PRESS RELEASE

Dealership shocks non-profit by donating van

(Fort Worth, TX) --- Wednesday, October 16, marks the culmination of an event that began with a most unusual telephone call. 
Wes Harrison recently shocked over 76,000 radio listeners and a group of senior citizens with a single statement.  Harrison, President/General Manager of Allen Samuels Chrysler Dodge Jeep, speaking on Jody Dean’s morning show on KLUV Radio, said, “I don’t see how, in such a close contest, we can award a van to the winning group without doing the same for the runner-up.”
Thus ended the Miles of Smiles campaign, through which Allen Samuels Dodge-Hyundai in North Richland Hills and Allen Samuels Chrysler Dodge Jeep at Alliance offered a van to the non-profit receiving the most votes on KLUV.
“We receive literally dozens of requests each month from needy organizations asking us to give them a vehicle,” adds Tom Hervey, President/General Manager of Allen Samuels Dodge-Hyundai in North Richland Hills.  “Our first goal was to do something special for an organization, and possibly even with one we might not be aware of.”
From the very start, the dealership had a second goal: to heighten awareness for the organizations so KLUV listeners and other businesses might become aware of the non-profits’ needs and possibly jump in and help them.
The two dealerships developed a partnership with KLUV and created the Miles of Smiles campaign that invited listeners to nominate their favorite non-profit to win the van.  Over 150 non-profits were nominated, and KLUV’s promotional department selected the five finalists.  The radio station also managed all promotional efforts and the actual voting process.
Two of the five were Hillcrest Church of Christ Youth Group from Arlington and Wildflower Place retirement community from Bedford.
As the voting among the five finalists became heated, a hacking incident occurred on Wednesday, September 26.  The hacker broke into the computer system and attempted to deposit a large number of votes for a single finalist.  KLUV officials stopped the voting process and determined they would start the contest over with zero votes from Friday, September 28, through Wednesday, October 3.
The winning group of the van was the Hillcrest Church of Christ Youth Group, but Harrison surprised KLUV listeners with his announcement. “This was such a close contest, and the lead bounced back and forth from one group to the other throughout the voting,” said Harrison.  “Due to the hacking incident, Tom Hervey and I agreed we should do something for the second group, because they had not caused or benefited from the voting irregularities.  So we decided to provide them with a van, too.  It was simply the right thing to do.”

The Allen Samuels dealerships have earned a reputation for being highly involved in their communities.  From their local chambers of commerce to local schools and such non-profits as the Rocky Top Ranch Therapeutic Riding Program, American Heart Association, Girl Scouts, and the Euless Citizens On Patrol, the community has seen Allen Samuels’ generous commitment of time as well as financial resources.
One industry observer commented, “A lot of dealerships talk about being involved in their community and they sponsor one or two junior baseball teams.  The Allen Samuels dealerships have developed meaningful, long-term partnerships that have entrenched them in their communities to the point where they have become a model of corporate citizenship within business circles.
“Giving away this second vehicle was certainly not a requirement or an expectation of Allen Samuels, but it says a lot about how they value fair play and doing the right thing, even when it costs them a lot of money.”
In addition to the Hillcrest Church of Christ Youth Group and Place, the finalists included Achievement Center of North Texas (Garland), Blind Ambitions (Garland) and the Northside Inter-Church Agency (Fort Worth).
“We were happy to partner with Jody Dean and his team at KLUV,” says Hervey.  They did a great job in raising the awareness of our five finalists, and they helped over a half million listeners learn about how they can help these non-profits.
            “And, quite frankly, they introduced us to some organizations we had not previously been involved with.  We know the exposure the non-profits received through this promotion will help them market themselves to the community.
            Allen Samuels Dodge and Allen Samuels Chrysler Dodge Jeep are members of Allen Samuels Auto Group, with twelve dealerships in Texas.  Additional locations are in Houston (2), Austin, Corpus Christi, Waco, Tyler, Port Arthur, Katy, Clear Lake and Ennis.  Allen Samuels was recognized as one of the Elite Eight new car dealers in America by TIME Magazine in 2003.