Selkirk dealers create auto mall

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/10/2003 (8189 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LONG-TIME Selkirk General Motors dealers Harris Chev Olds and Newport Pontiac Buick GMC are merging their operations in a new facility being built on the western edge of town across from Steeltown Ford and Selkirk Chrysler. So when the new Selkirk GM dealer opens next April, the town will have its own unofficial auto mall with all the dealers in town in the same area.

Bruce Harris has operated Harris Chev Olds on Main Street in Selkirk for more than 25 years. Don Walters operated another GM dealership in Emerson before acquiring the existing Pontiac Buick dealership in Selkirk in 1989.

“We have been talking about merging our businesses for a number of years,” says Walters. “We had to do something about our facilities. It didn’t make any sense to have two GM dealers in a town this size. GM was also encouraging us to merge. This way, we will be able to put together a good sized store with good volumes.”

Both existing dealerships are about 10,000 square feet in size The new building will be 30,000 square feet with a showroom large enough for seven cars, a 16-bay service area and a 10-bay bodyshop. Construction on the $3-$4 million project began in late September.

“Construction has been going very well thanks to the weather,” Walters reports. “The foundation is built and the walls are going up. If the qweather holds, we should have the building enclosed before the snow comes.”

He notes that the two dealerships will be combining their existing sales staffs. “That will give us eight sales representatives to start with,” he says. “We will add more as needed.”

As to the division of responsibilities, Walters says he will probably assume responsiblity for the sales side while Harris Chev Olds president Bruce Harris will look after the fixed operations.

“We are looking forward to retaining our existing customers and attracting new ones,” Walters says.

“We are counting on one plus one equalling three where we are concerned.”

Adesa Winnipeg has recently moved into its new on-site bodyshop. “We were leasing a site quite a distance away,” says Gregg Maidment, president of the auto auction house on Highway 8 just north of Winnipeg. “This facility allows us to better serve our corporate customers.”

To manage the 15,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art bodyshop, Adesa has lured Ken Jansen out of retirement. Jansen had managed a Winnipeg Ford dealer’s bodyshop for over 20 years. A couple of years ago, he decided to try sales for the company and was appointed sales manager. After about a year, he retired.

“After my daughter got married, I found it too quiet around the house,” says Jansen who was a single parent. “When Gregg called and offered me this position, I was happy to accept.”

Jansen is impressed with the new bodyshop. He cites the dustless environment, in-floor heating and cutting-edge equipment. “We have the tools to fix all makes and models,” he says. “We will be able to provide customers with excellent service.”

He is also impresed with the Adessa operation. He started his new job last Monday. “The training is first class,” he says. “It’s an exciting atmosphere to be working in.”

The Murray Auto Group is once again in select company. Last year, the company with General Motors dealerships across western Canada was ranked among the top fifty Best Best Managed Companies in Canada. Now, the Murray Auto Group has made the MacLean’s Magazine list of Canada’s top 100 employers out of a field of 6,000 entries. Murray Chev Olds is the first auto dealer to make the top 100 in this category.

The criteria considered are physical workplace, work atmosphere and social, health, financial and family benefits, vacation and time off, employee communications, performance management and training and skills development.

“We place a high value on this level of recognition,” Murray says. “We were really excited to be selected.”

Murray also notes that his Winnipeg Murray Chev Olds dealership set another sales record in September, eclipsing the sale record it set last September that was surpassed by another dealer in July. Murray’s 242 units sold in September also surpasses that July sales record.