Southern Oregon Subaru’s altruism helps customers and the community

When a business has a heart of giving, it creates a positive ripple effect throughout the community — like skipping stones on a lake’s calm waters.

Over the past 40 years, Southern Oregon Subaru has partnered with numerous organizations and given back to the community in countless ways. And like those beautiful ripples on a lake, their impact on the local community has reached far and wide.

Growing in compassion

Prior to 1983, Southern Oregon Subaru was under different ownership. As the story goes, while driving by the dealership one day, Alan DeBoer purchased the business, making April 15, 1983 Southern Oregon Subaru’s official birthday.

At the time, Subaru had a small, loyal following, but they have made leaps and bounds in the decades since, according to Randy Nidalmia, general manager at Southern Oregon Subaru.

Nidalmia started his career at the dealership in February 1995 as a salesperson before moving into finance and sales management, and ultimately becoming a general manager and partner/owner in the business.

“Many of our employees have been with us for decades,” he said. “When we opened in 1983 we had 17 employees, and today we have just shy of 100.”

Subaru of America has always been deeply involved in helping communities and charitable organizations, and Southern Oregon Subaru has followed the same path.

Over the past 40 years, Southern Oregon Subaru has established themselves as a business which cares about the community and actively helps the people in it. According to Nidalmia, they receive several requests from organizations inquiring about sponsorship opportunities.

“We’re always eager to see how we could help our community,” he said.

During his time at Southern Oregon Subaru, Nidalmia has many cherished memories. But he particularly enjoyed partnering with SoHumane — whom they have raised the most money for — and the Oregon Wine Experience, which they have sponsored since its inception.

On May 13, 2021, Southern Oregon Subaru was overjoyed to present SoHumane with a check for $28,260. This represented donations from Subaru of America, customers and Southern Oregon Subaru for the 2020 Share the Love annual adoption event held at SoHumane.

While Southern Oregon Subaru has some regular sponsorships they participate in each year, they also look for new opportunities and organizations to support.

“I love all of the community work we get to do. It’s the most rewarding part of my job as an owner,” said Nidalmia.

Celebration time

Southern Oregon Subaru will have a jubilant birthday month, celebrating 40 years of serving their community and giving back.

Throughout April, Southern Oregon Subaru will donate $40 for every test drive taken. The donations will go to one of four local charities: Sparrow Club, the Asante Foundation, Medford Food Project or SoHumane. And with the dealership averaging 10-12 test drives a day, they are excited to support these local organizations with help from community members.

“The best part is that the person taking the test drive decides which charity will receive the $40 donation,” explained Nidalmia.

Southern Oregon Subaru wants people to partake in the celebration and feel good knowing that they are playing a vital role in helping a local organization.

But the fun doesn’t end there.

On April 15th — Southern Oregon Subaru’s official birthday — there will be a celebration at the dealership in conjunction with a sale. There will be games, a raffle, a local food truck, a mini adoption event with SoHumane, a dog kissing booth (who could resist that?), and other fun activities to celebrate their special day.

But after the celebration ends, Southern Oregon Subaru is as committed as ever to serving the local community.

Nidalmia is proud that Southern Oregon Subaru is recognized in the community as one of the largest contributors to local charities.

“We like to support a variety of projects and organizations,” said Nidalmia, “and people know that we love to give back.”

However, he knows that none of these community works would be possible without their customers. The people who have been loyal to Southern Oregon Subaru and supportive of the brand allow the business to grow, thrive and help more organizations year after year.

While Southern Oregon Subaru will soon be 40 years old, Nidalmia said they still remember their humble beginnings.

Southern Oregon Subaru moved to their current lot in 1995, but their previous location was on 9th Street in downtown Medford. It was a huge move for the dealership and ushered in a new era.