Project Overview
Project Highlights
96 YEARS
How long Carter Myers Automotive has been Moving Lives Forward for Virginia families.
#1 IN VIRGINIA
CMA's Colonial Nissan was Virginia's first car dealership to be fully powered by the sun.
100 PERCENT
Percentage of CMA’s Colonial Nissan dealership energy needs being met thanks to Sun Tribe’s system.
CMA is now home to the longest freespan garage top PV canopy in the United States.
Sun Tribe handled every phase of the project so the CMA team could continue to focus on serving the community.
“We’re not done moving people forward, and we’re excited to build on our partnership with Sun Tribe in the years to come.”
More Details
A Proud Tradition
In 1924, when H. Carter Myers converted his hardware company in Petersburg, Virginia into a car dealership, he wasn’t new to the car business – he and his team had previously built cars through kits to sell to their customers. But the move to a dealership model coincided with the need to sell a vehicle that was taking the country by storm: the Ford Model T.
Since then, Carter Myers Automotive has grown into Virginia’s leading automotive business, with 18 dealerships throughout the Commonwealth, selling Volvo, Nissan, Subaru, Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM, Honda, Kia, Hyundai, and Chevrolet. The current company is built on an Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) model, with its worker-associates owning 26 percent of the company.
It was the dedication to their associates, along with a focus on the company’s core values, that led the CMA team to consider moving to renewable energy. After talking with a number of solar providers, they chose Sun Tribe as their partner, and set to work on making CMA Colonial Nissan an industry leader in clean energy. CMA’s executive team knew they were facing a tough regulatory and business landscape when it came to investing in solar, and that the right partner would have to bring a full skill set to the table. Their plan: to provide 93 percent of the energy for their building so that their team could continue as the #1 all-electric Nissan LEAF dealer in Central Virginia.
Putting CMA’s Values First
Working with Sun Tribe’s development team, along with our in-house engineers, project managers, and construction experts, CMA was able to exceed those initial expectations. Today, Sun Tribe’s innovative solar superstructure provides 100 percent of CMA Colonial Nissan’s energy needs, and CMA is looking to expand its partnership with Sun Tribe to other dealerships throughout their growing business.
Even better than any metric has been the team building and culture strengthening that going solar has brought to CMA Colonial Nissan – with prospective employees, current associates, and customers alike all recognizing that CMA’s values and commitment to clean energy are what helps set them apart in the competitive automotive field.
Learn more about CMA’s clean energy initiative on New Radio WINA, Cville Better Business Challenge, and WMRA.
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Henrico County, Virginia: Comprehensive Planning, Sustainable Results
A cutting-edge local government partners with Sun Tribe to ensure solar is a part of their comprehensive and sustainable energy strategy.
