Sweeney Wins Mark of Excellence Awards
BOARDMAN, Ohio – The owners of Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC had at least two reasons to celebrate Thursday – one being the continued progress of its new Buick and GMC dealership, expected to be completely finished early next year.
The other? The Sweeney dealerships were awarded General Motors Co.’s Mark of Excellence Award for the 13th time.
“It’s a pretty high level of attainment,” said Doug Sweeney, president of Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC. “It’s all about taking care of people one day at a time.”
The Mark of Excellence Award is given to the top 100 Chevrolet dealers across the country and to 50 Buick GMC dealers nationwide, Sweeney said. Dealers are selected from more than 3,000 Chevy dealerships throughout the country and another 2,000 GMC Buick stores.
“This is a really exciting honor,” said Alexa Sweeney Blackann, vice president. “We’re the only one in the Valley to bring back the Mark of Excellence awards, which is based on excellent customer service and exceeding really hard sales goals.”
She noted that sales volume at the dealerships remain strong, despite national numbers that show new-vehicle purchases slipping. “We wouldn’t be here without our customers and they don’t seem to be slowing down at all.”
Among the top sellers are the Chevrolet Silverado pickup, the new Chevrolet Blazer and the Buick Equinox.
Bryan Wunsche, Chevrolet zone manager for northeastern Ohio, said the Mark of Excellence award comes with a special significance aside from sales volumes. “It really signifies a dealership that not only sells a lot of vehicles, but treats their customers really well,” he said.
He gestured to the row of Excellence awards positioned at the front desk of the Chevrolet dealership, which is where the company hosted a lunch for employees in honor of their latest award. “It’s really a lot of fun to come in and present to a team that does a really good job for their customers as they do here.”
Meanwhile, work continues on Sweeney’s new Buick GMC dealership across the street at 7997 Market Street, Sweeney Blackann noted.
“We are on track for an early 2020 opening,” she said. A Super Lot building behind the Buick GMC showroom is expanding as well, with steel frames now in place. “They will pour the concrete floor, add the roof and decking, and that should be done by Labor Day.”
In November 2017, a wind shear with speeds approaching 100 miles per hour ripped the roof off the Buick GMC building’s service department. The damage forced the Buick GMC dealership to consolidate service operations with the Chevrolet dealership across the street.
The new building will house a new showroom and service department for Buick GMC. The building’s second floor will serve as the headquarters for Sweeney Chevrolet GMC Buick.
“We’ll have all of the brand new state-of-the-art amenities for customers, we’re really excited,” she said. “We’re turning a negative into a positive. We’re making the best of it.”
Pictured: Alexa Sweeney Blackann, vice president of Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC, and Doug Sweeney, president, accepted Mark of Excellence awards for the company’s Chevy and GMC franchises.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
