Sweeney Dealerships Still Winning After the Storm

BOARDMAN, Ohio – Just six months after a wind shear tore the roof off Sweeney Buick GMC’s service lane, President Doug Sweeney accepted three Mark of Excellence awards from General Motors.

“After the incident we had to combine operations in many areas while dealing with insurance settlements that we were negotiating,” Sweeney said Monday upon accepting the awards for his Buick, Chevrolet and GMC dealerships. “In spite of all those challenges we were once again able to persevere and win this award.”

Of the roughly 4,500 GM dealerships in the U.S., only about 150 receive the award. GM uses surveys to measure customer satisfaction in the area of service and sales. The dealership sold 1,179 new Buick and GMC vehicles in 2017 and sold 2,539 new Chevrolets.

Sweeney sold the most new GM vehicles in the Mahoning and Shenango valleys, according to 2017 sales reports from the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers Association.

“Sweeney consistently receives above average rankings in sales and service,” said Alexa Sweeney Blackann, vice president of Sweeney Chevrolet.

Dean Ciccoritti, Buick and GMC zone manager for Ohio’s north central region, said that customer satisfaction is measured by the overall purchase and delivery experience as well as satisfaction with service.

“In the event that a customer needs a warranty repair on their vehicle or routine maintenance, it’s the satisfaction with service that measures how well they were taken care of,” he said.

The Chevrolet dealership has won the award consistently since 2004, only missing it in 2009 and 2012. Sweeney Buick won in 2007 and every year since 2011. On the GMC side, they have been presented the award a total of seven times.

“I oversee 140 GM stores,” said Mike Duran, regional sales manager for northern Ohio and western Michigan. “I can say that only two stores in my district have won this award. It is a very exclusive award and only given to dealers that really focus on all the aspects of our business related to customer service.”

Bryan Wunsche, north central region zone manager for Chevrolet, said that customer satisfactions in the areas of sales and service aren’t the only measurements for the award.

“After the tornado they had to put two service departments together while trying to keep things convenient for the customer,” he said. “They did that very well.”

The awards ceremony was held at the Chevrolet dealership, 8010 Market St. Repairs at the Buick GMC store are slated to be completed in the next several months.

“After exploring our options, we decided that the service building was too damaged to repair,” Blackann said. “We are going to turn a negative situation into a positive.”

Blackann said 32,850 square feet of building would be demolished to make room for new sales and service areas. Demolition is currently underway and should be completed in June.

“We look forward to serving our sales customers with no disruptions while the construction process is happening,” said Derek Snyder, executive manager and partner at Sweeney Buick GMC.

Added Sweeney, “It’s time to reinvest in our community for the next generation of employees and customers.”

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.