Sony PlayStations that are placed throughout THE COLLECTION. Not to mention the sales and service lounge, Ferrari memorabilia store, and coffee and hors d’oeuvres for all customers.
But more important than the breathtaking structure, was rebuilding the business. Ken Gorin enabled THE COLLECTION to flourish. It does not matter what car a customer is interested in, if they are looking or buying; every customer is treated the same. “I operate with a code of ethics here. I have to be the only dealership in the world that has that. When I came here people looked at me like I was from Mars,” said Gorin, “The Collection was a great dealership, so why worry about all these things? But I don’t want to criticize anyone else. I’d rather talk about the differences today. We’re a very structured, ethical, forthright business.”
And now here we are eleven years later; from having Dwyane Wade join THE COLLECTION family to receiving Miami New Times’ title “Best Auto Dealership,” to adding McLaren to our already impressive collection.
And, just think – this is only the beginning, may the best be yet to come.
