New Home for MAROSTICA SUBARU
By Sherry Hanes
Jim Marostica, General Manager of Marostica Subaru, Thunder Bay, couldnt be more excited about their new, 10,600 square foot, state of the art dealership, at their incredible, new, ultimate exposure,
location, 502, 16th Avenue, directly across from the Intercity Shopping Mall.
Marostica Subaru, as it is known today, was the entrepreneur dream of Jims brother, Ron Marostica, who brought the first Subaru dealership to Thunder Bay in 1975, at the age of 23. The dealership, known
previously as, Marostica Motors, was one of the first four, original, Subaru Dealers that was established in Canada and the region.Ron Marostica, and his deeply seeded passion for business, went on to
open the Saab dealership, a Mercedes dealership and then a Hyundai dealership in Thunder Bay, marking the Hyundai Dealership, as one of the first three to open in Canada as well.
In an interview with Jim Marostica, who has been part of the Marostica business for the past twenty-two years, reflects on the address of, Triple Seven Central Avenue, (777), which was the original home of
Marostica Motors. Jim explains, the Subaru dealership itself, actually started from a worksite trailer, which was beside General Performance Center, now Zegels Floor Mart and D. C. Automotive, when the
dealership eventually moved to 777 Central Avenue, where the official site of Thunder Bays Subaru Dealership was first established. Subaru started at this address, then migrated away, as Ron built other
buildings for dealerships and got progressively bigger but, ultimately ended up back at the original location, (Central Avenue), until their newest move to 502, 16th Avenue.
The stand-alone dealership, has made a lot of changes over the years and like any business that must stay competitive to survive, the new dealership site is fiercely modern in architecture and magnitude.
The building itself is stunning, with lots of natural light streaming in through the large windows, not to mention, the wide-spread property that offers a vast amount of space for the ultimate in convenient
parking. Parking made easy! That alone, is a comfortable invitation when considering a visit to the new dealership location. Also, because of the larger lot, all of Marosticas inventory is now located at
single address, which makes personal lot browsing, much easier. With anywhere between sixty to seventy new vehicles and twenty to thirty-five used vehicles, one can browse with ease and comfort.
The move from Triple Seven Central Avenue to 502, 16th Avenue was a very long process but, well worth the major planning and investment. It was approximately two years between the time of first breaking
ground to the actual day(s) of moving in.
The gorgeous showroom can accommodate up to seven vehicles, which is twice as large as the former site. The mechanic shop has more than doubled in size, going from four usable bays to nine usable bays and is bright with, again, natural light. Also, the mechanical shop is fully visible to the customer as the wall between the shop and the customer servicing area is of all glass motif, so customers can see their
vehicle as it is being serviced.
There are future plans to develop the 2,258 square foot, second level for rental space. The second level offers a beautiful view, encompassing the Thunder Centre, all the way down to Keefer Terminals.
Within the industry of automobiles itself, the Subaru Brand has responsibly established its exceptional reputation in the consumer market, because of their extremely high quality in manufacturing and
performance. The Subaru Brand also boasts an All Wheel Drive system. The Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system, is designed to optimize both traction and balance. The entire system lies along the
centerline of the vehicle, balancing weight distribution between the two sides to help provide optimal performance and control. The Subaru Brand is also recognized for safety, pricing, comparative values and size. Extensive consumer research shows that, the Subaru Brand named vehicles, are rising to be the more preferred and possibly, the most preferred of family vehicles today.
Economical in its operation and affordable financing (AOC), are two very attractive features to start with. One of the most recent reviews shows that the Subaru Accent, just received glowing reviews in
consumer reports, beating out some of their most fierce and top competitors. The Subaru also has received awards for its Residual Value. In other words, not only is Subaru affordable but, it holds
value in the long run. SUBARU! - Best Resale Value of All Mainstream Brands4 years in a row. How can you go wrong with that?
Some Subaru customers claim their vehicles to still be providing great performance, with over 500,000 kilometers on their odometers. It may not be the norm. Also, speaking of residual value, the Subaru
leasing program is second to none in the industry.Quality life for staff and exceptional service for customers, is something that this dealership strongly believes in. Jim Marostica is proud to say that he enjoys knowing every one of his customers by their first name and if you get too big you lose some of that so, while there is a desire and a need and a want to grow and do more and employ more and more people, we enjoy the smaller dealership atmosphere as well.As for the new dealership, the design for this magnificent build was five months in the process. Getting it right the first time is always the focus, for architect firm, H. Bradford Green Architect Inc., located at Suite #1 123 Brodie St. S. Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, was formed in 1983 and through successful completion of many projects throughout Thunder Bay and region, H. Bradford Green Architect has established itself as a senior firm. Mr. Derek Georgeoff, Project Coordinator, describes some of the eco friendly features of the build to be, the building maximizes the amount of glazing allowable under the Ontario Building Code using high efficiency glazing in thermally broken frames to highlight the vehicle display in the Showroom. By maximizing the glazing to the east and south walls, maximum insulation value is maintained along the north and west walls to offset heat loss. At the request of the client, Hydronic in-slab heating. In-slab hydronic underfloor heating is a highly efficient, straightforward form of warming your building, whether it be a home or a business site. In-slab heating is very popular for efficiency as an alternative to older, more costly, and less efficient heating
systems and can be provided for polished concrete floors and other modern types of flooring.
The insulated metal panels forming the exterior wall cladding on the north and west walls, provide a high insulation value while eliminating thermal bridging through the wall assembly. In addition, the drive
thru approach to the service department minimizes the number of large overhead door openings, which greatly reduces the amount of thermal loss, compared to designs which provide a dedicated overhead door for each service bay. Also, LED lighting, high efficiency HVAC systems, and hydronic heating, utilizing the concrete slab as a heat sink, enhances the buildings energy efficiency.
Parker Jones, of Tom Jones Corporation, General Contractor for this project, located at 560 Squier Place, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Tom Jones Corporation, is a full-service construction company with a reputation
for excellence in the public and private sectors. Parker explains that, the foundation is sitting on a driven steel pile installation. Driven piles are a total engineering solution. The design, installation and quality assurance that are a part of each driven pile combine to eliminate guesswork and produce a known, reliable and cost-effective product that, can accommodate a wide variety of subsurface conditions.
The new build started in fall of 2017 with the foundation work until they finalized the design. There were a few design changes but that is to be expected in almost any new build of this magnitude. The
construction of this dealership was on budget but there was a minor extension to accommodate for the few design changes. Parker also explains that Ron Marostica, working closely with Tom Jones and the
design team, really wanted to use a lot of glass throughout the space, especially where the shop area is located. This presented a bit of a challenge, but after a few tweaks, it looks great! Parker also
comments that, the new dealership is very beautiful, especially with all the glass, the layout and also the in-floor Radiant Heat, is great for the mechanics in the shop and for the showroom.
Bring the family and meet The Marosticas and their hometown, sales and services team at, 502, 16th Avenue, Thunder Bay, Ontario
Congratulations on the new dealership!
