Fort Myers BMW Dealership
Belgard® Eco-Holland Permeable Pavers Add Visual Appeal, Provide a Stormwater Solution, and Expands Footprint
Background
Kevin Keyes, President of Keyestone Interlocking Pavers, has been a trusted contractor and business owner in the Naples, Florida region for more than 40 years. He embraced the business principle of earning through learning early in his career as he carved out a niche specializing in permeable pavement.
Over the years, the booming Southwest Florida population growth has assured a robust building industry for regional contractors. Keyes and his crew have installed permeable pavers at numerous hotels, parking lots, commercial projects and car dealerships across the region. This includes the long-standing Naples Germain BMW dealership, where Belgard’s permeable paver system was selected, which has become an enduring example of the Keyestone team’s craftsmanship and expertise as well as the product’s reliability.
“That first BMW installation was about 20 years ago,” Keyes reported, “and they have had zero maintenance costs.”
The Challenge
Recently, BMW’s corporate decision makers wanted the Germain Car Dealership enterprise to build a new location in Naples to adequately cover this lucrative market. Keyes explained the lengthy process involved in bidding and winning the contract to install the Belgard paving system for the exterior parking and display area.
“When development began, the contractors had planned for several retention ponds and culverts on the property, which would have required ongoing maintenance to manage the water runoff,” said Keyes. “That’s been the default solution for handling Florida’s excess water runoff for a long time in a state that struggles with freshwater shortages.”
The BMW management team needed to maximize the amount of exterior space to display cars, while complying with the challenges presented by Florida’s water problems.
The Solution
“Early in the bidding process, I explained the double benefit of installing the Belgard permeable paving system to the BMW General Manager,” Keyes said. “Essentially, he would get more space for displaying cars and increase permeability. He never forgot that and became an advocate for the pavers despite some pushback from various contractors who were more used to building retention ponds.”
For decades, Keyes has been sourcing his permeable pavers through Naples-based Coastal, a subsidiary of Oldcastle APG, manufacturers of a wide range of Belgard masonry products. The highly versatile features including classic shape, smooth ADA-compliant surface and multiple color choices made Eco-Holland the perfect choice for the BMW dealership’s exterior grounds.
As a small business owner in a specialized contracting niche, Keyes has promoted the aesthetic and durability features of Belgard permeable pavers as well as advocating for the ecological advantages of the product. Over the years, the company has provided him with state-of-the-art materials as well as technical support during installations.
“We find ourselves instructing business owners and contractors on the long-term benefits of the permeable paver systems,” he confirmed. “The Belgard tech support staff is always a huge help in that way—providing knowledge, case studies and training materials. On this recent BMW project, they helped train the engineering staff—who were accustomed to constructing retention ponds—this was all new to them.”
The Result
The Keyestone team installed 110,000 square feet of Belgard’s Eco-Holland in Slate, a grey blend color for the new dealership, which significantly increased the available display and customer parking area.
“We were able to provide the business with an extra 1.2 acres of space to display cars—that otherwise would have been used for retention ponds. In the car industry, the number of displayed cars equals sales—the two are directly related. The Germain folks are extremely pleased with the outcome. It really turned out beautifully,” Keyes reflected.
Since the new dealership opened in January, the property has weathered recent storms that are typical of Southwest Florida with excellent results.
“This is a tremendous solution to Florida’s runoff and fresh water supply shortage,” the contractor remarked. “Without standing water in the parking lot due to the permeable pavement surface, customers wouldn’t have to dodge puddles after it rains,” he added.
Along with his problem-solving mindset, integrity and gritty determination have remained a key principle to Keyes’ business success.
