By James B. Bartle
West Brothers Chrysler/Ford has agreed to purchase Meier Chevrolet, Buick, pending General Motors Corporate approval. Meier will continue to operate, selling new vehicles along with providing full service at its dealership in Sullivan until the sale is final.
“Glen Meier and I signed an agreement for our dealership to purchase the assets of Meier Chevrolet pending General Motors approval,” said Laury West, owner of West Brothers, Thursday. “We’re hoping to complete the transaction and receive GM approval within 30 to 60 days.”
West stated that he is always looking for opportunities for his business.
“Glen and I have been friends for several years and I had casually mentioned to him in the years that have past that if he was ever interested in selling that I would like an opportunity to purchase his business. We’ve continued to talk and have been able to work out an agreement for us to purchase the business.”
West feels that the purchase, if approved, will obviously provide additional sales volumes for his existing businesses and bring another strong brand to his dealerships.
“We’re working out the details for the location, but we will have a temporary location until we work out all the details for a permanent location,” said West. “The Chevrolet and Buick lines will provide another good sales lineup for our dealership. With the new Camaro coming out with GM along with the current Chevrolet Malibu, the hybrid SUVs, the new Volt, there’s a lot going on for GM and we feel their future is very good. The dealership, if the sale is approved, will not be at the present Meier location.”
West commented that his employees are very excited about the possibility of the Meier acquisition.
“Our employees are very excited about this and, with the economy being the way it has been, it’s been very hard on everyone in the car business,” said West. “With the winter being the way it has been, our employees were ready for some good news.”
West feels that financing of vehicles is starting to improve in the car business.
“Things are getting a little better in the credit that’s out there to lend to our customers. I don’t think we’re going to see the sales volumes we saw two or three years ago, but that’s another good reason for us to consolidate another dealership with us,” said West.
“Things will get straightened out and we appreciate the support we’ve received over the past 25 years from Sullivan and the surrounding area. We hope to continue to provide good sales and service and hope that our customers will continue to do business with us.”
West also announced that the business, Kingdom Kia dealership in Rolla, will also be adding the Mahindra vehicle line to its dealership.
“This line will provide us with a two-door, four-door, truck line along with an SUV,” said West. “These vehicles will all have diesel engines in them and we will have this product line in December.”
The Independent News also spoke with Meier Chevrolet owner, Glen Meier, who confirmed the pending sale on Thursday.
Meier wanted his valued customers to know that he is still selling new and used GM vehicles and his service department is still going strong. He also added that he wants his customers to continue to visit his dealership, as the sale has not been approved by GM at this point.
Meier Chevrolet purchased the GM dealership from Feese Chevrolet, and began operations on Jan. 13, 1992.
“I’ve really enjoyed the last 17 years and I feel the closing of Springfield Rd. for six months this past year for construction really hurt us,” said Meier. “I look forward to working with Laury West during the transition; however, we will continue to work with our present and future customers.”