Kelly Wolf, chief executive officer of the Houston-based indiGO Auto Group, says local conditions are ripe for his company to open a Porsche dealership in Little Rock early next year, restoring the German luxury automaker's presence in Arkansas after several decades.
"Arkansas is growing. There's more growth being created every year," Wolf said in an interview. "But also, Porsche's growing. Porsche is looking for markets that are innovative markets, that have the desire, community and wealth to grow. While Porsche Little Rock will never be the biggest-volume dealer in the country, we do think that there's a need for Porsche in Arkansas just simply because of Porsche-owners already existing."
It's also coming to Little Rock because of the city's status as capital of and largest city in Arkansas, in addition to its centrality within the state.
"Porsche is consistently studying markets and trying to determine where there's a need for Porsche dealerships or servicing," he said. The automaker identified Little Rock as such a market, and Wolf's company, which has other luxury car dealerships in Southern California, the San Francisco Bay area, Houston and St. Louis, bid for the Porsche dealership here and won.
"While there are other areas that are growing, I think we can serve them as well," he said, noting support from Mayor Frank Scott Jr. and the local Porsche club.
Paul Flemming, president of the 300-member, multistate Porsche Club of America's Ozark Region, welcomed the news, noting that the nearest Porsche dealership, which does warranty repairs, is in Memphis. (A Little Rock auto repair shop, Perfection Plus off Baseline Road at Interstate 430, also specializes in Porsche maintenance.)
"There appears to be a lot of Porsches in the area, and that's why the dealership is being constructed now," Flemming said. "In order for the car to run as intended, you need to pay attention to the maintenance."
The 24,300-square-foot, two-story Porsche Little Rock dealership is under construction on a 2-acre lot at Colonel Glenn Plaza near Interstate 430. The surrounding area is home to seven other vehicle dealerships.
Wolf expects the dealership to employ 30 to 40 people: around four managers, five or six in sales, 10 to 12 technicians and additional support staff.
A few candidates for the top management job have been identified from within indiGO.
The company is taking resumes now, with job placement expected early next year. Technicians need to complete Porsche's technical training, though those without that credential may apply and earn it prior to the dealership's opening.
"We would like them to have some experience with Volkswagen Group or some of the other luxury brands, but we are willing to train and invest in the people who want to come work with us," Wolf said.
In time, Wolf expects sales of 250 to 300 new Porsche vehicles annually and around the same number of used Porsches. He expects revenue from sales to be twice that from service and parts. The average cost of sale is more than $120,000.
"In a luxury market, our customers have plenty of options. They can buy just about any brand they like," Wolf said. "For us to be successful, we have to focus on making sure we have a transparent sales-and-buying process, that we provide a very cool, unique and fun experience, and that we make sure that their ownership experience after the sale is also fun and unique."
(Said Flemming, "The Porsche to me is not only pleasing to the eye, but it's just rock-solid, the way it handles.")
That means driving events and other functions for Porsche owners. Wolf said that bringing the vehicles in for service should be "no less an experience than their sales experience was."
"We've learned that if we take care of our employees and take care of our customers, then success is really inevitable. And it's been a successful formula so far," he said.
Business and civic leaders held a groundbreaking for the Porsche dealership, designed by the Goree architectural firm in Houston, in April. Little Rock-based Baldwin & Shell is the contractor.
"We should open in roughly the late part of Q1 next year, so we're rocking and rolling," Wolf said.
A map showing the location of Porsche Little Rock.