Letter from Emelda Watts, one of the many Soave families who received assistance from our Hurricane Katrina fundraiser drive.
Words cannot adequately express my gratitude for the generosity of the Soave organization. I am humbled to be the recipient of such an amazing act of charity toward myself and my family. In one night my life and everything familiar to me have been changed. My sense of stability is now replaced with insecurities. The most difficult element of this change is being separated from my family. The kindness of the Soave organization/family reinforces my faith and belief in God and how he works through people like Soave to care and comfort us in times of distress. My heart is touched by your thoughtfulness and I am happy to know that my brother Clarence as associated with your organization. I am deeply thankful and will keep the members of Soave Enterprises in my thoughts and prayers. Sincerely, Emelda Watts
Letter from Marriott Hotel Guest
I want to express my appreciation to the staff of the Marriott Hotel Ft. Lauderdale North for their untiring help and concern for the guests at the hotel during Hurricane Wilma. Without electricity or water, employees did a wonderful job of making people as comfortable and safe as they could during a genuine emergency. When windows started blowing out on the upper floors, they evacuated us safely down the stairwell. They supplied food, water and sodas in the ballrooms when everyone had to leave the lobby because of a missing window. After the storm, they somehow managed to cook dinner for us in a single skillet and served it by candlelight. One young man delivered dinners up the stairs to people who could not walk up and down the stairs. Later, when the engineers were able to get one of the elevators working, that same young man stayed to work the elevator. He was there Monday night, and he was there again on Tuesday morning. I sure hope he got a few hours sleep! Without exception, the staff members were patient and helpful. I know they were worried about their families and homes, but they didn't let that get in the way. I just wanted to say thank you to all of them for making the best of a bad situation. Anthony Ferrara - Marco Island, Florida
Group Home Donated to Virginia County
The Brambleton Group hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new group home and its six mentally disadvantaged residents.
“We are extremely proud to provide this home for these individuals and to make this contribution to Loudoun County,” Anthony Soave said. “We have developed a comfortable high-end home environment and we warmly welcome the residents as part of our community.”
This new house is fully Americans with Disabilities Act accessible and designed to accommodate individuals with serious medical problems. The house, valued at more than $700,000, has six bedrooms, four baths, a fully functional kitchen to be shared by all the residents, a living room, two sitting rooms and a yard.
In most communities, a high percentage of people living with mental retardation are institutionalized. But Loudoun County takes a different approach to meeting the needs of the mentally disadvantaged. It has established a creative partnership between the county and local Virginia developers to provide homes that are integrated throughout the community.
Rinellas Join CITY Beverage
Mike and Sam Rinella, owners of Rinella Beverage in Mundelein, Illinois, have joined the growing ranks of CITY Beverage – Illinois. The beer industry veterans sold their company to CITY in January. Their operations were merged into CITY Beverage – Arlington Heights to create a six million case wholesaler.
CITY Beverage –Arlington Heights joined the expanding CITY portfolio last fall when Anheuser-Busch and Soave Distributing combined their Illinois operations to form CITY Beverage –Illinois.
This territory services nearly 4,000 retailers through approximately 160 employees.
Sam Rinella is GM for CITY Beverage– Arlington Heights and Mike Rinella is the Import Director for CITY Beverage – Illinois.
This latest transaction increases the combined Soave Distributing annual volume to more than 20 million cases, making it the fifth largest Anheuser-Busch distributor in the United States.
Mike Maurutto Heads Soave Automotive Group
Mike Maurutto joined the Soave Automotive Group as president & Aristocrat Motors general manager in December.
He has responsibility for all dealership operations in the Soave portfolio in Kansas and Missouri.
A seasoned professional with more than 30 years of retailing experience, Mike most recently was responsible for Mercedes-Benz stores in Fresno and Sacramento, California, among others.
He can be reached at Aristocrat Motors at (913) 677-3300.
Mercedes-Benz Leads SAG Growth
The Soave Automotive Group (SAG) will add two new Mercedes locations to its operations this year. Construction is in full swing in the northwest St. Louis market where Mercedes-Benz of Progress Point will open this summer. SAG’s COO Michael Smith will be general manager.
In January, SAG acquired another Kansas City Mercedes dealership from a local competitor and will operate from a temporary location until a full market study is completed to determine the optimal setting for customer convenience.
If you or someone you know is in the market for a new or pre-owned Mercedes-Benz, call Kirk Willms at (913) 677-3300 ext 227. Employee discounts are available
