All in the Family: 41 Years as the Honda Guys
The three Giacchino brothers are the second generation to run Honda Cars of Boston.
It’s a catchy slogan: “Great Buys from the Honda Guys!’’
The guys are the four Giacchino brothers Gene (59), Paul (57), Rob (49), and Richard (54), second generation owners of Honda Cars of Boston (although Richard isn’t a presence at the dealership), which is located in Everett, just outside of Sullivan Square. All the “boys’’ remember working in the family business while still in high school.
The dealership was started by their late father Salvatore, better known as “Salvy,’’ and his partner Guido Mondello, who opened the little known franchise in 1974. Back then, the brand was only in its second year of production and offered a single model for sale: the Honda Civic, which sold for $2,250. Last year, the Giacchino dealership ranked fifth in sales volume for the New England Honda Zone (91 dealers) and employed a staff of 85.
As with anything in life, timing is everything, and that dealership choice proved to be a very fortuitous decision. “The first gas crisis was in 1973,’’ recalls Paul, “and people were clamoring for fuel efficient cars. Our sales people were taking orders over the phone and selling cars for the sticker price.’’
Salvy and Guido, it seems, were never ones to turn down a trade-in. In the late seventies, the partners agreed to take a horse in trade for a new Honda. Telling the story today, the brothers still are amused by the tale.
“We didn’t send it to the auction, and he wasn’t turned into glue,’’ adds Gene, who searched in vain for the horse photo to post for last year’s fortieth anniversary celebration.
The brothers, who share a subtle, dry wit, worked in other fields, but three of the boys knew they would eventually end up in the automobile business. “It gets in your blood. It’s what you do,’’ says Rob.
Salvatore emigrated to America from Malta in 1951, and by 1958 had opened a small engine rebuilding business in Somerville, which was the beginning of his love affair with the automobile. He passed away in 1999, and the four brothers purchased his partner Guido’s interest when he retired in 2004. The three of them have been running Honda Cars of Boston on a day-to-day basis ever since.
THREE BROTHERS: (left to right) Rob, Gene, and Paul Giacchino are the second generation to run Honda Cars of Boston.
The three amigos also share what they refer to as “loose titles’’ at the dealership. Rob oversees the parts and service side, Paul runs the pre-owned selling and buying department, and Gene is General Manager, but if any one of them sees a piece of trash on the lot, they’ll stop to pick it up.
Since the three brothers share the same large second floor office, it’s obvious they enjoy each other’s company. They spend family time together and share a business philosophy whose foundation is based on integrity, or as they say: “Doing the right thing.’’
“We treat our customers like family, and we treat our staff the same way,’’ Rob says.
“We realize that if we don’t take care of our staff, then our staff won’t take care of our customers,’’ adds Gene.
“I think the secret to our success is operating with honesty, transparency, and a respect for our customer’s time,’’ says Paul. “A big part of our business is servicing the cars, not just selling them, and we practice the same beliefs on that side of the business.’’
They also are fully aware that when today’s car buying customers walk into the dealership they are armed with an average of 10 hours of research information.
“If you approach that customer knowledge the right way, you can be successful, but if you try to fight it, you are going to lose. You’ll end up like the person who used to sell buggy whips,’’ says Gene with a hearty laugh.
In this era of big car conglomerates, a family-owned dealership dedicated to a single brand is increasingly rare. As Gene says, “So many dealers have multiple stores and publicly traded dealer groups that we’re kind of a dinosaur in that respect.’’
But the brothers couldn’t be happier with their relationship and the support they receive from Honda, calling the manufacturer an “easy partner to deal with.’’
The brothers consider the primary area they serve—Boston, Cambridge, Malden, Everett, Chelsea, Somerville, and Medford—as their neighborhood, and they feel the dealership’s centralized location puts them in a very strong position.
“Because we feel so strongly about our customers, we want to be able to look them in the eye and know that our staff dealt with them in the proper way,’’ says Gene. “And it helps that we are here every day.’’
When asked about the future, Gene, the general manager, quips, “We only plan week to week, and since this is Friday, we’ve made it through another week.’’ All three brothers laugh.
After 41 successful years of selling Hondas, the Giacchino brothers have a lot to laugh about.
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