Biz Buzz: Cole awarded Jeep franchise

San Luis Obispo’s Cole Chrysler car dealership has been awarded a Jeep franchise, six months after Chrysler shut down Atascadero’s Ted Miles Jeep and Perry Jeep in San Luis Obispo as a restructuring move after filing for bankruptcy April 30.

The automaker hoped to cut costs and increase efficiencies when it closed the two local franchises.

Now, Cole Chrysler’s general manager, David Cole, says his dealership has been given the Jeep franchise so that the company can keep all its Chrysler products under one roof.

“The goal is to sell more cars that way,” he said.

The dealership has been representing Chrysler vehicles for 60 years.

Six months ago, Cole had expressed relief that Chrysler had chosen to keep them in the fold.

“It’s in our blood, it’s our life,” he said. “We built them a brand-new facility and put everything we had into this store.”

Cole estimates the dealership should sell at least 120 new Jeeps a year — starting now.

“We are starting to take orders and should have vehicles on the lot within two weeks.”

— Melanie Cleveland

Firm offers bundled real estate services

Triad, a new real estate and investment group in San Luis Obispo, offers a trio of services under one roof.

Real estate professionals Rodessa Newton and Victoria Relva provide residential and commercial real estate services, foreclosure and asset management and private money lending and investing services.

Newton — a broker, San Luis Obispo County native and Cal Poly graduate — has been in the real estate business for more than a decade.

Relva has worked for more than 18 years with companies such as People’s Self-Help Housing Corporation, the Housing Authority, Vanguard Lending Group and the National Foreclosure Company. For more details, visit www.triadslo.com.

— AnnMarie Cornejo

Green Build gets a place of its own

SLO Green Build, a nonprofit organization in its fifth year of operation, is now located at the RRM Design Group on South Higuera Street in San Luis Obispo.

In the past, its volunteers and one paid employee have utilized any place they could — from coffee shops and restaurants to meeting room space donated by local businesses. “This new physical presence in the community is a big step for our organization,” said Lana Adams, SLO Green Build administrator.

“Our goal is to work from this space for at least a year. Having a physical location will make our volunteers’ lives easier when planning meetings, and also gives us the much-needed opportunity to bring interns in to help on projects.”

Besides an L-shaped pod that accommodates four people, Green Build has the use of conference rooms, a training room, kitchen, outdoor patio and shared parking spaces.

— AnnMarie Cornejo