Beckley, WV – (WWNR) – A local car dealership celebrated its new ownership Wednesday, as Beckley Auto Mall became Dutch Miller’s Beckley Auto Mall.
Since it started in Huntington in 1961, Dutch Miller Auto Group has expanded throughout West Virginia and surrounding states. Dutch Miller President Chris Miller says they want to sell cars in the Beckley area and enrich the local community.
“We love this area. We love the south. And we love Raleigh County and Mercer County. It’s great people down here. We love mid-sized markets where we can be active members of the community, do the little league stuff and the 4-H stuff and be involved in nonprofits, be involved in churches. And so this just fits perfectly with us because that’s the best thing about this area right here in Beckley. You’ve got great people right here, that is good old fashioned conservative families, and we love it. We’re absolutely tickled pink to be here.”
Local business and community leaders turned out for a reception Wednesday with food served by the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center.
Despite the new ownership, Beckley Auto Mall’s 70 member staff remains intact. General Manager Rick Lewis says despite some changes, what’s made them a leading dealership for the past several years will stay the same.
“As far as change, just more availability for our product. We have 13 different stores. We have access to more cars of course. But, as far as staying the same, the way we do business, you know, we take care of our customers. We don’t have much turnover in our employees and there’s a reason for that. We make sure our employees are happy first. And then that turns over to the customers and that’s what we try to do. What Dutch Miller wants to do, it’s what the Miller family wants to do. And we’ll continue to do that.”
At a time when mom and pop car dealerships are dying out, Chris Miller and his partner Jeff Serio say they want to reverse that trend. They’ll have a lot of fun, provide a lot of excitement, be actively invested in the community and help sell cars.
