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SCION xB DJ vehicle
LIFESTYLE CARS AND
VEHICLES!
Nightclub DJ's endorses the car dealerships you want to
purchase your automobiles and vehicles at. WE appreciate
Herb Chambers
dealerships for the
NO Complaints theory and
continued commitment and
dedication to deliver the quality vehicles for the lifestyles we all lead!
DJ's , Dancers,
Producers,
Nightclub owners,
Managers, and
all the Service industry professionals are on the move in
style and luxury
when they choose to shop at a
Herb Chambers Dealership.
Who else puts in
mega plasma's,
an espresso bar
a full service
business center with slamming on line computers to use while waiting -
That's right NO WHERE ELSE!
It's
Herb Chambers or bust
for Nightclub DJ's.com!
The
Scion,
Vespa,
Smart Cars,
Mini Coopers and more!
Check out these pics courtesy of
Gizmag!


Scion xB
DJ
November 8, 2004 The rise of specialist
automobiles
for niche markets continues with a showing of the
Scion xB
DJ vehicle at the SEMA conference in Las Vegas recently.
The Scion xB
DJ is a concept car
packed to the brim with audio/video and navigation equipment from
Pioneer Electronics and aimed at the hip and booming dance music crowd.

It's quite amazing the amount of gear that is
crammed into the
Scion xB DJ vehicle, which has a squat and compact frame and room
for two people in the front seats. Mounted on the doors are Pioneer's
REV series component speakers.

The rear doors motorize open to reveal
four sets of the TS-C160R REV speakers installed in specially shaped
enclosures. A total of four Pioneer TS-W12PRS 12-inch subwoofers
provide heart-pounding bass. REV style grills match the REV
speakers on the doors.

The entire rear of the
xB fully
motorizes out to reveal Pioneer DJ products. When the rear fully
retracts, two CDJ-1000s and a DJM-600 mixer in a "coffin" motorizes up,
ready to play music for the crowd. Two AVD-W8000 8-inch monitors reside
next to the CDJ-1000s and monitor in the rear window
provide video entertainment.

A companion model, the 2005
Scion tC,
was also displayed at SEME. It is equipped with navigation and a
complete audio video system custom installed within a black and red
themed interior, and is virtually the same model but without the
pre-installed Djing equipment.

Scion is a brand of the Toyota
stable aimed at a younger and more select American target
audience. Toyota have also announced a DJ ready concept van, the HIACE
Sound Satellite, suggesting car manufacturers are eager to tap into the
booming global demographic of DJs and electronic music enthusiasts who
need vehicle room to carry speakers, decks and heavy equipment.

Scions are just one of the Lifestyle Vehicles Herb Chambers Dealerships carry...
Coming soon...Nightclub DJ's is going feature more information on
Vespas,
Mini Coopers and
Smart Cars!
Herb CHambers and Boston Nightclub
NEws want to keep you informed on the vehicles with the best Gas Mileage
CLICK HERE

See our Newsletters
"Under our Hood" CLICK HERE!
-
The mission of
The Herb Chambers Companies is to provide the highest quality
service to our customers in the sale and repair of their motor
vehicles.
-
We will operate professionally managed dealerships
committed to be the leader in the market areas they serve.
-
Additionally, we will provide all our employees
with the opportunity to receive above average compensation and
opportunities for advancement, within our organization, limited only
by their ability and performance.
-
In all instances, the highest level of integrity
is to be maintained with customers, automobile manufacturers, and
employees.
 

Luxury Cars
Boston - "No Complaints"
Please choose your Herb Chambers dealership:
Chambers
Motorcars of Boston (877) 832-1461 259 McGrath
Highway Somerville, MA 02145
Flagship
Motorcars (877) 907-1967 385 Broadway, Route 1
Lynnfield, MA 01940
Mercedes-Benz
of Natick (888) 215-9601 253 North Main Street,
Route 27 Natick, MA 01760
Herb
Chambers Maybach (877) 832-1461 259 McGrath
Highway Somerville, MA 02145
Audi
Burlington (866) 224-2844 93 Cambridge Street,
Exit 33B Off Route 128 Burlington, MA 01803
Bentley
Boston (888) 215-9684 533 Boston Post Road
Wayland MA 01778
Herb
Chambers BMW of Boston (877) 823-0324 1168
Commonwealth Avenue Boston, MA 02134
Foreign
Motors West BMW (877) 203-5102 253 North Main
Street, Route 27 Natick, MA 01760
Herb
Chambers Chevrolet / Buick / Pontiac & HUMMER (877)
206-2643 Route 114 - 90 Andover Street Danvers, MA
01923
Herb
Chambers Cadillac of Providence (877) 844-9860
101 Cadillac Drive Providence, RI 02907
Herb
Chambers Chevrolet / Buick / Pontiac & HUMMER (877)
206-2643 Route 114 - 90 Andover Street Danvers, MA
01923
Herb
Chambers Chrysler / Jeep / Dodge (888) 550-9557 2
Latti Farm Road, Route 20 Millbury, MA 01527
Herb
Chambers Chrysler / Jeep / Dodge of Danvers (877)
560-4141 Route 114 - 107 Andover Street Danvers, MA
01923
Herb
Chambers Chrysler / Jeep / Dodge (888) 550-9557 2
Latti Farm Road, Route 20 Millbury, MA 01527
Herb
Chambers Chrysler / Jeep / Dodge of Danvers (877)
560-4141 Route 114 - 107 Andover Street Danvers, MA
01923
Herb
Chambers Ford of Braintree (877) 876-6584 75
Granite Street, Route 37 Braintree, MA 02184
Herb
Chambers Ford of Westborough (877) 480-6039 310
Turnpike Road, Route 9 Westborough, MA 01581
Herb
Chambers Honda of Boston (877) 884-1868 1186
Commonwealth Avenue Boston, MA 02134
Herb
Chambers Honda of Burlington (877) 889-4952 33
Cambridge Street, Route 3 Burlington, MA 01803
Herb
Chambers Honda of Seekonk (888) 941-4037 185
Taunton Avenue, Route 44 Seekonk, MA 02771
Herb
Chambers Honda of Westborough (888) 208-6862 350
Turnpike Road Westborough, MA 01581
Herb
Chambers Chevrolet / Buick / Pontiac & HUMMER (877)
206-2643 Route 114 - 90 Andover Street Danvers, MA
01923
Herb
Chambers Hyundai (888) 350-1597 735 Southbridge
Street, Routes 12 & 20 Auburn, MA 01501
Herb
Chambers Infiniti (877) 844-8926 1198
Commonwealth Avenue Boston, MA 02134
Herb
Chambers Chrysler / Jeep / Dodge (888) 550-9557 2
Latti Farm Road, Route 20 Millbury, MA 01527
Herb
Chambers Chrysler / Jeep / Dodge of Danvers (877)
560-4141 Route 114 - 107 Andover Street Danvers, MA
01923
Land
Rover Sudbury (888) 216-1776 83 Boston Post Road
Sudbury, MA 01776
Herb
Chambers Lexus (800) 992-3058 25 Providence
Highway Sharon, MA 02067
Herb
Chambers MINI of Boston (877) 823-0324 1168
Commonwealth Avenue Boston, MA 02134
Herb
Chambers Chevrolet / Buick / Pontiac & HUMMER (877)
206-2643 Route 114 - 90 Andover Street Danvers, MA
01923
Herb
Chambers Porsche of Boston (877) 575-4635 1168
Commonwealth Avenue Boston, MA 02134
Porsche
of Burlington (888) 459-4022 93 Cambridge Street,
Exit 33B Off Route 128 Burlington, MA 01803
Herb
Chambers Rolls-Royce Motorcars of New England (888)
216-0412 531 Boston Post Road Wayland, MA 01778
Herb
Chambers Saab (888) 891-6590 1172 Commonwealth
Avenue Boston, MA 02134
Herb
Chambers Saturn of Warwick (888) 759-8520 1511
Bald Hill Road, Route 2 Warwick, RI 02886
Herb
Chambers Saturn of Seekonk (888) 350-2190 189
Taunton Avenue, Route 44 Seekonk, MA 02771
Herb
Chambers Scion of Auburn (888) 941-3305 809
Washington Street, Route 20 Auburn, MA 01501
Herb
Chambers Scion of Boston (877) 906-1652 32
Brighton Ave Boston, MA 02134
smart
center Boston (866) 201-5128 259 McGrath Highway
Somerville, MA 02145
smart
center Lynnfield (866) 201-5126 385 Broadway,
Route 1 Lynnfield, MA 01940
Herb
Chambers Toyota of Boston (877) 906-1652 32
Brighton Ave Boston, MA 02134
Herb
Chambers Toyota of Auburn (888) 941-3305 809
Washington Street, Route 20 Auburn, MA 01501
Herb
Chambers Vespa of Boston (866) 724-5395 22
Brighton Avenue Boston, MA 02134
Herb
Chambers Pre-Owned Clearance Center (888) 759-8520
1511 Bald Hill Road, Route 2 Warwick, RI 02886

The Herb Chambers Companies serve Boston Mass,
Providence RI and Worcester MA areas with new, used and
pre-owned Audi, Bentley, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chevy,
Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Honda, Hummer, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jeep,
Land Rover, Lexus, Maybach, Mercedes, Mercedes-Benz, Mini,
Pontiac, Porsche, Rolls Royce, Saab, Saturn, Scion, Smart,
Toyota and Vespa.
Whether you are looking to buy a new vehicle
from Herb Chambers, or just looking to have quality collision
repair or service performed -- we hope that you find what you
need here on our web site. If not, please
contact us as soon as possible so that we can better assist
you.

Herb Chambers Helps you Find The Best Gas Prices!
Herb Chambers loves being
"king
of cars"
 
By Peter C.T. Elsworth
Journal Staff Writer
Herb Chambers is on the
move.
Inside
Herb Chambers’ new Lexus
dealership in Sharon, Mass.,
set to open in six weeks.
But
then it’s hard to imagine
New England’s top auto
dealer sitting still for
very long. Chambers is a
whirlwind of enthusiasm, his
open charm tempering
marketing savvy, an eye for
good deals and the moxie to
make them.
His
business modus operandi
seems to be more
opportunistic than planned
out. But that just applies
to his deal making, which
has resulted in the Herb
Chambers Group acquiring 38
dealerships in Southern New
England in just over 20
years. He said he would be
acquiring more dealerships
in the next 12 to 15 months.
When it
comes to running his
business, nothing is more
thought out. Chambers
strongly believes in a
corporate culture that is
service oriented, and he
sees attracting good
employees and keeping them
happy as the key to the
success of his companies.
His most
recent acquisitions — just
this month — reflect the
catholic range of marques
under his umbrella: one is a
Dodge-Jeep dealership while
the other sells a range of
exotics, including Audi,
Bentley, BMW, Mercedes-Benz,
Porsche and Rolls-Royce.
And he is
building a new Cadillac
dealership on Route 2 in
West Warwick — construction
due to start this summer and
last about a year — and is
about to open the doors of a
$30-million Lexus dealership
in Sharon, Mass. No expense
has been spared on the
110,000-square-foot Xanadu
of that dealership, which he
calls “the craziest thing
I’ve ever done.”
“It’s been
one step at a time, there
was no plan of having a
company like we have,”
Chambers said last week at
his Cadillac dealership in
Providence. “We bought two
more (dealerships) in the
last 30 days. The guys here
call me a deal junkie.”
The bottom
line — his company will
report $1.8 billion in sales
this year — speaks for
Chambers’ business acumen
and ability to inspire his
workforce.
“You can’t
have a happy customer
without happy employees,” he
added. “How do you get
people to perform and stay?
There’s never enough money.
If you’re great, why work
for me? People have to feel
appreciated. I try to
develop a culture within the
company.”
“I’ve been
very fortunate in attracting
great people. I’m not an
expert in the automobile
business, but I do consider
myself an expert in the
people business,” he said.
“I hire people with auto
experience, but I hire for
attitude. I want people with
big smiles, outgoing
personalities, good eye
contact, (people who are)
sincere. We can teach a
skill.”
Chambers,
who lives in Boston and Old
Lyme, Conn., was born and
raised in Dorchester, Mass.,
and joined the Navy after
high school. “I was in the
Navy for four years, and I
loved it,” he said. “I
almost stayed.”
After his
discharge, Chambers’ first
career was in copying
machines. He worked for
American Photocopy Equipment
Company in Cambridge and in
1965, with $1,000 from his
mother, he started his own
company in Hartford. “I
started (A-Copy America)
when I was 22, knocking on
doors, selling supplies for
copying machines,” he said.
He said the company became
the largest independent
distributor of office
equipment in the U.S. before
he sold it to Alco Standard
in 1983 and joined their
mergers and acquisitions
department. He got started
in the automobile business
“by accident in 1984 or
1985” when he went to a
dealership in New London to
buy a Cadillac Eldorado. At
the time, the long hours and
nights away from home
working for Alco were
getting to him. Besides, he
missed running his own
company.
“I was
looking for a little
business of my own and I’ve
always been a car nut,” he
said. Indeed, he currently
has a collection of about 15
exotics, including a rare
McLaren F1, one of the
fastest road cars ever
built.
Looking
around, he said he quickly
realized the dealership was
for sale. The sales force
was listless and “the place
was dirty, the windows
dusty, weeds outside, it
looked like hell,” he said,
adding, “When a business is
for sale, it might not say
it’s for sale.”
The owner
returned from lunch and did
not initially want to sell.
Chambers asked him what he
wanted to do, “He said play
golf, but said there’s never
enough time to play golf. I
said: ‘Tell you what, I’ll
buy the dealership and you
can play golf.’ ”
They
discussed the price,
Chambers looked over the
company’s financial
statement, which revealed it
was in the red, and “we got
out pen and paper and 45
minutes later we had a bill
of sale.”
“As it
turned out it was not so
simple, as GM insisted I get
a partner because I did not
have any experience in the
automobile business,”
Chambers said. He brought in
an old colleague from his
days in the copying business
to run the business.
“I bought
him out two years later, and
he was a very good partner,”
he said. “I’ve had some
general managers who have
not been good, and if he had
not been good it might have
soured me to the business.”
The
comment is typical of
Chambers, who is very quick
to deflect attention away
from his own skills and ply
appreciation onto his
partners and employees.
“I’m one
of the most fortunate people
I’ve ever met,” he said,
spreading out his arms, his
charming egotism overcoming
his logic. “I’ve never had
an original idea in my life,
but I can recognize other
people’s good ones. I learn
from everyone I’ve ever
met.”
After New
London, he started
expanding, starting with a
Hyundai dealership in
Hartford. “We could not get
them fast enough,” he said
referring to the early
Hyundais.
He went on
to buy further dealerships,
and now has 38 in Southern
New England covering a very
wide range of marques,
including all the domestic
brands (“I’m very bullish on
domestics,”) as well as
Audi, Bentley, BMW, Honda,
Hyundai, Infiniti,
Mercedes-Benz, Mini,
Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Saab,
Scion, Toyota and Vespa
scooters.
“What’s
the significance (of having
so many different brands)?”
he asked rhetorically.
“Market penetration. I want
to have whatever people
want. It’s like Howard
Johnson had 28 flavors. If
someone wants to upgrade to
a Cadillac from a Honda, it
helps if they have bought
the Honda from us and had a
good experience.”
To ensure
that good experience,
Chambers closely cultivates
his employees. Every month,
he meets with his entire
sales force — some 400
strong — in Randolph, Mass.,
from 7 to 9 a.m. for a
general meeting to discuss
everything from sales goals
to sales tips. Once a year,
he hosts a black-tie affair
for his sales team where
awards are given out,
including big money awards
for sales masters — staff
who have hit sales targets
combined with good customer
satisfaction reports.
Three
years of ranking as a sales
master results in the most
coveted award of all: the
Herb Chambers ring, a Super
Bowl-sized beauty with the
letters HC inscribed on it.
Chambers wears one himself.
“This is
the Herb Chambers ring,”
said Lawrence Skinner,
general manager of Chambers’
Cadillac dealership, showing
his own. He turned it round
his finger. “This is what
people want, more than the
money.”
Top
general mangers are awarded
$20,000 gold Rolex watches,
and again the award is given
not just for the level of
sales but also for good
customer satisfaction and
low turnover.
At the
same time, many of the
functions are purely social
events, with the emphasis on
having a good time, ranging
from trips to Bermuda to
dinner dances on his yacht
(Excellence III, a 188-foot
motor yacht; Excellence IV,
a 257-footer that will have
a crew of 22, is currently
being built in Germany) and
other venues.
Chambers
wants to know his employees
and their families, and much
of the emphasis on
socializing is a chance to
impart what he calls the
Chambers philosophy.
“I get to
know all the wives and
husbands and significant
others on a first-name
basis,” he said. “How
important is that? I think
it’s really important.”
Apart from
his car collection and his
yachts, Chambers, who is
divorced and has a
40-year-old son and a niece
who runs one of his BMW
dealerships, has his own
company jet and helicopter.
It was in the latter that he
showed off his new Lexus
dealership in Sharon that is
scheduled to open around
July 1. He claims it will be
“the best dealership in
world for about six months –
when someone will build a
better one.”
He said
got the idea of pulling
design elements from other
Lexus dealerships following
a dinner celebrating the
opening of a wing at UMass
Memorial Health Center in
Worcester. He was impressed
with the design and was told
it incorporated elements
from various other
hospitals.
A week
later, he was on the company
plane with an architect,
photographer and assistant
visiting top Lexus
dealerships in Atlanta, Las
Vegas, South Carolina and
Texas in one day. “We
(started) from Boston early,
early, early, and (arrived)
back that night late, late,
late,” he said. “I wanted
the best of the best of the
best.”
He joked
that the dealership is so
big, someone suggested he
could build the cars as well
as sell them. The showroom,
which is capable of holding
40 cars, has 50-foot
windows, including a
$500,000 skylight. Behind
are 50 service bays
immaculately laid out in a
light, spacious hall. “It’s
the United Auto model on
steroids,” he said. He
expects to have a sales
staff of about 50 with an
additional 50 to 60 in the
service department. “There
are four or five
lunchrooms,” he said.
Upstairs, the customer
waiting area is equipped
with a complimentary coffee
and food bar, flat-screen
TVs, a fireplace and
children’s play area. The
bathrooms look like they
belong in a luxury hotel and
even the staircase is extra
wide.
“Space,
space. Space is luxury,” he
said passing through the
half-finished rooms and
pointing at this and that.
He said his current Lexus
dealership up the road –
which he has sold – sells
about 400 cars a month.
“We’re going to have to sell
600 here on a pretty regular
basis,” he said.
“See those
doors,” he said, pointing
enthusiastically at the
service bay doors. “I wish
you could see them work.
They go up and down in
seconds. I saw them in
Germany.”
The
casino-like entrance
features a vast canopy
leading out to a rounded
space that is currently
empty. “I want to put a
waterfall in there,”
Chambers said. “And keep it
running through the winter
by running antifreeze in it.
My architect says I’m
crazy.”
Returning
to Providence in the
helicopter, Chambers
outlines his business
philosophy. “No one wants to
be taken advantage of,” he
said. “But they do want to
be taken care of, and that
(service) costs money.” But
he said people are willing
to pay for service so long
as they feel it is not being
sold to them.
“If
someone asks you, ‘Where did
you get that?’ ” he said,
referring to a watch, “And
you say, ‘Somebody sold it
to me,’ it means you don’t
like it, that maybe you were
taken advantage of. But if
you say, ‘Oh, I bought it
over there,’ it means the
opposite, you made the
decision to buy it.”
“So, I
don’t want my sales people
to sell cars; I want them to
help people buy cars.”
pelsworth@projo.com

For Rent: My Yacht. I'll Throw in the
Jacuzzi.
By CATHERINE M. ALLCHIN - New York Times

IT is said that owning a boat is like throwing money into
the sea. For many owners of $20 million or $30 million yachts, economizing
may not be top of mind. But some owners of these luxurious superyachts -
boats more than 100 feet long - are increasingly inviting other wealthy
vacationers to help pay the bills.
Yacht owners can recover most or all of the money they
spend on boat maintenance and operations by renting their floating resorts
to celebrities and others. These clients may pay as much as $300,000 or
$400,000 a week for an exclusive luxury cruise.
This weekend, at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat
Show in Florida, sailors and yacht lovers from around the world are
comparing the industry's latest and greatest goods. More than 1,400 boats,
from 18 feet to 208 feet long, are to be offered for sale or charter, said
Andrew Doole, vice president of Show Management, which runs the show. He
expects that nearly a half-billion dollars will change hands at the event.
Industry specialists say the market is booming for yachts
150 feet or longer, with demand far exceeding availability. While owners and
brokers do not readily disclose sales figures, Robert Moran, president of
Moran Yacht and Ship, a yacht broker in Fort Lauderdale, estimates the
worldwide market at $3 billion a year for new construction of such yachts.
Mr. Doole says the number of big boats displayed at the Fort Lauderdale show
has quadrupled in 10 years.
Operating costs for a 150-foot custom yacht can range from
$1.2 million to $1.6 million a year, Mr. Moran said. To help cover such
expenses, as many as 500 owners of superyachts rent their boats to others,
said Bob Saxon, president of Camper & Nicholsons USA, which services, sells
and manages charters for the owners. Camper & Nicholsons, a unit of the
Rodriguez Group of
France, manages 120 yachts, from 80 to 350 feet, in its worldwide fleet,
with weekly rates of $20,000 to $325,000, not including expenses like those
for fuel, food, docking fees and tips for the crew. Owners renting their
boats for 8 to 10 weeks a year can generally recoup most, if not all, of
their operating costs.
Many owners with successful charter businesses are able to
deduct chartering expenses from other income sources at tax time. But these
advantages may apply only if the owner demonstrates intent to operate a
profitable business and limits his personal use of the boat.
For the renters, the accommodations can certainly be
luxurious. A superyacht renting for about $150,000 a week may include four
staterooms with marble bathrooms and a spacious master stateroom, with
his-and-hers dressing rooms, a Jacuzzi, a sitting area and a study. Many
yachts offer a gym, a movie theater and bars. Guests can use the yacht's
gear to go kayaking, scuba diving or to ride a motorized water scooter. Or,
by using the speedboat that comes with most yachts, they can go fishing or
water-skiing.
Longer boats, in the 400-foot range, may rent for up to
$700,000 a week. They may offer accommodations for up to 60 people and come
with extras like a swimming pool, bowling alley, discotheque, helipad,
beauty salon and children's playroom.
Charter rates have increased by a third in the last four
years because of high demand, said Mr. Moran, who spent 15 years as a
captain of a variety of yachts before he began his company, which manages
sales, charters and new yacht construction projects for clients around the
world. "The rich are getting richer, and the number of quality yachts is
limited," he said. "I've never seen business as strong as it is today."

What Herb Chambers Drives
Mr. Saxon of Camper & Nicholson's advises owners and
brokers about the ingredients needed to create a successful charter
business. "Assuming one wishes to capitalize on the charter income
potential, the old rule 'bigger is better' applies," he said. He said an
owner needed a first-rate crew. "One of the most common mistakes I see," he
said, "is that an owner who has just dished out a ton of money to buy a
yacht will try to cut expenses by hiring less-than-quality crew members."
A veteran boat owner, Herb Chambers of Old Lyme, Conn.,
hired Camper & Nicholson's to run the charter business for his formidable
188-foot Excellence III. The weekly charter rate is $385,000. He is able to
rent it for about 10 weeks a year, which covers his $3 million to $3.5
million in annual operating costs plus the 15 percent broker's fee. Mr.
Chambers says his costs are greater than those of a typical 150-foot boat
because his boat is bigger, of higher quality and better maintained.
Mr. Chambers, 63, who owns a network of car dealerships,
is now having a 257-foot boat built at Abeking & Rasmussen, a German
shipbuilder, and hopes to launch it in 2008.
"You're not making money chartering, but you can cover
most or all of your operating costs and keep the crew busy," he said. "The
real profit opportunity, though, comes when you sell the boat," he said,
adding that the value of the Excellence III has risen 50 percent since he
bought it four years ago.
In 25 years of renting his yachts, he said he had
experienced no accidents or damage. "There is no downside," he said.
Others, however, consider scheduling a major difficulty,
because owners must plan their own travel around the charter operation.
Holidays like Christmas and New Year's Day are predictably popular. Mr.
Chambers, who says his schedule is "flexible," explains that charters of his
yacht bring in $770,000 in those two holiday weeks. "I call that a great
payday," he said.
He visits the boat a few times a year, always checking on
the quality of the food and service when he does, "just as you would in a
hotel."
Guests on the Excellence III are greeted on arrival with a
bottle of Cristal Champagne. Later, perhaps, they climb to the top deck to
soak in a Jacuzzi where rose petals dance on the water's surface. "We try to
give people a great experience," Mr. Chambers said. "The crew has to be
positive, bright-eyed and able to anticipate all the guests' desires. And
you need an over-the-moon chef."
MR. SAXON says a crew can make or break a charter
experience. "A fabulous crew can overcome many of a boat's shortcomings and
can entice clients to become repeat customers," he added.
Not surprisingly, a great crew doesn't come cheap. On a
150-foot boat, the captain would earn up to $175,000 a year, Mr. Moran said.
The largest line item in a yacht's budget is salaries and health benefits,
which run about $535,000 annually for the typical crew of 10 on a 150-foot
boat, he said.
When a boat is not on a charter cruise, an owner must pay
for his own fuel and docking fees. Jim Vincent, who owns a 158-foot
Italian-built CRN, says his costs change, based on fuel prices and
international currency rates. Mr. Vincent, the retired chairman and chief
executive of
Biogen, the biotech company that is now
Biogen Idec, lives in Weston, Mass., and charters his boat, the Kanoloa,
for $195,000 a week. Filling up the Kanoloa's diesel fuel tanks - which hold
32,000 gallons - would have cost about $65,000 last month. His boat is used
for charters in the
Caribbean in the winter and the Mediterranean in the summer.
"I don't run into too many boat owners who don't care
about the expenses," Mr. Vincent said. "If you're not able to use it
much, I don't know why you wouldn't charter, unless you just want to throw
money in the wind." Or the sea.
Herb Chambers will break
ground in Burlington
Auto dealer
Herb Chambers
plans to break ground tomorrow for a new
Audi/Porsche dealership in Burlington.
(Above is a rendering of what the new
dealership will look like.)
Six weeks ago, Chambers presided over a
similar ground-breaking ceremony in Westborough for an
Infiniti dealership,
and in the next few weeks, he plans to do the same for a new
BMW dealership in
Sudbury.

The US economy may be sluggish; consumers
are fretting about high gas prices, but Chambers is forging
ahead and reinvesting in his New England auto dealership
empire.
In Burlington, that means relocating the
Audi/Porsche dealership he bought about a year ago to
larger space nearby.
"I hear everywhere that the auto business
is bad," he said, "but we don't experience it."
Domestic auto brands, such as
Ford,
General Motors, and
Chrysler are challenged, Chambers said, but some foreign
brands are a different story.
According to Chambers, officials at
Honda Motor Co. told him that Honda volume sales in New
England were up 18 percent in April compared to a year ago.

Four of Chambers' 44 dealerships are Honda
and 15 are for Ford, GM, or Chrysler brands, he said.
With recent ads heavily promoting his
used-car business, Chambers said he also saw an uptick in
used-car sales in April.
Some people are trading in their
gas-guzzling SUVs for more fuel-efficient cars, but others
are keeping their SUVs and buying a more fuel-efficient
vehicle for every-day use.
"They'll use the SUV when they go on
vacation to New Hampshire or the Cape," Chambers said, "but
they want something else for the every-commute."
Maybe that's why sales of gas-sipping
Vespas are booming.
Last month, Chambers said he sold nearly
80, compared with 35 for April 2007.
Speaking about the auto market in general,
Chambers said: "The market hasn't gotten any bigger. We're
just getting a bigger piece of it."
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)
Herb Chambers is
14th in the
Nation
March 30, 2008 -
By Peter C.T.
Elsworth -
Journal Staff
Writer
 
PROVIDENCE —
Herb Chambers
has retained his
position as the
14th largest
auto dealership
in the nation,
according to the
latest listing
by Automotive
News.
“We’re obviously
thrilled about
it,” said
Chambers from
the Caribbean,
where he was
holding a sales
meeting last
week.
The ranking is
based on new
vehicle retail
sales, with
Somerville,
Mass.-based
Chambers coming
in with 32,386
units. Combined
with sales of
used vehicles
and wholesale
sales, the
company, which
has three
dealerships in
Rhode Island and
41 in
Massachusetts,
sold a total of
63,933 vehicles
last year. Group
revenue was $1.7
billion.
At the same
time, Chambers
said he expects
sales to be up
by about $200
million this
year — “sales
could go to $2
billion if we’re
lucky” — partly
because of the
full-year
contribution of
luxury
dealership
Foreign Motors
West, which he
acquired last
June, and partly
because of
expected
increases in
same-store
sales.
“I’m pretty
optimistic,
unlike most of
the industry,”
he said. “If you
buy into (the
doom and gloom),
you can lull
yourself into
poor
performance.”
The top
dealership in
the country last
year was Fort
Lauderdale,
Fla.-based
AutoNation, with
683,867 total
sales and
revenues of
$17.6 billion.
Number two was
Bloomfield
Hills,
Mich.-based
Penske
Automotive
Group, which
owns Inskip
Automall in
Warwick, with
388,642 total
sales and
revenues of
$12.8 billion.
“2007 was
supposed to be a
tough year but
it was our best
year ever,”
Chambers said.
“And I think
2008 will be
better than a
repeat
performance.”
“We’ve got great
people,” he
added, noting
the company
currently has
about 2,000
employees. “I
know everyone
says that, but I
really believe
it. That’s why
we’re
successful. It’s
not my ability.”
Chambers said
when he started
25 years ago
with a Cadillac
dealership in
New London, his
plan was merely
to grow the
company.
“There were
33,000
dealerships in
the country back
then, and we
were number
33,000 and one,”
he said. “Now
there are 22,000
dealerships and
we’re very
pleased to be
number 14. We’re
appreciative,
but we’re not
gloating.”
 
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