INNOVATE
The Dealerships Building Communities
François Martin, Ellie Lloyd, Jonathan Sewell, and Massimo Capretti
Engineered in Hiroshima and enjoyed worldwide, every Mazda rolling off the factory floor is designed around one fundamental purpose: “To create the joy of living by delivering a joy of driving.” Across the globe, this commitment to excellence resonates throughout Mazda’s local dealerships, all united in the belief that driving should be a celebration.
And beyond the drive, Mazda dealerships are known to go the extra mile by supporting their communities and deepening their relationships with their customers long after the car rolls off the forecourt. From Alabama to New South Wales, these local heroes aren’t just selling cars, they’re building communities. Below, Mazda Stories gets a glimpse of how they’re doing just that—four wheels at a time.
“I’m giving it back to the community.”
FRANÇOIS MARTIN, Martin Mazda, CANADA
An Opportunity to Help
François Martin, the owner of New Brunswick’s Martin Mazda, has been a pillar of his community since he took the reins of the dealership in 2010. Having spent the subsequent years flipping the formerly underperforming shop into a community-led dealership, Martin has taken Martin Mazda to the next level by working directly with local communities and being inspired by those around him.
“When you collect with one hand, you have to give from the other,” he says modestly, explaining what motivates him to go the extra mile. “I’m giving it back to the community.” One example of this is Martin Mazda’s involvement with the Special Olympics—a local event at which children and young adults with physical and intellectual disabilities can compete in a friendly sporting environment. As one of the key sponsors of the event, Martin was inspired by the strength of his 22-year-old autistic son and took the opportunity to enrich the lives of those with similar difficulties to him. It spoke to “the core values of being a human being,” says Martin, describing why he got involved. “There are needs around these people, and I have the opportunity to help.”
Other recent initiatives include the “magical Christmas,” which feeds over 100 families in the area with a cooked meal each festive season, and local cookouts, where the entry cost admits participants into a raffle for an all-expenses-paid trip—driven in a Mazda, naturally—to a National Hockey League game. “I can help people who have needs in the community; that’s something important to me,” says Martin.
“I always just try to be authentic.”
Jonathan Sewell, Mitchell Mazda, USA
The Digital Age
In Enterprise, Alabama, the Mitchell Mazda dealership has been part of the community fabric for three decades and two generations. From festive bike donation drives to sponsorship of local athletics teams, Mitchell Mazda contributes to education and health resources all across the state.
Inspired by this community outreach, Mitchell Mazda’s General Manager Jonathan Sewell is taking it one step further. Armed with just a camera, Sewell publishes friendly, expert advice on his YouTube channel to help Mazda owners across the world access his breadth of knowledge with a single click.
“There were two reasons why I started the YouTube channel,” he says. “To help customers who had already purchased the vehicle to know all the useful features, and also to become a tool to narrow down which vehicle, or which trim, is best for them.”
With over 1,000 published videos, Sewell remains passionate about creating digestible and relatable videos that answer popular customer questions, (“20 Things You May Not Know About Your CX-5”) and provide technical support (“How to use Mazda Radar Cruise Control”). Since he pressed record for the first time, tens of thousands of people have repaid his efforts and clicked subscribe. “I always just try to be authentic,” he explains. “I want to make sure that they have the right information, that they know how to use their Mazda, and that they enjoy it.”
Sewell has found the sweet spot between entertaining content and expert-led insight. Many videos receive a six-figure view count, helping him connect with Mazda owners in dozens of countries. “When I make a video, I’m thinking that one or two people could benefit from it,” he admits. “So when there’s thousands of people that watch a video, it’s very humbling.”
“If you genuinely care about someone, everything else just clicks.”
Ellie Lloyd, Sutherland Mazda, AUSTRALIA
Almost 10,000 miles away, Ellie Lloyd, a like-minded sales consultant at Sutherland Mazda, is also taking on digital platforms in her own way. Posting from Kirrawee, Australia, Lloyd is not only the dealership’s culture champion, but also the face of Sutherland’s Instagram channel, where her humorous posts see her take an alternative approach to connecting with the customer. “I wanted to break that stigma that you get with salespeople, as I genuinely care about the customers, and I want them to feel happy,” Lloyd explains, personifying Mazda’s challenger spirit in her own way. “I’m focusing on what’s the right car for them and what makes them happy.”
Lloyd’s recent content includes reels on Mazda’s signature Driver Personalization System and a #TuesdayTips post on Mazda’s climate control tech. What keeps Lloyd posting? “You don’t know the audience the videos will reach and that can be a good thing,” she says. “It can be scary to initially upload, but when you get over that hurdle and just do it, it’s rewarding.” Either way, it’s all about “the human connection,” Lloyd says. “If you generally care about someone, everything else just clicks.” Her motivation is clear: to provide easily digestible, short-format advice. “It’s not just another sales video to get you in the door,” she explains. “It’s something that you want to watch.”
Sutherland Mazda also offers the Shire Promise incentive—the Mazda Master Dealer beats any offer on a new vehicle for residents in the Sutherland Shire. One of these “Shireys,” as they’re known, is rugby league player Fa’amanu “Nu” Brown, an ambassador for Sutherland Mazda and hooker for the St. George Illawarra Dragons. “If it wasn’t for Mazda, I’d be catching buses to my training,” he recently jested in a Mazda Sutherland post. A short drive away, the Elouera Surf Life Saving Club has partnered with Sutherland to provide vital training on surf life saving. From social feeds to lessons on sandy Sydney beaches, it’s clear that community outreach comes in many forms.
“It is our duty to give back.”
Massimo Capretti, Autobase Brescia, ITALY
Local Excellence
Founded in 1929, Italian dealership Autobase Brescia has been part of Milan’s automotive DNA for almost a century. Over three generations of the Capretti family, the family business evolved from a modest garage on the city’s outskirts to a dealership delivering emotional and physical change throughout its local community.
When the Autobase Brescia team isn’t providing expert advice on Mazda’s safety technologies and head-turning vehicles, “we work closely with the associations that deal with social issues and provide assistance to the sick,” says Massimo Capretti, CEO at Autobase Brescia. The company has “a particular sensitivity to the paediatric oncology department of the Spedali Civili hospital of Brescia,” he continues, visibly proud of “being involved with the social and working fabric of our territory.”
For their selfless work, Capretti’s team at Autobase Brescia was selected for Mazda Motor Europe’s Eccellenze Italiane program—an award that honors Italian excellence and celebrates high-performing local dealerships across Italy. “Representing Mazda and its history—made of technological development and industrial craftsmanship, and always human at its center—makes me feel part of this family,” says Capretti.
The CEO believes the dealership has a “duty to give back,” proving that, big or small, everyone can make a difference. “Being a dealership of modest dimensions, we can have greater involvement and interaction with specific initiatives,” he says. “It unites us with Mazda.”
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