Gainesville automotive dealership showcases vehicles with Arkon LED lighting

Gainesville Buick GMC has brightened its lot and service bay with LEDs from Arkon.

Arkon LED recently replaced Gainesville Buick GMC’s metal halide lighting with its energy efficient LEDs, leading to a brighter car lot that's now allowing the dealer to show its cars at night. According to Matt Kynard, the dealership’s finance manager, the lights have resulted in a more attractive service bay and increased employees’ sense of security.

“What a difference the LEDs make compared to what we had before,” Kynard said. “The old lighting in the service bay—the [metal halide] lighting that we had before—was frankly horrible.” The biggest difference, though, is the cost, Kynard said. By replacing 65 1,080-watt metal halides and 16 465-watt bulbs with 82 270-watt LED fixtures, Gainesville Buick GMC can expect annual savings of more than $37,000. Additional savings are expected from the service bay installation, where 20 285-watt metal halide lamps were replaced with 20 90-watt LED high bay fixtures. “We're very happy with it, and our customers are very happy with it,” Kynard said. Kynard noted the lighting has helped Gainesville Buick GMC stand out compared to other nearby car sellers, saying that “if you drive up and down the strip, without a doubt ours is the brightest and cleanest looking lot.” Arkon’s LED Sales Guy Greg Papandrew said the Gainesville Buick GMC project was particularly satisfying because it shows off all the great things LED lighting can do for a business at one location. “We not only save you power and money, we make sure you're the brightest dealership on the block,” Papandrew said. “At the end of the day, an investment in lighting should be an investment in improving your customers’ experience.”