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John Dionas’ rise to success has been once compared to a “Cinderella story.” The owner of Peninsula in Subaru and Peninsula Suzuki in Gorst started out in the automotive industry more than 20 years ago as a car washer (his first job was at Parr Ford in Bremerton), rising through the ranks at various dealerships to eventually become a general manager in Tacoma before buying his own store. But the story of his businesses, Peninsula Subaru and Peninsula Suzuki, can just as easily use the same “Cinderella” allegory — before Dionas came along, the Subaru dealership had no luster, both physically and figuratively. Several other dealers with proven track records of success had not been able to make a go of it, and the Suzuki dealership wasn’t even on anyone’s radar screen at that time.
In the seven years since Dionas, a longtime Gig Harbor resident, bought the Subaru dealership (and gave it a complete facelift and a new name), the business saw a complete turnaround. Sales have doubled, the number of employees has grown, and the store has been recognized nationally for its success. And as if that weren’t enough, Dionas expanded the business about three years ago, adding the Suzuki dealership next door.
Dionas says he firmly believes in the philosophy that “it’s better to exceed than achieve.” “Everyone has the opportunity within themselves to get to the next level,” he said, adding that he tries to create an atmosphere that encourages employees to grow. The company has a low turnover rate, according to Dionas. “We pride ourselves in making a nice environment for our employees,” he said.
When Dionas bought the dealership in 2001, he immediately began revamping efforts, changing the store’s physical appearance (often doing the work himself) as well as improving morale — infusing his own energy and enthusiasm into a place that until then had an absentee owner. He was quoted in a 2003 article in Automotive News as saying, “This store was like taking over an orphanage. There is a lot of talent here. It’s a very young group of people in terms of experience as well as age, and I think our attitude is what is driving our success.”
Success, it seems, was nearly instant for Dionas’ new venture, which was his first auto enterprise. He immediately signed up for Subaru’s new Stellar Performance Dealer program, which required a long list of improvements — and received the certification on his first try, becoming only the second Subaru dealer in the country to receive the honor, and the first one west of Mississippi. Since then, Peninsula Subaru had been recertified as a Stellar dealer, and has become one of the top AAA-certified dealers in Washington. Dionas is also in his second term on the National Dealer Advisory Council, which has eight members who represent about 600 Subaru dealers nationwide.
Dionas hopes to replicate the success at Peninsula Suzuki, a Suzuki Square state-of-the-art facility that last year saw the completion of its second building, which houses the service department.
Despite the momentum of his business, Dionas hasn’t slowed down personally. He admits he tried to pull back a little last year, which “was a mistake” — and says the secret to success in the competitive automotive industry is to work hard. “The moment you get off the bandwagon, you’ll lose the focus or the momentum,” he said. “I try to instill that in my management team too.”
His personal approach is also to try to turn negative things into positive, which can sometime be a daily challenge. “I want to make a phone call before I get a phone call,” he said.
Since becoming a business owner, Dionas has said he wants to stay true to his roots, a belief he continues to maintain. One of his first things to do was finding a nonprofit organization to support. A father of four, Dionas, with the help of his wife, Melinda, chose Children’s Home Society/Key Peninsula Family Resource Center on the Key Peninsula, and the couple have been supporting the organization ever since. “My wife and I made a commitment, once we became a dealer, we would get involved to help kids in need,” he said.
In addition to donating a van to the organization for children’s transportation, the company has been sponsoring a golf tournament that raises about $20,000 a year. Children’s Home Society of Washington named Peninsula Subaru its 2002 Regional Philanthropic Corporation of the Year.
Just like with his dealership, however, Dionas didn’t stop at one success. He has added Gig Harbor’s planned Boys and Girls Club to his list, and hopes in the future to provide a vehicle for the club as well to transport kids from Key Peninsula to Gig Harbor for activities.
As the industry continues to grow more competitive, Dionas plans to keep working hard at maintaining his success. Asked about plans for the future, he said, “In our eighth year, we keep doing business as usual, and see if opportunities come our way to expand.
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