DWYER & SONS VOLVO-SUBARU
BIG BUSINESS
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any businesses start small, but very
few begin with only two products
to sell. Not two lines of products
but, literally, two items for sale —
in the case of Dwyer & Sons, it was a pair of
Fiats — in their showroom.
Over 42 years later, Dwyer & Sons Volvo-
Subaru has a 28,000-square-foot location on
Maple Road, west of Haggerty Road, in
Commerce Township.
Joseph Dwyer, a former Chrysler employee,
and his brother-in-law, Al Dittrich, founded
Dwyer & Sons at Grand River and Seven Mile
Road in Detroit in 1959. Like most family busi-
ness start-ups, money was extremely tight. So the
partners converted a former H.F. Smith hardware
store into a two-car showroom, and worked until
10 p.m. most nights and weekends. Every cus-
tomer trade-in had to be converted immediately
into cash to pay for the customer's new car, and
to replace it on the lot. In its early years, the deal-
ership sold English Triumphs as well as Italian
Fiats.
Over the years, the dealership grew. In 1960,
Volvo was added to its lineup. In 1981, Triumph
and Fiat left the U.S. market. Subaru was added
to the dealership in 1982. By 1993, the dealer-
ship had outgrown a 1.5-acre Detroit location
and moved to its current 4-acre location. A sepa-
rate showroom for Subaru and a service reception
area was added in March 2000. Shortly after,
another acre was purchased for additional storage
and new and used car display.
Through four-plus decades, the dealership's
personnel has also changed. Dittrich left the busi-
ness in the early, 1960s. Joseph Dwyer, with
encouragement from his wife, Rosemary, contin-
ued the dealership's steady growth. In the, 1970s,
a new generation of Dwyers entered the family
business.
From a very small start;
Dwyer 6- Sons Volvo-Subaru
has grown into a major
business, which is still
expanding today.
Pat Dwyer worked part-time while in high
school, doing janitorial-type work, washing
cars and cleaning floors. He sold cars dur-
ing summer breaks from the University of
Michigan, then joined the staff full time
after graduating in 1975. He is currently
the general manager. Jim Dwyer, who grad-
uated from Michigan State, joined in 1979 and
is sales manager, and younger brother Frank,
another U-M grad, came on board in 1988 and
is the dealership's service manager. Dad Joseph is
semi-retired, but is available to counsel his sons
and be a general resource.
Being involved in a family business has many
benefits, according to Pat. "We're preserving the
legacy of our family business. I think that's very
important. And it does add to how you're per-
ceived in the market. People understand that we
are dedicated to our customers, since virtually
our entire family has been serving them for such
a long time."
The Dwyers built the family business the
good, old-fashioned way, by working hard, and
treating their customers the way they'd like to be
treated. By establishing a trust element in their
dealings, they've been able to enjoy long-term
customer relationships. They have many happy,
returning customers who have purchased three
or four cars over a 15- or 20-year period.
Dwyer & Sons' new car customers return to
the dealership for high-quality, first-class service
on their new Volvo or Subaru. Because service
has always been the backbone of Dwyer & Sons'
business, it's always been given the highest priori-
ty. The dealership has a great staff of experi-
enced, highly trained technicians, some of whom
have been with the company for more than 20
years. Customer satisfaction was important to
the Dwyers long before it became an industry
buzzword, or was formally measured and rated
by the car companies.
To complement customer service, the dealer-
ship offers an on-site collision department,
which specializes in Volvo and Subaru repairs,
but also services all makes and models.
"What sets us apart are the products," Pat
Dwyer says. "We do have a wonderful product.
Both products, Volvo and Subaru, definitely are
quality vehicles. Plus, we offer a relationship
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with the customer that they'll enjoy. We try to
maintain stability on our staff so the customers
are comfortable when they come in and they see
the same people, year after year. We want our
employees to be successful as well."
The biggest change in the Detroit market has
been the acquisition of Volvo by Ford Motor
Company and the purchase of 20 percent of
Subaru by General Motors. Salaried Ford
employees and retirees, and their immediate fam-
ilies, qualify for Ford buyer discount plans. Ford
suppliers also qualify for plan privileges. Each
plan is supplemented by Ford, taking the haggle
out of the purchase process and adding a great
opportunity for anyone who qualifies.
Some future changes in the car business will
come as a result of the Internet. "The Internet
isn't going to affect the business, but I think it
does help people prepare themselves before they
come into the showroom," Dwyer explains.
"There is a lot of good information on the
Internet."
Customers who walk into Dwyer & Sons
Volvo-Subaru will immediately notice a genuine,
friendly, comfortable atmosphere in the show-
room. Their salespeople have never used a fast-
talking, "slam 'em into a car" style of selling.
They can take time with customers to make sure
they get the right car, with the right features, and
understand how everything on the new car
works.
Dwyer & Sons offers extended sales and serv-
ice hours on Monday and_Thursday nights,
until 9 p.m. The dealership is also open on
Saturday, with the service department open
from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the sales staff work-
ing from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more informa-
tion, call 248-624-0400, or click on the dealer-
ships' Web site, at www.dwyerandsons.com
4/12
2002
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