Bowser succeeds by meeting customers’ needs

Gary Bowser Jr. is not given to hyperbole, so when he says that the vehicles produced by General Motors today are equal in quality to any on the market, he has not overstated his case. If you give any credence to “Car and Driver” —and who doesn’t?—Bowser knows whereof he speaks. In the magazine’s January 2008 issue, three General Motors models made the list of “10 Best” 2008 winners. While the upgraded Corvette made the list for the 17th time, the Chevrolet Malibu and the Cadillac CTS were named winners for the very first time. General Motors, in fact, was the only manufacturer to take three of 10 awards.

In fact, the Malibu was also named 2008 Car of the Year, chosen in a completely different process involving 45 automotive journalists. Not too far behind the Malibu, in second place, was the Cadillac CTS.

“The quality of GM product,” said Bowser, “just continues to go up and up.”

Bowser, 37, joined the family business full time in 1995. He is currently the general manager of Bowser Pontiac Buick GMC, located at Rt. 51 and Lewis Run Road in Pleasant Hills. Gary’s younger brother, Kurt, 35, is general manager at Bowser Cadillac, on Washington Boulevard in McMurray.

The Bowser family’s first dealership was established by the still very much-involved patriarch, Gary Bowser Sr., in West Mifflin in 1983. By 1989 the business put down new roots in Pleasant Hills.

Initially, Bowser had only Pontiac and Subaru franchises, but over the ensuing years new franchises were added, most of them at the Pleasant Hills location. Today that site comprises 35 acres, four separate showrooms, and three separate service departments.

All told, there are eight different franchises, including the medium duty-GMC truck center, at Rt. 51 and Worthington Avenue, about two miles down the road from Bowser Pontiac Buick GMC. Additional franchises include Hyundai, Subaru, Nissan, and Cadillac. The GMC Trucks facility includes a body shop and medium-duty truck showroom. The body shop, said Bowser, has grown from a 6,000-square-foot facility to 21,000 square feet. The number of employees at all three Bowser locations—Pleasant Hills, McMurray and a Hyundai dealership in Beaver Falls—adds up to more than 250.

Bowser has a straightforward explanation for adding franchises. “You have to offer people variety. You try and stock what you think the customers want. That’s not always an easy thing to do. Each buyer has different tastes and wants. If we can get all franchises hitting on 8 cylinders, that would be great.” The Bowser dealerships came very near doing just that recently, closing out the best March on record.

In Bowser’s view, there is a universal concept that applies to all customers, whether they live in the Pittsburgh area or anywhere else in the country. “I believe buyers want to be treated fairly and with respect.” It’s a principle that has been passed down from Gary’s father to his sons, who apply it diligently in their day-to-day dealings.

The same is true for the Bowser employees, many of whom have been with the Bowser organization for decades. “We try to treat our people right,” said Gary. “We want to keep employee turnover as low as possible.”

That certainly has been the case with Tom Ruppen, who has 21 years with the Bowser organization. He has handled a variety of different responsibilities during that time, from sales to finance to customer service manager. Today he serves as manager of Bowser Hyundai in Pleasant Hills, a franchise established in 1997.

In these days of soaring fuel prices and an uncertain economy, Ruppen is especially high on the 2008 Hyundai Accent, a roomy, affordable vehicle that, he said, delivers about 28 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway. Hyundai, according to Ruppen, is yet another vehicle that has evened the playing field when it comes to a quality product.

Ruppen takes to heart another lesson learned from company founder Gary Bowser, Sr. “He always says that out of every 10 decisions made, if we are right seven or eight times, we will be successful. He’s held to that philosophy, and has encouraged us to make our own decisions.”

The presence of long-time employees such as Ruppen has established a sense of familiarity between consumers and the Bowser staff throughout the years. “With seeing the same sales people, service people and management people, customers are in a comfort level,” said Bowser. That comfort level, in turn, brings new- and used-car buyers back again and again, and has them making referrals because they’ve liked the car-buying experience at Bowser. “That repeat and referral business is what makes us successful,” Bowser added.

Success does not come without working at it in the Pittsburgh market, which Bowser said has a highly competitive dealership situation. “That,” he said, “works to the benefit of the consumer. Competition breeds lower pricing.”

A slowing economy only sharpens the competitive edge. “You are always going to find good deals, but at a time like this, with a dragging economy and low interest rates, the deals are better than ever. At times like this the manufacturers want to wholesale as many cars to us a possible, and they are putting more and more incentives in place.”

Financing, Bowser added, is not a problem for people with decent credit. “The banks still need and want business.”

Traditionally, prices on new vehicles tend to increase by 1 to 2 percent a year, often accounted for by new features. While manufacturers have been holding the price line, increases will eventually come.

“You’ll always get a good deal,” said Bowser, “but you’ll get a better deal right now.”