DARRELL WALTRIP AUTOMOTIVE GOES GREEN: Dealership Becomes First Live Green Partner of Its Kind

Darrell Waltrip Automotive, inspired by the City of Franklin’s movement to encourage businesses to go green will be the city’s first Automotive Live Green Partner. Taking the lead as a Platinum member, they have made the commitment to implement a culture of sustainability within the workplace.

“Helping Franklin become more sustainable is a community-wide effort and we are thankful that Darrell Waltrip Automotive is taking the lead in their industry,” stated Andrew Orr, Sustainability Coordinator of the City of Franklin.

The decision to become a Live Green Partner came from their investment in the Middle Tennessee community. In the past ten years, Darrell Waltrip Automotive has invested half of a million dollars toward philanthropic outreach, supporting organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Mercy Children’s Clinic and the American Red Cross.

“The biggest mantra behind going green is this: reduce, reuse, recycle,” says Jamie Putnam, Volvo-Subaru Parts Manager, who has led the green initiative at the dealership. They reached the platinum level by reducing their energy use through the installation of Energy Star CFL lighting in all four showrooms, reusing the plastic seat covers for vehicles being serviced, and having their scrap tires picked up weekly to be reused in playgrounds. “In the future we will look at doing even more,” says Putnam.

From restaurants to retail stores, more than 100 businesses in Franklin have made the commitment to promote sustainable operations in the work place by becoming a Live Green Partner. To learn more about sustainable practices in Franklin visit www.franklin-gov.com/index.aspx?page=463.

Darrell Waltrip Automotive is a premier Honda, Volvo, & Subaru car dealership near Nashville in Franklin, Tennessee (TN). Specializing in Honda, Volvo, and Subaru Sales, Finance, Service, and Parts, Darrell Waltrip Automotive provides high quality service to its customers. Located at 1430 Murfreesboro Road in Franklin TN, Darrell Waltrip Automotive extends its services to nearby areas throughout Middle Tennessee. For more information, please visit our website, www.darrellwaltrip.com.

Tips for Saving Money on Gas

I’m not sure about you- but every time I have to fill up my car with gas, I cringe. Every day, gas prices seem to increase, and the overall increase from March 2010 to March 2011 is staggering.

With little relief at the pump in sight, we wanted to bring you some tips for getting more bang for your buck at the pump.

One of the first things you can do to reduce the number of trips to the gas station is to watch how aggressive you drive. Make sure you’re not reliving your drag-racing days when intersection lights turn green. Take off slowly from a full stop- it’s a very minor adjustment to your driving, but it can have a huge impact on your gas mileage. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “aggressive driving can lower your gas mileage by 33% on the highway and 5% around town”.

Accelerating and braking slowly can really make a difference on your wallet. Traffic congestion around Nashville and the surrounding areas is notoriously bad- and while idling at some point on I-65 or one of the other highways is guaranteed, it doesn’t have to drain your gas tank.

Our second tip is to slow down! Did you know that most vehicles get the greatest fuel efficiency between 45MPH and 55MPH?

This chart shows that fuel efficiency actually DECREASES for speeds in excess of 60MPH.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, “each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.24 per gallon for gas”. Slowing down can make a big difference on the number of trips you make to the pump each month.

Darrell Waltrip Automotive wins 2010 Sizzle Award for Best Auto Dealership

The 2010 Sizzle Award, sponsored by FranklinIs.com and Southern Exposure Magazine, recognized Darrell Waltrip Automotive as the Best Automotive Dealership in Williamson County.

Darrell Waltrip Automotive has won the award for Best Auto Dealership annually since 2007.

The Sizzle Awards recognize outstanding local businesses in a number of categories, including services, cuisines, shopping, personal care, home, and more throughout Williamson County.

The awards were presented at the 5th Annual Sizzle Awards Banquet, hosted by Harry Chapman, at Jamison Hall in The Factory at Franklin on March 7, 2011.

This was the fifth year for the Sizzle Awards, the online community poll for Williamson County presented by Southern Exposure Magazine and FranklinIs.com.

Thank you to everyone who voted for Darrell Waltrip Automotive!

LifeFlight Partners With Darrell Waltrip Automotive to Offer New Service to EMS

Nashville (Tenn.) - Ambulance services that come to Nashville hospitals from outlying counties often have to return home leaving valuable equipment behind that is still being used to stabilize patients.

Spine boards, straps and head immobilization devices are just some of the thousands of pieces of equipment left at Nashville area emergency departments. Getting this equipment back is often challenging and the loss of equipment can be quite expensive for ambulance services.

Vanderbilt LifeFlight will soon begin delivering equipment back to EMS agencies in an effort to assist them maintain proper levels of the life-saving equipment and save money on lost equipment.

Thanks to the generous donation of a van by Darrell Waltrip Automotive Group in Franklin, Tenn., Dana Keele, EMT, outreach liaison, will be making regular equipment delivery rounds to counties in the LifeFlight service area.

“We are very excited to begin this new program and appreciate the assistance from Darrell Waltrip Automotive Group in helping make this happen,” said Jeanne Yeatman, RN., EMT, director of LifeFlight.

"Darrell Waltrip Automotive is proud to be able to provide a van to assist Vanderbilt LifeFlight in their life-saving work in the Nashville and surrounding areas," said John Gallagher, General Manager, Darrell Waltrip Honda-Volvo-Subaru. “This donation is a continued example of Darrell Waltrip Automotive's commitment to the community. Over the past 10 years we have been able to invest more than half a million dollars into Nashville area non-profits and are pleased to continue to do so."
Initially the effort will focus on returning more than 300 pieces of equipment currently at Vanderbilt and once this is done, LifeFlight will pick up and return equipment left at other Nashville hospitals.

“We are excited that Vanderbilt is providing this service. Currently we have to send a part-time employee to Nashville at least once a week to retrieve equipment that EMS crews were unable to bring back at the time of their transport. This will allow us to utilize this employee more effectively with other tasks”, said Keith Douglas, director of Sumner County EMS. “I believe this is yet another great example of Vanderbilt's dedication to the EMS community and they are a tremendous partner for Sumner County EMS.”

Chad Graham, director of Bedford County EMS, agreed.

“Bedford EMS is excited to see Vanderbilt LifeFlight taking a proactive role in dealing with equipment recovery,” Graham said. “With limited funds available to serve our communities, this service will make a positive impact in our system.”

Another EMS provider located south of Nashville, said the new program will allow his ambulances to return back to their service area faster.
“We are 85 miles from Nashville and it will make our turnaround time faster not having to retrieve equipment,” said Richard Wright, director of Lincoln Medical Center EMS.

Agencies that have special needs or urgent requests can e-mail EMSEquipment@vanderbilt.edu. Once the initial equipment is returned, a regular schedule will be established so that EMS agencies can anticipate the day each week their equipment will arrive.

“This is a milestone in our customer service efforts and a fantastic way to show the hard working EMS professionals that we are proud to be a part of their team,” said Brent Lemmonds, MS, RN, EMT-P, FACHE, administrative director of Emergency Services.

Vanderbilt is the only hospital in Middle Tennessee to offer personal delivery service.




Part 1 of 3 of the presentation!