Driving Community

BERKSHIRE AUTO DEALERSHIPS ARE EXPANDING, THRIVING, AND STAYING TRUE TO THEIR ROOTS 

By Scott Edward Anderson Photos by Lee Everett 

On a stretch of Pittsfield Road in Lenox that is becoming known as the town’s “Auto Quarter Mile,” the future of Berkshire County’s auto sales industry is quite literally taking shape. A gleaming new facility worth over $5 million now houses Berkshire Mazda, which relocated from its longtime Pittsfield home in 2024. Across the highway, owner Jim Salvie has developed additional lots where the Yankee Candle shop once stood, clear signs of an industry roaring back to life after years of pandemic-era disruption. 

rom top, Steve Bedard stands in front of his family’s auto dealership in Cheshire. Jim Salvie is inside a gleaming new facility that now houses Berkshire Mazda, located on a stretch of Pittsfield Road in Lenox known as the town’s “Auto Quarter Mile.”

For Salvie, the expansion reflects both business strategy and personal commitment. “Business for us has been great,” he says, noting a 30 percent uptick since the move and a one-to-one ratio of new to used car sales. More than just a new building, this growth highlights something increasingly rare in American retail: the endurance of locally owned businesses. While corporate consolidation has swept through the auto industry nationwide, Berkshire County’s dealer landscape remains personal, run by people who live and work in the area and reinvest in the community. 

Salvie’s journey exemplifies that ethos. He started at Haddad Auto Group at age 19, rose to general sales manager, and opened his own dealership in 2006. “We started in a small blue house on East Street,” he recalls, a humble beginning that led to the current expansion. 

Post-Pandemic Comeback— and Challenges 

At McGee Auto Group’s Berkshire BMW, Audi, and Volkswagen dealership, business is up roughly 25 percent from the previous year, with used car sales growing even faster. Mark Hoch, who runs the dealership, attributes this to the return of inventory and stabilizing supply chains. 

In 2024, more than 30,000 new vehicles were sold in the Berkshires and the south-central part of the state (an area that encompasses the 1st Congressional district), according to the Alliance for Automotive Innovation (AAI). That translates into 11,000 jobs in the regional car industry and nearly $766 million in labor income. 

Still, there are headwinds. “The car business is starting to slow down,” Salvie says. That’s due to economic uncertainty and tariffs, which have these seasoned dealers watching the market closely. Nationally, according to a recent Kelly Blue Book report, broader economic concerns and tariffs already have pushed the average new car price above $50,000 for the first time. After months of absorbing tariff costs, automakers may now be passing those expenses to consumers, contributing to the natural cooling that follows any period of explosive growth. 

For the dealerships, the increasing price of new cars accelerates their move into previously owned vehicles, reflecting broader market dynamics. Manufacturers are now more disciplined, avoiding bloated inventories that once led to aggressive discounting, says Steve Bedard of Bedard Brothers Auto Group. “It keeps prices stable.” He adds that used cars continue to yield healthy margins for dealers, notwithstanding historically high prices. 

Salvie agrees. “Covid created a shortage of used cars,” he says. While prices haven’t fully corrected, demand continues from buyers priced out of new models or seeking better value. 

Generations of Service 

Walk into a Berkshire dealership, and you're likely to meet someone who’s been there for decades. George Haddad, representing the third generation of the Haddad Auto Group, operates Toyota, Subaru, Hyundai, and GMC stores across the region. His philosophy? “Sales sells the first car; service sells the second,” he says. It’s a relationship-driven approach that builds long-term loyalty. Today’s first-time buyer might become tomorrow’s loyal customer who returns for decades. Haddad, who was named 2025 TIME Dealer of the Year for Massachusetts, has always worked in the family business started in 1932 by his grandfather, also named George. 

“We have people that are brand loyal, then we have people that are dealership loyal,” Haddad says. Familiar faces matter, especially when the sales manager sold your parents their first car, or your service advisor has been there for 20 years. 

“Most of the dealerships in this area are still family owned, family operated,” says Bedard. “The owners of the dealership actually live and breathe in Berkshire County. They want to take care of it.” 

The Bedard family’s journey began in a garage in Adams in 1954 and grew into a multi-brand, multi-location operation in Cheshire, managed by three generations of family members. Many employees have been there for decades, fostering personal relationships with customers. 

Though newer to the area, the McGee Auto Group brings a similar ethos. Founded by Robert McGee in 1970, the Hanover-based company has grown to 14 locations across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York. Hoch, with more than 25 years in the industry, says customer service, not quarterly earnings, is the priority. 

The presence of these dealerships extends far beyond showrooms. Their names appear on Little League uniforms, charity banners, and event sponsorships. Haddad supports such organizations as Strong Little Souls and the Rise Together Walk for Elizabeth Freeman Center, among others. Bedard backs youth sports, the Jimmy Fund, and Berkshire United Way. 

Beyond philanthropy, auto industry jobs in the region are a key driver of the local economy. With median household income around $72,500 and 65 percent homeownership, these are middle-class careers that sustain families. Hoch’s approach to hiring emphasizes service skills over prior experience. “My best salespeople are waiters, waitresses, and concierges,” he says. “People want to be served. They don’t want to be sold.” 

Salvie puts it simply: “We do the little things that maybe other dealerships might not do.” It’s an approach built on understanding that in a community the size of the Berkshires, reputation is everything. 

Digital Revolution Meets Personal Touch

Car buying has changed dramatically over the past decade. Today’s customers arrive at dealerships armed with research, online pricing tools, and specific expectations shaped by hours of digital comparison shopping. 

“Mazda wants you to do most of your shopping from home,” Salvie says. Visits are often just for test drives and final paperwork. Hoch adds that a lot of the business at McGee Auto Group dealerships is simply done over the phone and online. “Many people don’t even come in,” he says. 

This digital-first approach might seem to threaten the personal relationships that local dealerships prize, but the dealers see it differently. Technology has become a tool for better service, not a replacement for human connections. Appointment-based shopping means sales staff can prepare, pulling specific vehicles and reviewing customer research in advance. Video calls allow for virtual walkarounds. Digital paperwork streamlines the tedious parts of the transaction, freeing time for the conversations that matter. 

The shift also helps local dealerships compete with online-only operations like Carvana that have disrupted traditional retail models. Salvie argues that local businesses offer better prices, personal accountability, and the ability to inspect vehicles in person—advantages digital disruptors can’t match. When something goes wrong, customers can walk into the dealership and speak directly with someone who has both the authority and the incentive to make it right. In the Berkshires, the human element remains central. “People here want more of the hometown feel,” says Haddad. 

When asked about the industry’s evolution in the post-pandemic world, Bedard acknowledges that “the industry obviously changed, not necessarily for better or for worse, but simply just changed.” What hasn’t changed is the expectation of fair dealing and personal accountability that comes when the owner’s name is on the building and their family’s reputation is on the line.

An Electric Future Arrives (Slowly)

Perhaps nowhere is the tension between change and customer preference more evident than in the evolution toward electric vehicles. The data from AAI reveals a market in transition but hardly in revolution. Of the 661,800 vehicles currently registered in the district, just 0.7 percent are fully electric, a mere 4,616 vehicles. Plug-in hybrids add another 0.6 percent. The remaining 98.7 percent run on gasoline or conventional hybrid powertrains. 

From top, George Haddad operates Toyota, Subaru, Hyundai, and GMC stores across the region. At McGee Auto Group’s Berkshire BMW, Audi, and Volkswagen dealership, Mark Hoch, who runs the dealership, with two of his team members.

In 2024, fully electric vehicles accounted for 4.9 percent of new car sales in the district, nearly seven times their representation in the overall fleet. Plug-in hybrids claimed 2.5 percent of new sales last year. Still small but growing. 

Incentives have driven the most EV interest. The dealers we spoke with mentioned the spike in demand for EVs as federal tax credits were about to expire this fall. Nationally, according to Kelly Blue Book, September 2024 saw a record surge in EV purchases before the $7,500 federal tax credit sunset, with EVs averaging $58,124, well above the typical new car price. 

Once the incentives evaporated, demand cooled, showing that affordability and infrastructure are still barriers. Charging stations are not yet as ubiquitous as gas stations, and perhaps they never will be, but infrastructure is expanding to meet the gradual shift. 

Area dealers are preparing. “We have the infrastructure,” says Haddad, whose dealerships include the hybrid pioneer Toyota. He believes customers will decide when they’re ready. That market-driven rather than mandate-driven approach resonates in a region where a substantial percentage of workers drive alone to their jobs and where rural distances, winter temperatures, and limited charging infrastructure create practical barriers to EV adoption. 

Sport utility vehicles (SUVs), crossovers, and pickup trucks continue to dominate in the Berkshires, representing nearly two-thirds of new sales. Traditional sedans are fading, now just 15 percent of new purchases. These choices reflect the practical needs of Berkshire life: winter weather, rural roads, and outdoor lifestyles. 

The region’s average vehicle age is 11.7 years, newer than the national average of 12.2, indicating regular turnover and maintenance. With public transportation usage below 2 percent, reliable personal vehicles aren’t optional luxuries but essential infrastructure for daily life. 

Service departments play a critical role in maintaining dealer and customer relationships, which often deepen over years of oil changes, inspections, and repairs. The service department functions as the connective tissue in the buying cycle, keeping customers engaged with the dealership and brand during the years between vehicle purchases. For family-owned dealerships, this creates opportunities: the customer who brings their Toyota in for service learns about new models, mentions their college-aged child needs a first car, remembers the dealership when their aging parent needs something easier to enter and exit.

Looking Down the Road

Area dealers expect continued investment in their showrooms and service facilities, with manufacturers requiring upgrades that push smaller operators to modernize or exit. Physical expansions, though costly, can be competitive advantages. 

There are community concerns, too, about traffic and land use as the “Auto Quarter Mile” grows. Dealers who live in the region they serve must balance business needs with community impact. Locally owned operators navigate these concerns differently than corporate entities might, engaging with their neighbors and living in the communities where they build, which help them understand and value their neighbors’ quality of life more. 

Workforce recruitment presents another ongoing challenge. The industry nationwide faces demographic headwinds as experienced technicians and sales professionals age out of the workforce. Hoch’s strategy of hiring individuals who are service-oriented and training them in the skills necessary for his industry represents one answer. But the broader issue of attracting young people to automotive careers persists. The transition to electric vehicles may help here, as the high-tech nature of EVs potentially appeals to a generation raised on technology. 

The prevailing sentiment among Berkshire’s dealer community remains cautiously optimistic. They’ve navigated the waters of the 2008 financial crisis when auto sales cratered. They’ve adapted to the internet age and the transformation of car shopping from lot-browsing to online research. They’ve survived pandemic shutdowns and supply chain chaos. Each challenge reinforced rather than diminished their commitment to the long view and the perspective that comes naturally when you're building something to pass on to the next generation, or in Salvie’s case, when you’ve grown from a young salesperson to a dealership owner investing millions in your community’s future. 

Walk through any door of a Berkshire auto dealership and you’ll likely encounter what makes its retail special: people who know your name, remember what you bought last time, and have a genuine stake in your satisfaction because they’ll see you at the grocery store, at Little League games, and at community events where their company name appears on the sponsorship banner. 

This is the advantage that family ownership provides in an age of corporate standardization—the flexibility to adapt while remaining rooted, to embrace technology while preserving personal relationships, to grow while giving back. When Bedard talks about transparency as his family’s motto, when Hoch insists people want to be served rather than sold, when Haddad describes building loyalty through service, or Salvie says he goes the extra mile for his customers, they’re articulating a business philosophy that transcends quarterly earnings and market share. 

As the industry looks toward an electric future and continues adapting to digital commerce, family-owned dealerships are writing the next chapter of stories that began in Adams garages and Pittsfield sales lots decades ago. The names on the buildings may be the same, but like the vehicles they sell, these businesses have evolved. Today, they’re better equipped, more efficient, more connected, yet still fundamentally about the same thing they’ve always been about: serving their neighbors and investing in their community’s future and simply believing that doing right by your customers and your community is not just good ethics, but good business.