SILVER SPRING, Md. -

Herb Gordon Mercedes-Benz has a new name and a new showroom.

A year after breaking ground, dealership management celebrated the opening of the new rooftop this week at 3301 Briggs Chaney Road, just off of Route 29 in Silver Spring, Md.

The franchise operation is now called Mercedes-Benz of Silver Spring. Since inception in 1972, the dealership was located in the Montgomery Auto Sales Park on Automobile Boulevard just a few hundred yards from the new location.

Opening festivities for the new store included a ribbon cutting and visitors enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, beverages, door prizes and live entertainment.

In addition to viewing the entire 2011 Mercedes-Benz lineup, salespeople showed off the redesigned 2012 CLS and SLK during the grand-opening event.

The dealership said its new facility consists of 56,000 square feet  and was built with customers’ sales and service experiences in mind.

A 14-vehicle showroom greets customers as they enter the bright, open building with floor-to-ceiling glass walls. A luxurious waiting lounge offers comfortable seating, complimentary refreshments, flat-screen televisions, WIFI and more.

The service area includes 45 bays, aimed at turning maintenance work quicker.

The building also features an indoor delivery area for days when there may be inclement weather. There is also a large accessories boutique for all Mercedes-Benz merchandise purchases.

Furthermore, store management pointed out its new rooftop was designed and built to be certified by the U. S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Program.

“Becoming LEED Certified demonstrates management’s commitment to a clean and secure energy future,” store officials said. “Most of the energy consumption in the new dealership will be from renewable energy sources.”

The dealership employs approximately 110 full- and part-time Mercedes-Benz dedicated professionals.

“We are very excited to provide our customers, both long-time as well as new, with such a great new building. It truly is a great representation of not only the caliber of vehicles we sell, but also the customer service we provide,” stated Dennis Turnbaugh, who is the division president of MileOne Dealerships in Silver Spring.

Though the new store just opened, Gary Dove, service and parts director for Mercedes-Benz of Silver Spring, shared, “We have had a great reaction from our customers and the surrounding community.

“We are very proud of this new construction and what it means for our customers,” Dove added.