When you meet Kitty Van Bortel-as so many customers of her three dealerships do every day-you know that she's the powerhouse behind the enormous, consistent success of Van Bortel Subaru and Van Bortel Ford and Van Bortel Used Car Center. Kitty owns one of the top selling Subaru dealerships in the nation, as well as one of the most successful Ford dealerships in a multi-state area. Her automotive group is now one of the fastest growing, privately held companies in the greater Rochester, NY area.

With an investment of only $500, Kitty founded her first used car dealership in her front yard in 1985, lining up the cars in front of her small house in Victor, NY. She applied the experience she had gained as sales manager for John Holtz's Mercedes Benz/BMW dealership to her own enterprise, moving to a three-acre lot in 1990 and quickly gaining momentum until it was time to choose a brand and move to new car sales. It was only natural that she became attracted to Subaru because of the cars' sturdy construction, excellent design and focus on safety, reliability and comfort. She built a 6,000-square-foot facility in Victor to house Van Bortel Subaru, and opened the doors in 1991.

Kitty approached new car sales with a unique philosophy: She instinctively became the kind-hearted dealer. "I trust people, and I always have," she said in a recent keynote speech to the Greater Rochester Chapter of the National Association of Woman Business Owners. "And when you trust people, people will trust you. That's why we give our customers a fair price, and all the information they need to make a sound decision, and then we allow them to take the time to make that decision. No tricks, no games."

Customers of Van Bortel Subaru, Van Bortel Ford and Van Bortel Used Car Center are offered a no-dicker price for each car, with full disclosure of the vehicle's base price, the cost of the options chosen by the customer, the manufacturer's suggested retail price, and the price offered by Van Bortel-including a clear statement of the dealership's profit on the sale. By removing the negotiation process from the purchase, Kitty Van Bortel takes the fear out of buying the car: The customer knows without a doubt that he or she has paid a fair price for the vehicle.

In just one year after opening Van Bortel Subaru, Kitty was inducted into the Subaru Chairman's Roundtable'a select organization of the top 20 dealers in the nation who display excellence in sales and customer satisfaction. She has remained a member every year since 1992, and today Van Bortel Subaru maintains a 77% or more market share in Subaru sales in the Rochester area, an achievement that dates back to 1997. In 1999, Van Bortel Subaru became the largest Subaru dealership in the nation, receiving Subaru Stellar Performer certification every year since 2001.

With this exemplary record of success, it was only natural for Ford Motor Company to select Kitty to become a Ford dealer in 2001. She opened Van Bortel Ford just a short drive down the road from the Subaru dealership in Victor, NY, and by 2002 the new dealership became Blue Oval Certified, an indication of Van Bortel Ford's immediate and consistent success. Van Bortel Ford quickly rose to become the highest volume selling Ford dealer in the market-beating 10 other Rochester area Ford dealers. In 2003 and 2004, Van Bortel Ford received Ford's annual Top 20 Sales Achievement Award and 2005-2009 Van Bortel Ford received Ford's Annual Top 40 Sales Achievement Award in the Pittsburgh region, which includes dealerships from several states.

Kitty is more than a smart, successful business owner-she is also a well-recognized role model for businesswomen in the greater Rochester area and throughout the nation. Working Woman magazine selected Van Bortel Subaru as a Top 500 Woman-Owned Business for four years running. Kitty has been honored as a Wells College Alumni of the Year, and she received the Alfred University College of Business Galanis Award for Excellence in Family Business in 2003. In 2005 Kitty was recognized as one of the 100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry by Automotive News and recognized by the Rochester Business Journal as "One of Rochester's Most Influential Women". In 2006 Kitty was nominated as the Rochester Small Business Council's "Business Person of the Year". 2009 was a busy year for Kitty as she was the recipient of the Herbert W. Vanden Brul Entrepreneurial Award from RIT's Business School, she was inducted into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame and the recipient of the Rochester Women's Network "W" Woman of the Year Award. Kitty was honored in 2010 with the Woman Business Owner of the Year by the Victor Local Development Corporation.

Kitty's commitment to the community she calls home is evident in the many non-profit organizations she and her automotive group support. She conducts a Car Buying Seminar for pediatric interns at the University of Rochester. The Van Bortel dealerships sponsor Camp Good Days and Special Times, the Susan B. Anthony House, Rochester Women's Foundation, the local chapter of the National Liver Foundation, AIDS of Rochester, Quad A for Kids, American Heart Association, Pluta Cancer Center, local Rotary and Kiwanis clubs, Pet Pride of New York, and Mercy Flight.

What's next for Kitty and the Van Bortel dealerships? In February of 2010, Kitty bought Fairport Ford and moved her entire Ford operation to 71 Marsh Road in Fairport, which is a larger, more modern facility allowing her to better serve Van Bortel customers. The Victor dealership on Route 96 is now Van Bortel Used Car Center, specializing in quality used cars. By growing three businesses to region-wide leadership while never compromising her principles-and always giving the customer a fair deal and a satisfying car buying and maintenance experience-Kitty Van Bortel turned a $500 investment into one of the most successful and respected enterprises in the area, emerging as a leader in business, in commitment to the community, and in treating every customer the way she herself would want to be treated, every day

More About Van Bortel Subaru | Subaru Dealership Serving Rochester, Victor, Webster and Auburn, New York

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At Van Bortel Subaru we strive to provide outstanding professional service in all areas of our automotive dealership. We are proud to present Subaru models and are confident we can find the new car, truck, van, or SUV of your dreams. Looking for that certain Outback, Forester, Impreza, Tribeca or Legacy? We will do everything it takes to get you that model equipped with the features you desire.

If you are in the market for a used car in Victor, look no further! At Van Bortel Subaru, we stock a large amount of high quality used cars to serve the Victor region. We are proud to have certified and pre-owned vehicles ready for you to test drive today.

We will also help with auto loans in Victor and lease plans too. Our auto repair and car parts departments at Van Bortel Subaru can help get you back on the road as quickly as possible.

Please visit Van Bortel Subaru at 6327 Route 96 and let us show you all of the Subaru services we offer in the Victor, Webster and Auburn region.