With the 2016 elections behind(?) us, we can get back to what auto enthusiasts and consumers do best: bashing automotive retailers. And while dealers doing good work using ‘best practices’ may come as a shock, they do exist – and a few are occasionally identified. One of the best is the Dallas area’s Park Place Lexus, recently recognized by the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program. And no, this isn’t based on owner Ken Schnitzer’s 0-60 times or track day capability; rather, it’s based on the combined assets of Park Place’s management and staff working to ensure client satisfaction. Crazy concept, that…

The release provided by Park Place Lexus is below. And if you can’t have your own Jay Leno-like garage and staff, use Ken Schnitzer’s. His are among the best…

PARK PLACE LEXUS RECOGNIZED FOR BEST PRACTICES IN CUSTOMER FOCUS BY BALDRIGE PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE PROGRAM

DALLAS (Nov. 18, 2016) – Texas-based Park Place Lexus has been recognized for a best practice in customer focus by the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, part of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award program. Park Place Lexus is one of six companies in the United States to be recognized.

“The path we started more than a decade ago to pursue the Baldrige Program has led to improved strategies and best management practices we have implemented to better serve our clients,” said Ken Schnitzer, chairman and founder of Park Place Dealerships. “We are honored to be recognized for our commitment to consistently deliver a positive customer experience.”

Park Place has two Lexus dealerships in North Texas that jointly received the recognition. Park Place Lexus Grapevine, located near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and Park Place Lexus Plano, just north of Dallas, employ more than 570 people. In 2005, the two dealerships received the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest Presidential honor for sustainable excellence through visionary leadership, organizational alignment, systemic improvement and innovation.

“Based on our continued improvement through a systematic approach to goal-setting, measures and reviews, we offer our clients the best automotive purchase and ownership experience,” remarked Jordan Case, President of Park Place Lexus. ”We continue to improve our processes of learning what we could do better and pushing ourselves to be the best in our industry.”

During a recent visit from Baldrige examiners, a site visit evaluation team spent several days interviewing 400 of Park Place’s nearly 600 Lexus members. Park Place Lexus was one of six organizations in the country to receive a best practices honor. The complete list includes:

City of Fort Collins , Fort Collins, Colorado—leadership

, Fort Collins, Colorado—leadership Kaiser Permanente San Diego , San Diego, California—leadership

, San Diego, California—leadership Maury Regional Medical Center , Columbia, Tennessee—leadership

, Columbia, Tennessee—leadership Duke University Hospital , Durham, North Carolina—leadership and strategy

, Durham, North Carolina—leadership and strategy Park Place Lexus of Texas , Plano, Texas—customers

, Plano, Texas—customers Southern Management Corporation, Vienna, Virginia—workforce

The Baldrige Performance Excellence Program raises awareness about the importance of performance excellence in driving the U.S. and global economy; provides organizational assessment tools and criteria; and educates leaders in all type of organizations about the practices of national role models. Since the first Baldrige Award recipients were recognized in 1988, 109 awards have been presented to 102 organizations (including seven two-time award recipients). The Baldrige Award recognizes the nation’s top-level performers in six categories: manufacturing, service, small business, health care, education and nonprofit.

Ken Schnitzer founded Park Place Dealerships in 1987 with a single Mercedes-Benz dealership on Oak Lawn. Today, Park Place Dealerships employs more than 2,000 people and operates 17 full-service dealerships representing luxury brands including Rolls-Royce, Bentley, McLaren, Maserati, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Infiniti, Volvo, smart, Jaguar, and Lotus. For more information about Park Place Dealerships, visit parkplace.com.