Harchelroad Motors Inc. thriving after 82 years of business and advesity

Imperial, Neb. — Harchelroad Motors Inc., is breaking down stereotypes when it comes to entrepreneurship in rural Nebraska. Harchelroad Motors has been in business for 82 years and has overcome family succession, devastation and the ups and downs of rural ag economics.

Harchelroad Motors opened its doors in 1935 with only six employees in Wauneta, Neb. In 1952, Gene Harchelroad took the helm of Harchelroad Chevrolet Company at the age of 23 years after his father died unexpectedly in 1952. Over the next 50 years, under Gene’s leadership and that of his sons, Sid and Brian, Harchelroad Chevrolet grew into Harchelroad Motors, Inc. one of the most successful dealerships in western Nebraska.

Harchelroad Motors, Inc. now employs nearly 50 employees and includes an Imperial dealership that was added in 1990. Harchelroad Motors, Inc. currently sells cars, trucks and suv’s to locations across the United States and exports used vehicles around the world. Also, complementing its automotive operations, Harchelroad Motor’s Agriculture division sells throughout the United States.

May of 2002, Gene was honored as a 50-year GM dealer. Per General Motors executive Larry Hice, Gene is only the third dealer to receive this honor during Hice’s 31-year career. In September of 2002, Gene Harchelroad passed away at 73 years old after a five-year battle with lung cancer. However, his legacy of exceeding people’s expectations continues today.

In 2007 Sid Harchelroad decided to add a large indoor showroom at the Imperial Location. This showroom was built to house the dealerships sports cars and new Chevrolet and Buick products. It was built with the intent of providing a comfortable shopping experience to all clients regardless of the weather. Putting the customer first has always been the main focus for Harchelroad Motors, Inc.

“Making sure the customer experience is the best and top notch service after the sale at Harchelroad Motors is why we think many customers choose us. We pride ourselves on our professionalism and customer service. Buying a vehicle is an important decision and we want our customers to put their trust in us,” stated Sid Harchelroad, CEO of Harchelroad Motors Inc.

In 2009 Harchelroad Motors, Inc. became a fourth-generation dealership with the addition of Dillon, Sid Harchelroad’s son. As a family owned business Harchelroad Motors, Inc. prides themselves in family values. In October of 2009 construction was started to increase the size of the Harchelroad Motors Inc. service department to better serve our customers. During the evening hours after the first full day of construction a fire erupted and engulfed the entire facility.

There was nothing left of the original 70 plus year old building. Thankfully the dealership was able to move operations to its showroom across the street. It was in this temporary location that the dealership was able to grow its service, parts and sales business to new levels.

In 2015 HMI moved into a new 30,000 square foot Chevy and Buick store. This store was built to better serve our big customer base with the best in sales, parts and service. As the largest corvette dealer on the plains, Harchelroad Motors, Inc. is your Corvette headquarters. Recently a Callaway cars franchise was added to the Harchelroad portfolio, making it one of only 26 Callaway dealers in the United States.

Harchelroad Motors Inc., continues to look within for a solution to building a sustainable rural business that will support rural families and bring additional new jobs to western Nebraska. At Harchelroad Motors Inc., it’s not just about customer service, but the customer experience. Every interaction, touchpoint or individual experience a customer has throughout their relationship with the business is important. Not many businesses can say that 82 years of positive relationships over multi generations has led to their success, but Harchelroad Motors can and will continue to build those relationships.

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Harchelroad Motors, Inc. is a full-service GM Dealership featuring sales of both new and used vehicles, farm machinery, a well-stocked parts department and a highly-recognized service department which features GM certified technicians and ASE certified technicians.

The performance center offers the right parts and technicians to increase speed and horsepower for any vehicle. As the largest Corvette dealer in the Midwest, Harchelroad’s specializes in these top high performance cars. Also, to be recognized is Harchelroad Motors Inc. body shop, which offers complete car restoration and body repair at its new facility on Highway 6 in Imperial.