McNerney Chevy moves showroom to more spacious lot

CNY Business Journal (1996+), Feb 04, 2005 by Rombel, Adam

TULLY - Jack McNerney Chevrolet, Inc., a nearly 35-year-old, family-owned car dealership, has moved its showroom and sales lot a half-mile down the road, but it may as well be a world away.

McNerney Chevrolet has moved its sales operation to a nearly eight-acre site at 363 Route 281 in Tully, which puts it closer to Interstate 81 and gives it a big increase in land over its previous 1.5-acre location at 414 State St. The dealership is hoping the move will give it more visibility and room to sell more cars and trucks.

"We have about a 40-car display on the backside of 81 and signage that should be able to draw people off 81. It could attract people driving up to Syracuse from Binghamton and Ithaca," says Michael (Mike) J. McNerney, the dealership's president and co-owner along with his father Jack McNerney, the founder. "You can't miss it from 81," Mike McNerney says.

The dealership says the sales location, opened on Feb. 1, will provide it room to expand its vehicle selection and inventory.

"With additional space, we can now have a much larger presence as far as additional inventory," says McNerney "We'll. probably be able to increase the inventory by 30 percent." Following the move, the dealership has 170 new vehicles and about 100 used vehicles on hand.

With the additional space comes increased hiring and hopefully increased sales, says McNerney.

The dealership, which employs 33, will soon add four new workers - two salespeople, a receptionist, and detailer/porter to look after the vehicles on the dealer's lot.

McNerney Chevrolet sells about 800 vehicles per year, with about half new and half used. "We would anticipate at least 20 percent growth in sales this year," he says. "That's what we're shooting for. We've got some great products: The Cobalt, Uplander, Equinox, and brand new Corvette. The timing for us we feel couldn't be any better to be a Chevy dealer."

McNerney Chevrolet's new 7,000-square-foot facility near Interstate 81 was built by Tully-based Drum Construction, -Inc. It houses the dealership's management and sales offices and an indoor show,room that can hold five cars. McNerney declined to share the costs of the move.

The dealership plans to market the new showroom through direct mail to previous customers and possibly some radio and TV ads. No ad budget has been set yet, says McNerney.

McNerney Chevy's existing 1.5-acre, 15,000-square-foot location at 414 State St. is now the dealership's service center - housing its service, parts, and body-shop departments. Removing the showroom provided more room for a customer waiting area, McNerney says.