Mastria Auto Group

Because of this, Mastria has spent the past month monitoring the deal Chrysler struck with Italian automaker Fiat on April 30, after the American car giant filed for bankruptcy protection. 

The company stated its intent to close 789 of its 3,200 U.S. dealerships ? 12 in the state, including a Kingston dealership ? according to filings in bankruptcy court Thursday.

The next day, GM announced it would not renew contracts next year for 20 percent of its dealerships across the country, or about 1,100 of them. The company declined to reveal which dealers were being axed.
?It?s like playing golf and standing behind the guy?s that?s putting,? Mastria said at his Raynham showroom this week. ?We?re kind of going to school with what?s going on with those guys. I don?t really know.? But even if a bankruptcy filing forces GM to empty most of Mastria?s inventory ? a move that would test his and other dealers? protections under state franchise laws ? the lifelong car salesman doesn?t see himself leaving the industry.  ?I really don?t know what else I would do,? said Mastria, who owns Nissan and Subaru franchises in addition to Pontiac, Buick, GMC Truck, Cadillac and Saturn.

?I?ll have two empty buildings,? he added. ?I will need to fill them with some other type of business.?
Though from the looks of one of Mastria?s GM dealerships, you wouldn?t know there is a storm circling overhead.

The world?s second-largest automaker just named him as their largest-volume seller of Buick-Pontiac-GMC Truck dealers for 2008 in Massachusetts.
General Motors also awarded him their ?Mark of Excellence,? which rewards customer satisfaction and sales practices, making him only one of two dealers in all of New England to take both distinctions.
They?re accolades Mastria hopes the beleaguered automaker keeps in mind while slashing franchises ? especially with the competition on Route 44. ?We?re hoping ... General Motors would want their franchises represented in that same market,? he said. Despite the focus on the plight of domestic automakers, others on the block say import models are no safer in this market. ?Everyone?s worried about American, American, American companies, but Toyota just posted a $4.5 billion loss in this last quarter,? said Adam Silverleib, manager of neighboring Silko Honda. ?We?re all suffering.?

As for GM, Silverleib predicts its failure is not only inevitable but also won?t involve a shutdown without filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. ?There?s no doubt about it. They?re going to file for bankruptcy,? he said. ?It?s the only way they can avoid paying out to their dealers.? If GM files for bankruptcy, the company is likely to purchase back inventory and parts from its dealers, Mastria said.
That is worrisome, he added, as those are ?a big part of what most dealers own as assets or have as an obligation with their banks, other than their real estate.? Mastria said he is unsure how much he could stand to lose, as state laws protecting franchisees from such a massive failure have yet to be tested. ?The question comes as whether or not bankruptcy dismisses all of those laws or not,? he said. ?There are no guidelines. They haven?t written a book about this yet.?

Even though Mastria is the competition for Silverleib, the Honda dealer said the strip?s survival depends on a thriving auto mile.
The stretch of dealerships on Route 44 lost two business last year, the Classic Chrysler Center and Jimmy?s Suzuki.
?Empty storefronts are never helpful,? Silverleib said. ?There?s always a ripple effect.?
But Timothy Bruno, general manager of Route 44 Toyota, said he believed the dealership his wife Denise owns could only benefit from GM?s downfall.
?We could only see other customers coming from there to us,? he said. ?People always need cars, and if you take care of the customer, they?ll take care of you.?

 Material from the Associated Press was used in this report. Jessica Scarpati can be reached at jscarpati@enterprisenews.com.

Ted Largey, Director of Raynham Youth Lacrosse, played lacrosse in high school and college and was passionate about starting a program in his hometown.

?Lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in the country,? Largey said. ?It has taken about five years to get this thing off the ground but I have to say it?s been a labor of love. A love for the game and a love for the history of the game.?

A strong case can be made that Lacrosse is truly the American game. Native Americans were playing a version of the sport centuries before Abner Doubleday laid out the first baseball diamond or Dr. Naismith nailed his peach basket to a pole.

?Algonquin tribes called the game ?baggatway,? ? Largey said. ?It means ?little war,? only it wasn?t about killing, it was about conflict resolution. Games lasted for days and were played by hundreds or even thousands of men on fields that were miles long. The competition taught courage, strength, endurance and skill. The sport still teaches these timeless qualities today.?

The league is open to kids from first grade through eighth, and stresses the concepts of respect, integrity, community and honor over winning.

?We don?t keep standings and we don?t have championships,? Largey said. ?This ensures that all players get equal playing time regardless of ability. Aside from teaching the game, we?re dedicated to instilling life lessons in our athletes. We insist that these ideals are employed in practice and during games.?

The concepts extend beyond the playing field. Largey expects the athletes in his league to be involved in the community. Players are required to serve time at the town-recycling center.

?Through a partnership with The Raynham Giants and the Town of Raynham, we collect redemption bottles and cans as a fundraising program,? Largey said. ?The money raised by this program goes right back to our game field which we share with football. This fundraiser also shows our community we are wiling to work for the funds.?

Largey also brings a large change container to each practice and urges parents and kids to fill it with whatever they find in their pockets or between couch cushions.

Largey?s passion for the sport is matched only by his desire to get kids to become more involved in their world.

?Ten percent of whatever we collect over the course of the season will go to a local food pantry or to senior fuel assistance,? Largey said. ?We?re teaching kids to be an active part of the community.?

In an effort to increase interest in the sport at the grass-roots level, Largey, through the Mass Bay Youth Lacrosse League, obtained 100 Lacrosse sticks and donated them to three local schools, LaLiberte, L.B. Merrill and the Raynham Middle School.

?This would give each school approximately 33 sticks,? Largey said. ?Enough to cover a large phys.ed class.?

The sticks were purchased by the primary sponsor of Raynham Lacrosse, Rick Mastria, owner of several auto dealerships in Raynham.

?This just goes along with what Mastria is all about,? Largey said. ?They get involved with their community.?

The league is still seeking to raise money and has unique program set up for potential sponsors.

?We have a ?Directory of Sponsors? on our website,? Largey said. ?Customers can download coupons from various vendors on the site that when presented will drive money back to the league. For example, Mastria will donate 10% of your service bill or $100 for every vehicle purchase to Raynham Lacrosse when you present a coupon from our site.?

Largey?s own business, Great Dane Cabinet Company, will provide up to three hours of personal kitchen design consultation, after which you be provided with working drawing that you can take to any kitchen dealer to get pricing. Largey asks that in return for this service, you donate $100 to Raynham Lacrosse.

This approach, says Largey, is more practical than knocking on doors each winter, trying to strong-arm businesses into sponsoring the league.

?You don?t have to have a kid in the league to take advantage of these offers,? Largey said. ?This is another way of completing the circle. We support the community and the community supports us. Hopefully, this will provide us with long-term relationships with our sponsors.?

Raynham Lacrosse is holding a fundraising dinner Saturday, Feb. 9 at the American Legion Hall in Raynham. The evening will include a meal prepared by Chef Stephen Scaife, associate professor at Johnson and Wales University. Each course will be paired with a wine chosen by sommelier Stephen Donohue.

?It?s about 75% sold out but there are still tables available,? Largey said. For reservations email Tad Largey at raynhamlacrosse@comcast.net 

The league will run from April to mid-June with practices three days a week. All games will be held on Sundays at Bettencourt Field in Raynham.

?We want to work together with Raynham Little League so we can co-exist,? Largey said. ?We don?t want to force kids and parents to make a choice between the two sports. We?re also inviting kids from Taunton to play in our league this year. They?re trying to get program going over there and we want to give them a head start.
Largey is counting the minutes until opening day.

?It?s a great sport,? Largey said. ?Anybody can play. It?s not body specific. There?s no perfect body for Lacrosse. All I know is, you put a lacrosse stick in a kids hand and pretty soon you see a huge smile.?

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of Raynham Lacrosse or are looking for more information, please contact Tad Largey, (508)-509-0551 or go to www.raynhamlacrosse.com.

Source:http://www.wickedlocal.com/raynham/sports/high_school/x469087259

Contact: Michele Scaife FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tel: 508-802-9347

Email: michelescaife@mastria.com

MASTRIA SUPPORTS RAYNHAM YOUTH LACROSSE

New Youth Lacrosse League Acquires Primary Sponsor

RAYNHAM, MA ? The Mastria Auto Group on Route 44 in Raynham has committed to being the primary sponsor of the newly established Raynham Youth Lacrosse League. Mastria purchased 100 youth lacrosse sticks from the Mass Bay Youth Lacrosse League www.mbyll.org and donated them to the Raynham Public School for their physical education department. The objective, says youth lacrosse league director Tad Largey, ?is to expose children to lacrosse at a young age. It is the fasted growing sports in the country.? The donation by Mastria will allow each Raynham school to have 33 sticks, enough to cover a large phys ed class. In addition to donating the sticks, Mastria and the youth league are finding creative ways to fundraise including collecting spare change in a large change jug, recycling cans and bottles, recycling lead from Mastria?s service departments and a successful dinner event. For more information about the newly established lacrosse league, visit their website www.raynhamlacrosse.com

Rick Mastria started as a Buick dealer in Raynham more than 25 years ago. He added Pontiac and GMC Truck to his first dealership before being selected as a Saturn dealer in 1993. Just over three years ago, Rick was awarded a Nissan and a Subaru franchise which has added a new dimension to his business with his first entries into the import market.