After some early zoning problems with Village officials and a year of construction, Bill Lehman's luxuriously modern Kendall Mitsubishi dealership in North Pinecrest is finally open for business.

Kendall Mitsubishi's (Left to Right) Eric Friedman, Alan Reyf and Bill Lehman

Located on a 1.5-acre tract at 8523 Pinecrest Parkway (So. Dixie Highway), the beautiful new 10,000 square foot, $3-million showroom-office-service complex is designed to launch this Lehman dealership to the top of the heap.

"We intend to make Kendall Mitsubishi the dominant franchise in this area," said Bill Lehman, Jr. "So we're taking deals that we probably would not accept a few months from now. With our grand opening, we're being very aggressive with our pricing because we want to sell cars."

Lehman's sister Mitsubishi dealership in the North end of Miami-Dade on Countyline Road and US 441 consistently has been one of the top five Mitsubishi dealers in the country for the last 10 years.

Lehman said he has overstocked the fledgling Kendall dealership with new cars to give customers a broad selection.

"We want to provide our customers with a car at the cheapest possible price and give them the largest inventory of cars available to choose from," he said. "At the same, we want to make sure that they're treated in a way that they want to come back and do business with us again."

Lehman, whose father began selling automobiles in Dade County in 1938, assumed control of the family business in 1967 and shepherded it to a multi-franchise operation that includes Buick, Saab, Hyundai, Izuzu, Suzuki, Subaru and Oldsmobile, in addition to the two Mitsubishi dealerships.

"We've wanted another location for Mitsubishi for a long time," said Lehman. "The opportunity came for this dealership and we like this Pinecrest-Kendall area very much. Its dynamic and we feel that with this location we can offer a viable and appealing alternative to the people who live down here, something the public hasn't been able to find."

He observed that because of the

soaring land values in the area, many auto dealers ­ like Sun Chevrolet and Williamson Cadillac -- were going out of business or re-locating.

"I think we've put up a great looking building and met the needs and requirements that Pinecrest felt they wanted us to meet regarding signage, lighting, entrance and exits, and landscaping," said Lehman. "We want to be a good neighbor and make a positive impact on the community."

Lehman said that he was proud of his family heritage, of being in the automobile business in South Florida for more than 60 years.

"We're the oldest auto dealership under the same ownership in Miami-Dade County," he said. "It's a family business, it's grown and prospered and hopefully served the community well. And, I like to think we have a good reputation."

The Lehman automobile dealerships are a solid boost to the Miami-Dade economy, employing almost 300 people, employees who remarkably remain with the company for much longer than average.

"The average employee longevity with the company is 10 years, which is very unusual in the automobile business," Lehman said. "Alan Reyf, my partner here at Kendall Mitsubishi, has been with us for 12 years and Eric Friedman, our general manager, started with us right out of college. So, his entire career has been with our company."

Lehman said his company ­ Lehman Dealership Enterprises -- has expanded into other areas of the automobile business over the years, such as automobile and passenger van leasing.

"We're probably the largest independent auto leasing business in South Florida," he said. "We specialize in leasing trucks and vans, especially to health care entities such as HMOs and hospitals for wheelchair vans and 15-passenger vans. It's a niche that we've established. We also do a lot of auto leasing as well.

"I like my business," said Lehman with a grin. "It's a fun business and I'm not interested in retiring, even if I am 58."

For more information on Kendall Mitsubishi, please call 305-669-2000 or access the company's website at http://www.kendallmitsubishi.com .