Nalley Lexus-Roswell Opens Café Blends to Support Autism Awareness

Jan. 10, 2012 - PRLog -- Roswell, GA, Jan. 11, 2012 – Nalley Lexus-Roswell announced today the grand opening of Café Blends, a unique onsite café that provides employment opportunities for individuals on the autism spectrum. The café was created in partnership with the Tommy Nobis Center, a local non-profit that provides job training and employment for people with disabilities. The dealership will host a grand opening celebration for “Café Blends: Blending Autism into the Workplace” on January 12th from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the dealership, with a special presentation at 6:30 p.m. that evening.

“The response so far from the employees and customers regarding our new baristas has been overwhelming,” said Chris Dastou, general manager at Nalley Lexus-Roswell. “We thought we were helping to change their lives, but really, they have changed ours.”

For the past month, Nalley Lexus-Roswell and the Tommy Nobis Center have provided barista training to three individuals on the autism spectrum, while educating dealership employees about autism and how to help smoothly integrate the new baristas with dealership staff. Nalley Lexus-Roswell is the first dealership within Asbury Automotive Group to open Café Blends. Asbury plans to scale the concept to other dealerships in the near future, starting in Atlanta. Another Asbury dealership in Tampa operates a similar type of café in conjunction with a different non-profit.

“There are many hurdles adults with autism face when seeking gainful employment, especially in today’s economic climate,” said Connie Kirk, president and CEO of the Tommy Nobis Center. “Asbury’s partnership is setting an example to other businesses in the community and offering a wonderful opportunity to these young adults.”

During the grand opening event, guests can enjoy light hors d’oeuvres and mingle with special guest Tommy Nobis. The café’s baristas will serve guests with coffee, soda and other beverages. Spokespeople from Nalley, Asbury and the Tommy Nobis Center will discuss the partnership during the special presentation at 6:30 p.m. In addition, Solera Salon and Spa will provide guests with free massages and other services.

For more information about the event and to RSVP, visit NalleyLexusRoswell.com.



About Nalley Automotive Group
Nalley Automotive Group has been serving the metro-Atlanta area since 1919. As part of Asbury Automotive Group, Inc.’s family of retail auto stores nationwide, Nalley operates 12 retail stores, representing 13 franchises and 11 brands including Acura, Audi, BMW, Honda, Infiniti, Jaguar, Lexus, Nissan, Toyota, Scion and Volvo.

About Asbury Automotive Group, Inc.
Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. ("Asbury"), headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, is one of the largest automobile retailers and service companies in the U.S. Built through a combination of organic growth and a series of strategic acquisitions, Asbury currently operates 79 retail auto stores, encompassing 99 franchises for the sale and servicing of 29 different brands of American, European and Asian automobiles. Asbury offers customers an extensive range of automotive products and services, including new and used vehicle sales and related financing and insurance, vehicle maintenance and repair services, replacement parts and service contracts.