Dealership is Toyota's 17th in D/FW Metroplex

ROCKWALL, Texas (April 2, 2008) - Toyota of Rockwall celebrated its grand opening today and was awarded a LEED Gold certification. Located at 1250 I-30E in Rockwall, Texas, the 11.25-acre dealership has been designed from the ground up with environmental standards in mind.

The majority of Toyota of Rockwall's 70,364 square-foot facility is made up of construction elements that are designed to conserve energy and water and incorporate recycled materials.

Eco-friendly elements include a roofing system that reflects 90 percent of the sun's heat back into the atmosphere, water cisterns that will store 63,500 gallons of water, an air-conditioning system that conserves condensation for landscape irrigation, a green wall that will provide a shaded micro-climate on the exterior of the building and landscaping of native plants, trees and grasses, which are drought resistant. The architect for the dealership is Gensler and the building contractor is Beck Construction.

"Opening this new dealership in Rockwall is exciting in itself," Steve Jackson, dealer principal, said. "We are pleased to lead the way with a super energy-efficient and environmental facility. Our team is already working with our neighbors in Rockwall to provide tops in service in this great building. We are thrilled to be part of the community."

Toyota of Rockwall was awarded a LEED Gold certification during the grand opening ceremonies. LEED stands for Leadership of Energy and Environmental Design. It is a voluntary program designed to promote and validate environmental leadership in the building industry. Receiving LEED certification is an extensive process and involves being evaluated in six environmental categories by the U.S. Green Building Council. Toyota of Rockwall has been built to meet the standards and operate with high environmental efficiency.

Toyota of Rockwall is the first automotive dealership to earn a LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. Toyota has other LEED dealer facilities currently under construction in Conway, AR; Granbury, TX; Salt Lake City, UT; Eugene, OR; Oakland, CA and Nashville, TN., and one completed in McKinney, TX.

Toyota of Rockwall was awarded LEED innovation points based on its use of Green Housekeeping and an Environmental Education program to teach the public and school children about the environmental aspects of the dealership. Additional innovation points were earned for the dealership's extraordinary conservation of water and outstanding use of recycled building materials. The dealership is composed of 38 percent recycled materials.

Initially 55 people have been employed by Toyota of Rockwall, with 25 in sales, 21 in parts and service and nine in administrative positions. Employment at the dealership is expected to rise to 138 by the end of the year. The dealership is open 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m Monday through Saturday, with the service department open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

Toyota of Rockwall is serviced by Gulf States Toyota, the independent distributor serving 149 dealers in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Toyota of Rockwall marked its grand opening as the first automotive
dealership in the nation to receive LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, for excellence in environmental design. Gail Vittori (second from right) with the U.S. Green Building Council presented Dealer Principal Steve Jackson (right) and his wife Barbara Jackson (left) and George Irving, Field Manager for Toyota Motor Sales' Retail Market Development with a glass plaque commemorating the dealership's LEED Gold certification status at the grand opening ceremonies held on Apr. 2 at the new Rockwall, Texas dealership.