New Smyrna Beach Chevrolet Announces the Opening of Their New Location

After months of planning and construction, the new home of New Smyrna Beach Chevrolet is ready to be occupied. This all-new 41,500 square foot facility is located on State Road 44 and according to Jack Holcomb, one of the partners who own the dealership, cost approximately $9 million to build. The original facility located at 1919 N. Dixie Freeway was closed down on the 5th of July with everyone set to open the doors of the new location on the morning of the 6th of July.

A Word about the New Facility

Holcomb went on to explain that the new facility is actually very similar in size to the dealerships old building but is significantly more modern in every aspect. Of the total cost, the partners invested $2.5 million in purchasing the approximately 9 acres of land located at 2375 State Road 44, New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168 required for the new dealership. The land was purchased in April of 2014 for the express purpose of creating a new home for New Smyrna Beach Chevrolet.

The single story building complex accounted for a further $3.7 million dollars. The remainder of the money was spent on new equipment, computers, and furniture, according to Holcomb. The thought behind this was that since they were building a new dealership, everything about it should be new from the chairs to the latest in testing and diagnostic equipment in their new state of the art service facility.

In fact the only things that the dealership is bringing with them to the new location, which is located six miles from the old one, is the company’s 55 employees and all of the inventory. This includes all new, used, and certified pre-owned vehicles, and all of the parts and supplies from both the parts department and the service department.

Why Invest in an All-New Facility?

Given the fact that New Smyrna Beach Chevrolet has enjoyed many successful years at the old location, many people might wonder why they should choose to make this move. The reality is that Chevrolet Corp. has developed a program that includes the need for dealerships to meet their new image. This program requires that all Chevy dealers must undertake a number of improvements to bring their facilities up-to-date with this legendary automaker’s new standards.

According to Holcomb, the final decision to make the move came down to the numbers. It became a question of what made more financial sense, investing in remodeling and renovating the original facility built in the late 1990s or in an all-new facility.

The new facility is located closer to I-95 in an area of New Smyrna that is rapidly becoming an important commercial hub. Major discount grocery retailer Aldi is slated to start building a new facility in this same area on the east side of the current Home Depot location in the near future.

Bigger and Better

Not only will the new location for New Smyrna Beach Chevrolet allow the dealership to build a better and more modern facility, the property itself is also significantly larger than the original 5.5 acre site. The new facility has been designed to be more efficient and offers air conditioning throughout, including the service bays.

This new facility will not only be an advantage for all customers who come into the dealership, but will also make it a much better place for all of the dealership’s employees. Holcomb went on to say, “It’ll help us recruit and retain skilled technicians, especially from the Orlando area.” More importantly, the partnership is expected to add as many as 20 new positions over the course of the next six months.

According to Tony Otte, New Smyrna Beach’s director of community redevelopment and economic development, “the city is excited about the jobs and about the investment (Holcomb and his partners) are making. … It speaks positively about the business climate in New Smyrna Beach.” Otte went on to say the city hopes to find a new tenant for the dealerships recently vacated facility.

Holcomb stated that the dealership will be hosting a Grand Opening event for the dealership’s new facility on the evening of August 5th. The event will feature a ribbon cutting ceremony and the dealership will present a donation to the local Police Athletic League.