Gan Chev celebrates 45 years as part of the Gananoque community
This spring marks Gan Chev’s 45th year in business. A feature in Gananoque since the one-car showroom opened in 1976, the dealership is a true family business and a longtime sponsor of local organizations and events.
“One of our most important accomplishments is our commitment to the Gananoque community,” said Dale Sheppard, Marketing and Social Media Manager at Gan Chev. “Our dealership has a history of charitable donations and sponsorships to organizations like local hockey teams, festivals, fundraising events, tournaments, and more. We are proud of our ongoing relationship with many local organizations like the Thousand Islands Playhouse, the Gananoque Food Bank, The Gan Chev Islanders, The Gananoque Humane Society and TIA. We’re invested in the community and proud to support local causes.”
Dewey and Sharon Hall have worked side-by-side since the dealership opened and, over the years, their sons have joined the team. Jeff worked in service and parts, helping to provide unparalleled service, and Jamie worked as a car washer while he studied automotive marketing in college. He is now Director of Operations at Gan Chev.
“My dad always loved what he did and that excitement it was infectious,” Jamie shared. “I knew from a very young age what I wanted to do, and my dad supported me in every way. Fast forward and now my whole family is involved in the business and it is something that we all love. For the past 45 years our dealership has been a collaboration of our entire family and the staff, which makes Gan Chev a family, and that excitement continues to be infectious.”
The Gan Chev Service Department runs like a well-oiled machine, constantly adapting to bring their customers the best service possible. Every service technician attends annual training sessions to stay ahead of the changing technology in today’s highly-developed engines and vehicle technologies.
“The more knowledge that our technicians have about all types of vehicles, the better equipped we are to serve our customers,” Sheppard said.
For years, Gan Chev has offered free pick-up and delivery service to all their service customers. No need to take time off work or leave the house for your next service appointment — Gan Chev will pick up your vehicle, complete the service and then return your vehicle to your home, work or school. The dealership has since expanded that service to their sales department. Now they will bring test drives to you.
On top of the free pick up and delivery service, Gan Chev has expanded their online availability. Customers can now receive videos, pictures and quotes for work needed on their vehicle from their service advisor and technician while their vehicle is in the shop. They also offer the option to pay for service with an email or text link, and a service kiosk for after-hours drop off or contactless pick up of vehicles.
“Our roots as a family business form the fundamentals around our team approach that we take with our staff,” said Mike Kellam, Operations Manager. “This includes empowering our staff to make many different decisions in order to enhance our customer service experience. This allows customers to have answers quickly and creates a customer focused approach to our business.”
Gan Chev also has a new state of the art CSN collision centre, located at 380 Herbert Street, Gananoque. The centre is fully equipped, and the highly-trained technicians perform all repairs, from the smallest fixes right up to major collision and aluminum repairs. CSN Collision Centre is a preferred repair facility for most major insurance companies across Canada and offers the same level of customer service that customers find at Gan Chev.
“Although this past year has brought many changes to business and the community, we are so proud to be a part of the Gananoque community,” Sheppard said. “Everyone has worked together to support local and we are so honoured to be a part of that team!”
Visit the Gan Chev website for details on sales, service and promotions.
This article is sponsored by Gan Chev. If you are interested in a Business Feature on Kingstonist, contact [email protected]