Lester Raines is no stranger in West Virginia. His name has graced the Honda dealership in South Charleston since 1974, when his father started the franchise. The younger Raines has been running that store since 1983. But the business began years before as a used-car dealership.
Even as the Honda store experienced great success, including ranking fourth in the nation for client satisfaction, Raines has always dreamed of operating an Acura store. That dream finally came true in July 2023 when Lester Raines Acura opened its doors three years after the only other Acura store in the tate closed.
Now, as a dual-point dealer, Raines is excited to serve Honda and Acura clients from West Virginia and the surrounding states. “Our newly built Acura showroom is just 10 feet away from our Gen 4 Honda facility,” Raines says. “It gives us an opportunity to help clients if they want to purchase a premium brand like Acura. It is just a perfect scenario.”
Jason Roye, an American Honda Finance Corporation (AHFC) dealer relations manager, works with Raines’ teams at both stores. He says that when the old Acura store closed, it left a gap.
“Charleston is the state capital, and it is very close to Ohio and Kentucky,” he says. “So, there is walk-in business as well as a need for maintenance and service for existing Acura clients.”
Lester Raines Honda was able to provide service, but it could not offer Acura warranty work or sales. “A lot of people were upset because the next-closest Acura store was three or four hours away,” Raines says. “The first thing I did when they awarded me the Acura point was advertise that Acura was coming back.”
Lester Raines Acura celebrated its grand opening in July. Already, sales are exceeding expectations, including 10-plus sales to Ohio residents in the first month. The new Acura showroom shares a service center with Honda next door but runs its own experienced sales department, where every salesperson has a tenure of at least 25 years.
“Our sales manager had worked for me for 25 years before retiring, and when he heard I was opening up the Acura store, he wanted to come back,” Raines says.
The stores operate their sales departments in a unique way. Each member of the sales staff handles deals from start to finish, and the client is with the salesperson for the entire sales process.
“We have been doing it that way for 41 years. It gives the client a person to get back with in the future because they have become familiar with that person,” he explains. “And because my sales staff does everything, from selling the warranties to handling the financing, it increases their pay and gives them greater job satisfaction.”
There is longevity outside of sales as well. The service manager has been with Lester Raines Honda for 40 years, and there are some fourth-generation employees who have grown up doing business the Lester Raines way. That approach includes having a strong relationship with AHFC. The stores offer every product that comes with the Honda or Acura name and always offer Honda and Acura financing. Currently, new vehicle penetration is just under 70%.
“I have banks and credit unions coming to me once a week trying to get me to change my direction. But we work with Honda and Acura,” Raines says. “I only want to deal with people who are associated with the dealerships. That is a win-win situation for me and for them.”
For Lester Raines, the key to success is exemplary client service, and he sums it up in two words: Be available.
“Even though I would like to sleep in sometimes, I still get to work at 7 a.m., and I am in the service department until 9 a.m., just greeting clients as they come in and asking how they are doing and making sure everything is taken care of before they leave. I have been doing that ever since I started.
“My office is right in the showroom, and my door is always open. My enthusiasm for my work is through the roof. People make fun of me for that, but I enjoy what I do. It is not drudgery. It is a privilege.”