Customers, staff and lawmakers gathered to celebrate the ribbon cutting and grand opening at Toyota of Southern Maryland, yesterday. Outside, the sky was hazy – not overcast, but heavy with moisture. Inside, the air was cool. The atmosphere upbeat and speaker comments were often visionary.

Lisa Lemke, Han Welch of Economic Development,
Commissioner Daniel. Raley (District 4), Sen. Roy
Dyson (District 29), Pete D’Arista, co-owner Toyota
of Southern Maryland, John Peed, co-owner Toyota
of Southern Maryland, Commissioner Thomas A.
Mattingly Sr. (District 2) Delegate John Bohanan
(D 29B), Dan Barber and Shirley Pechatsko.

“Toyota won’t be around in 50 years if the planet isn’t. The United Sates cannot continue to burn fossil fuels at the current rate. Big thirsty trucks and SUVs may be profitable in the short run, but they’re not the way forward. Half the oil we import is produced by countries that are hostile to our interests. When our oil supply is disrupted, change will come fast. … Toyota needs to be part of the solution, not part of the problem,” said Pete D’Arista, co-owner of the Toyota dealership, in a note to the CEO of Toyota, Jim Lentz, during the summer of 2007.

“Well, the change came faster than any of us expected,” D’Arista added, referring to the current recession. “But, as I wished, Toyota is ready with fuel-efficient cars like the Corolla, Yaris, Matrix, Scion XA, XB and TC and the hybrids – Prius, Camry and Highlander, all with best-in-class full mileage. More hybrids are on the way including the lithium ion plug-in due in 2010.”

As to the current slump in automotive sales, D’Arista explained he had never expected to open during a recession, but the Toyota dealership’s sales are holding their own.

“We have the products our people want, and our manufacturers -Toyota and Hyundai – listen to their dealers and customers and make high quality products that people want to buy,” D’Arista said. Lawmakers including Sen. Roy Dyson (District-29), and commissioners Thomas A. Mattingly Sr. (District-2) and Daniel H. Raley (District-4), Hans Welch from Economic Development and George Hulburt, president-elect of the Lexington Park Rotary Club, agreed.

“We thank you for the quality products and the retail facility you have,” said Delegate John Bohanan (D-29B), one of the lawmakers who spoke at the event. Obviously, “you have made a large investment and plan to be here for many years to come.”

Tommy Wettenger from Compass Pointe LLC built the new dealership. “I’m real proud to be a part of this project,” he said. The quality and the commitment to being a green facility are traits he and his company want to be known for.

The new Toyota dealership includes E-glass windows and doors that save on heating and air conditioning. There are florescent fixtures in the shop. Double-block walls provide insulation, and waste oil, removed from vehicles during oil changes, heats 50 percent of the building in winter.

Nonetheless, for D’Arista and his partner, co-owner John Peed, everything is not all business. The partners are also committed to their local community. They support the St. Mary’s College River, the Screw Pile and Governor’s Cup sailing races, the Rotary Club and the local Drug Abuse Resistance program.

The sales office at Toyota of Southern Maryland, 22500 Three Notch Road, Lexington Park, is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Service is open Mond