A personal note from Herb Chambers

Dear Valued customer,

Last, year at this time, I wrote to you about an important workplace distinction of which, I was very proud.

The Herb Chambers Companies were recognized as being amongst The Boston Globe’s Top 100 Places to Work for 2009. I am so proud to tell you, we have just been notified by the Boston Globe, that we have earned this distinction again for 2010.

This year we are ranked eighth in the Large Employer category. We were selected from more than 1,000 employers who participated in the survey. In fact, we are the only automotive dealer ever to have received this award and now we’ve earned it twice.

What I love so much about this is that it was the enthusiastic recognition of our employees’ that made this possible when they nominated our company as a Top 100 workplace.

There is no higher privilege in business than to have your employees emphatically state, “What a great place to work”! … And then, want to tell the whole world…amazing!

Thank you.

Herb Chambers

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The soul of a leader

Three top executives who all inspire loyalty among employees reveal their personal goals, leadership methods — and deepest fears

November 7, 2010

To be one of the Globe’s Top Places to Work, an organization’s employees must believe the people at the top know what they’re doing and care about providing a rewarding work experience. Anthony Consigli of Consigli Construction Co., Kathleen “Kit’’ Tunney of Associates for Human Services, and Herb Chambers of Herb Chambers Cos. all run organizations that ranked high in our survey for employee faith that the organization is in good hands. Top Places editor Michael Warshaw asked them what good leaders do.

• Globe: Anthony, what does it mean to you that your name is on the company?

Consigli: It might make the accountability that much greater. But I don’t think that it is the end all, be all. The reason the name is important is because I have three generations preceding me. If I screw up, I feel like I let somebody down.

• Globe: Herb, what about your name on your company?

Chambers: Well, I think it is different for me because I was the guy that started the company. I think that the pressure on you, Anthony, is five times greater than it is on me.

The company I have today is not what I envisioned 20, 25 years ago. At the time I sold my first company, I was 38 years old. I said, ‘What am I going to do now?’ and I went down to buy a car, and instead of buying the car, I bought the dealership.

Tunney: That is a great story.

Chambers: I realized how bad that particular dealership was. It just looked like the guy wanted to get out of it. I bought it right on the spot.

In the automobile business, you don’t necessarily have to be great. You have to be good. If you are good, you are great. Because most people say they hate car dealers.

We don’t build cars. They roll in, and we have to find a home for them. Our people are so important because the product is unimportant. If you like Honda, you’re going to buy a Honda whether you buy it from me or somebody else. The question becomes: Can we fulfill the need of delivering that car to the customer better than somebody else can?

I hold a training meeting once a month, and we have 300 or 400 people there for breakfast, our whole sales organization. Salespeople have got to be kind of cheered up all the time, because they have a tendency to fall down. Technicians are a kind of a different breed. They have a different level of motivation than salespeople do.

• Globe: Do you speak to each group differently?

Chambers: I do. When I am in the dealerships, I talk to the guys and ask, ‘How is everything with the shop? Anything we can do for you?’

All of our shops are now air conditioned. That came out of one of the comments I got from one of the guys.

• Globe: Kit, you came up differently, from being a staffer.

Tunney: I fell in love with the work that we do — with the staff that I was working with. And over time, wanted to make some changes there, took some courses to get a little bit of credentials in management. And happened to be at the right place at the right time.

• Globe: How did the experience of being a staff member affect your leadership?

Tunney: Having been there and done that makes me more approachable. I try to involve them in problem solving and decision making, because that was important to me when I felt like I didn’t have that voice.

I go out to a group home and say to the staff, ‘How’s it going?’ and I stop to listen to the answer. But I also provide formal opportunities for them to participate in focus groups and surveys to tell me how good of a job we are doing.

• Globe: Tell us something that surprised you that came out of that.

Tunney: Lack of natural light. We had staff in cubbies with no windows. When I decided to build our building, and we interviewed staff to ask them what they wanted, what I heard was: light. Now our building has windows right across the top. It is all one level. And there are suites set off at angles, so it doesn’t look like a motel.

• Globe: Anthony, what are you looking for when you tour your construction sites?

Consigli: I am looking for them to talk to me like I am a normal person, vs. a company president. I think there are some incredibly smart people out there that are building these buildings. They are equally important to this deal as I am. I don’t think they understand that sometimes.

• Globe: Kit, how important is the staff dedication to your mission?

Tunney: It is essential. You train, train, train. I don’t have a breakfast every month for 400 people, but it is the same thing. You’ve got to find out what their needs are, and you have to meet those needs. If I have a staff that didn’t do a good job because I didn’t provide the opportunity to gain the skills that they need, then I am the one at fault.

For instance, if you have an individual that lives in a group home, in a wheelchair, and then is maybe visually impaired, you need to provide training for that particular staff. How do you present a meal to someone that is visually impaired? How do you get them to a table if they are in a wheelchair? So you really have to be very thorough putting together orientation for staff. And follow up, follow up, follow up.

Chambers: In the automobile business, I am embarrassed to say how simple it is. The manufacturer provides you with information on all of the technicians, all the salespeople, the individual dealerships, how they all perform. We know where the problems are.

• Globe: Herb, you bought that dealership, it seems, almost on impulse.

Tunney: That is confidence, and I admire that.

Chambers: I don’t think I am smarter than anybody else. On the same token, I don’t think I am a lot dumber than anybody else. Believe me, I live on fear. I am always worried about everything all the time.

• Globe: Fear of what?

Chambers: Fear of failing in anything. I don’t want to fail.

• Globe: Kit, do you have fear?

Tunney: We’re federally and state funded. I am always wondering whether or not our contracts are going to get cut. And they do. Then I need to figure out, ‘How am I going to do more with less?’ I am always afraid it’s going to get cut so much that I am going to have to look at laying off staff.

• Globe: Anthony, is fear a motivator?

Consigli: Fear and regret. I stay up all night thinking about the things that could go wrong. Construction is a dangerous business. People die, and I am fearful of that. Quality problems, reputation — all those things.

I would say regret is equal. I hate thinking that I am going to regret decisions I made or didn’t make 10 years out, 30 years out.

• Globe: How do you avoid it?

Consigli: Thinking a lot about it. The greatest regret would be tanking a company that has been around for 105 years. I think that fear and hard work hold off that danger of making a decision that you’ll regret.

Do you screw up? Yeah. Everybody screws up. But you man up, you admit it, and you move on. If there are three things that I aspire to, they are humility, empathy, and accountability — just doing what you said you were going to do. I think that if I can do that more often than not, generally speaking, things will go well.

Tunney: If people have a healthy work ethic, they want to come to work and they want to be respected for what they do. And they want to do their best and they want to be rewarded for that. They want to have decent pay checks. And that is what we try to do.

Consigli: If we are the people behind our organizations who are responsible for that, we need to be doing the proper planning and working hard to make sure we’re putting things in place for that to happen for people.

Chambers: Everybody likes to believe they have good integrity. They all like to believe that they work hard. Who is going to set the pace of the organization? The pace of the organization is the speed of the leader, right? They look at you and say, ‘He really puts his heart and soul into everything that he does, or she does.’ So what are you doing to do? You’re going to put your heart and soul into it.

Consigli: The day that I stop doing that is the day I have to get out and let someone else take over. I have seen so many organizations where that doesn’t happen. If I get hit by a bus tomorrow, I want the organization to keep going just like nothing happened. That’s success.

© Copyright 2010 The New York Times Company

The Mercedes – Benz E Class Coup and Sedan are as luxurious and performance driven as anything Mercedes-Benz has released in years.  While we have not been privy to a test drive as of yet – hint hint!  We will go with some authorities on the subject and agree on premise alone for the time being.

We provide manufacturer overview as well as Car and Driver and Motor Trend reviews for your perusal.

Motor Trend

If the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan’s styling isn’t
controversial enough for you, meet the E-Class Coupe. While the new coupe, like the CLK it replaces is based on the C-Class, its sheetmetal and engine choices tie it to
the all-new E-Class sedan. The E-Class Coupe is more relaxed and less sporty compared with the 2009 CLK, and along the way it drops out as a competitor for BMW’s unbeatable 3 Series coupe.  For the rest of the story – CLICK HERE!

CAR and DRIVER

2010 Mercedes E-class / E350 / E550 Coupe – First Drive Review

Mercedes-Benz aligns its entry-level coupe with its stoic mid-size sedan in both look and feel. Should we play along?

In car-speak, acronyms have their pros and cons. Alphanumeric, gobbledygook names force customers to use the parent company’s name every time they identify a car, casting
a halo effect for the brand. “I drive a Legend,” for example, did less for Acura than, “I drive an Acura.” And so the RL was born.

Now apply that thinking to Mercedes-Benz, which, to be fair, has always used alphanumeric names. But as the company expanded its lineup to some 15 separate nameplates—not
counting the AMG models—it resulted in confusion on the showroom floor and significant marketing challenges in promoting individual models. Things needed to get simpler,
and they have. The replacements for Mercedes’ mid-size CLK-class coupe and cabriolet models will henceforth be identified as part of the E-class family. (The CL coupes
will become part of the S-class lineup.)  For the rest of the story visit  Car and Driver  – CLICK HERE

BY STEVE SILER May 2009

Flagship Motorcars of Lynnfield is conveniently located in Lynnfield Massachusetts, just minutes away from Boston and the entire North Shore.

Flagship Motorcars has the areas largest selection of Mercedes Benz and certified pre-owned vehicles from cars and trucks to vans and SUVs.

Mercedes Benz Vehicles

If you are looking to buy a new or used vehicle and need financing, Flagship Motorcars is the dealer for you. Our finance team can assist you with securing affordable options on any new Mercedes Benz B Class, C Class Sedan, CL S63 AMG, CL Class Coupe, CLK550 Coupe, CLK Class Convertible, CLK Class Black Series Coupe, CLS Class, E550, E Class Sedan, E 63 AMG Sedan, E Class Wagon, E63 AMG Wagon, G Class, G 55 AMG, GL320 CDI, GL550, ML 320, M Class, R63 AMG, R Class, S550 Sedan, S600 Sedan, S63 AMG, SL Class Roadster, SL 550 Anniversary Edition, SLK Class Roadster or SLR McLaren.

In the years we have been in business our clients have come from communities like Worcester, Auburn, Taunton, Framingham and Providence as well as throughout the state of Massachusetts.

Best of all, Flagship Motorcars of Lynnfield has a great staff on hand to assist you with your all of your needs when it comes to Mercedes Benz parts, factory service and OEM accessories for your vehicle

Visit our showroom today at:

Flagship Motorcars of Lynnfield
385 Broadway, Route 1 North
Lynnfield, Massachusetts 01940

Mercedes Dealers Boston.com know that the Mercedes-Benz Diesel is something very special and it is without a doubt a welcome addition to the already amazing Mercedes-Benz family of cars!

The text in italics is provided by Mercedes-Benz USA website ( Click here to get to the official Mercedes-Benz website).

Performance:

The Mercedes-Benz website creates some real curiosity with the performance outline of the 3.0L Turbocharged V-6 Diesel. The V-6 is harnessed to a 7-speed automatic transmission that adapts to your driving style – an intelligent performance vehicle with great gas mileage!

Our new, state-of-the-art BlueTEC technology isn’t just about assertive horsepower, massive torque or impressive 0-to-60 speeds. It’s about all that – and performance of another kind. This breakthrough in diesel can take our SUVs over 600 miles on a single tank of fuel.(1) That’s farther than Los Angeles to Salt Lake City and better fuel economy than some hybrids.

In case any of you were unaware or forgot….

As inventors of the diesel engine, we’ve now reinvented it without the noise, odor and emissions of old.

GOING GREEN!

Staying environmentally conscience;  The solution known as AdBlue is injected into the exhaust, BlueTEC reduces smog causing NOx to its bare essentials- nitrogen and water.

Packages:

Some  premium packages include;  Rear View Camera, HD Radio with SIRIUS Satellite Radio, iPod/MP3 Interface, Harman/ Kardon, Power Steering Column. Auto-dimming mirrors, KEYLESS-GO, and Parktronic and more.

Mercedes-Benz Dealerships:

If you have interest in learning more about the new 2009 Mercedes- Benz vehicles, do it firsthand and get yourself to a Herb Chambers Company Mercedes-Benz dealership.

CLICK HERE to get to Chambers Motorcars of Boston, A Herb Chambers Company

CLICK HERE to get to Flagship Motorcars of Lynnfield,  A Herb Chambers Company

CLICK HERE to get to Mercedes-Benz of Natick, A Herb Chambers Company

Welcome to Mercedes Dealers Boston!

Mercedes-Benz Dealers Boston editors find the best luxury car service, Foreign and luxury car parts and after market sales. It is our intention to provide up to date information on all things Mercedes-Benz!

Mercedes-Benz Dealers Boston are automobile enthusiasts as well and will feature galleries of some of the best car collections in the area!

Enjoy!