Brent Morgan and his brother, Dwight, have just finished a $2.2 million renovation of their Integrity Buick GMC Cadillac dealership in Chattanooga. Next up, starting in the spring 2016, are plans to refresh the nearby Integrity Chevrolet store, the co-owners said.
Brent Morgan and his brother, Dwight, have just finished a $2.2 million renovation of their Integrity Buick GMC Cadillac dealership in Chattanooga. Next up, starting in the spring 2016, are plans to refresh the nearby Integrity Chevrolet store, the co-owners said.One down. One to go.
Brent Morgan and his brother, Dwight, have just finished a $2.2 million renovation of their Integrity Buick GMC Cadillac dealership in Chattanooga.
Next up, starting in the spring 2016, are plans to refresh the nearby Integrity Chevrolet store, the co-owners said.
"We see positive growth in the Chattanooga market," Brent Morgan said. "It's a vibrant city. It has a lot to offer. We want to make sure we're in a position to meet the growth in this market."
Integrity Buick GMC Cadillac on International Drive off Highway 153 is really two stores under one roof, he said. The Buick GMC lines have their own entrance while Cadillac has another - sliding glass doors which point to the upscale brand.
Inside, there are big windows, high ceilings, lots of light, a cafe and other amenities aimed at making it as convenient as possible for customers to do business, he said. Customer experience managers are newly created positions, he said.
"Service is a large part of the business," he said, citing the updated service department.
Outside, customer parking spaces are near the front doors. The number of vehicles the dealership can hold on the 6-acre tract is 600, up about 200 before the renovation, he said.
Integrity Chevrolet, about a quarter mile away on Chapman Road on a site which the Morgans acquired in 2013, will undergo an update that will not only include its appearance but major changes to its lighting, for example, to make the building more energy efficient, said Dwight Morgan.
That work ought to be finished within three or four months after starting, he said.
"We're in a growth mode," he said. "The next 20 years are extremely promising."
Both brothers laud General Motors products as the automaker has rebounded from its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in 2009 to last month reporting record quarterly earnings.
GM said the $3.1 billion operating profit and 8 percent profit margins in the third quarter, which are both adjusted before interest and taxes, were the best for any such period.
"In the last few years there has been a lot of new product," Dwight Morgan said. "But there is a lot of great product that is coming our way in 2016-17. We feel like GM really has a great direction."
Brent Morgan said both dealerships will sell nearly 3,000 vehicles this year, leading to a record year for the Chattanooga businessmen.
Cadillac sales are up about 51 percent, he said. GMC is 12 percent higher, Chevrolet is 10 percent above last year, and Buick is up 2 percent, he said. Used car sales have increased 25 percent, the auto dealer said.
"We're running at a great clip," he said. "It's our best year ever. Next year will be better."
The Morgans' dealerships are in part fueled by an auto business that's the healthiest since before the Great Recession late last decade.
Online auto researcher Edmunds.com reports that the national pace of vehicle sales in November has hit the highest level of the year.
It estimates the pace of sales for the month will be 18.3 million vehicles. That would be the highest monthly sales pace in 2015, according to Edmunds.com. It would also mark three straight months where the sales rate topped 18 million vehicles, something that has never happened in the U.S., it said.
Also aiding business, however, is the way the Morgans said they run their dealerships. There's a reason that "Integrity" is on the signs and not their names, Brent Morgan said.
Morgan, 54, entered the car business 32 years ago after having initially studied biology and chemistry to be a dentist. He operated stores for other dealers before he bought the Saturn dealership with his brother 13 years ago.
"When I got into the car business, I had people who mentored me who did the right thing," he said. The dealerships try to do that for its customers and employees, Brent Morgan said.
He cited a four-time purchaser of an Integrity vehicle who was back at his Buick GMC Cadillac store one day last week.
"They keep coming back for the same reason," he said. "Repeat business is the highest it has ever been."
In terms of employees, he noted the dealerships have a lot of long-term workers.
"If you stay with us a year, you'll probably be here 20," he said. "It's really about our team."
Dwight Morgan, 58, said he was in the insurance business for about 25 years before he partnered with his brother in the Saturn dealership, which now houses the Buick GMC Cadillac store.
"Brent had been in the business. My path was a little different," he said. "It was a great business move. We certainly feel confident in the future."
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.