New Dealership Drives Sales for Power Chevrolet

CALCUTTA, Ohio — Since opening at its new location at 15482 state Route 170 in May, Power Chevrolet Buick GMC is enjoying a sales increase to the tune of 20%, said its sales manager, Andy Mayle. He chalks it up in part to a better customer experience.

Mayle recalls working at the former location at 16070 state Route 170, about a half mile down the road from the new dealership. With some 250 to 300 vehicles “packed like sardines in a can,” space was always an issue, he said.

“The biggest complaint was that there was no customer parking,” Mayle said. “Now we have 15 designated customer parking spots and four spots for handicapped customers.”

The new 27,000-square-foot, full-service dealership sits on six acres with room for more than 400 vehicles. In addition to a modern, spacious showroom that has room for seven vehicles on display, the dealership features a state-of-the-art service department with 15 service racks, up from six at the former location.

New equipment includes tire and alignment machines, as well as a few heavy-duty racks “where we can service heavier trucks that we weren’t able to at the old building,” Mayle said. Technicians can service trucks up to 3,500 and 4,500 pounds.

As more customers come in for service work and new car sale numbers increase, Mayle said Power will likely need to increase its staff of 25-plus sales, service, technician and office staff.

“We’re seeing an increase in sales and service, so we should be hiring a few more techs and sales people for the new facility,” he said.

Two express service lanes have helped increase business at the dealership, said Samuel Flynn, vice president with Flynn Automotive Group in Youngstown. Power is one of six dealerships that Flynn operates, including Columbiana Cadillac Buick Chevrolet, Donnell Ford Lincoln in Salem, Performance Trucks in New Waterford, and Donnell Ford and Honda Store in Boardman.

“People can pull up, get out of their cars, hand their keys to the service advisor and go wait in the lounge,” Flynn said. “The dealership business changes every day and you have to make constant improvements to satisfy customers.”

Flynn declined to specify how much the company invested in Power, but said the reason for doing so was that “[state Route] 170 is booming,” he said. As traffic comes in from western Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia, the company wanted the Power dealership to stand out, he said. “

“We see Calcutta as an area of growth,” Flynn said. “The old dealership wasn’t suited to meet the needs of Calcutta as it grew. That’s why we’ve built such a massive facility because we fully expect in the years to come to run it to capacity and do great things for Calcutta and the surrounding areas.”

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.