Half Century Success Formula 

February 14, 1958, Tom Henry opened his Chevrolet dealership in Bakerstown, 15 miles north of Pittsburgh. Henry's entrepreneurial spirit, his experience in the car business and an attitude which, today, we'd call "customer-driven," had his business quickly thriving. in 1961, needing more space and to be on a major highway, Henry  Chevrolet moved just west of Bakerstown to Route Eight which runs from Pittsburgh, north, to Franklin. In 1965, Henry added a Willys Jeep franchise. In 1972, a new Parts Department was constructed. In '74, the Body Shop finally moved to Route Eight.

In the mid-1960s, a young Tom G. Henry swept floors at Dad's Chevy/Jeep store after school. By high-school, he worked summers in Parts and Service. With a Chevy dealer Dad, Tom and his sister, Sue, were nuts about Corvettes. At 16, Tom got his first Vette, a '64 Convertible his Dad took in trade. In his senior year, Tom borrowed money from his Dad and ordered a Targa Blue, 1972 Corvette Coupe with the high-performance LT1 engine and a four-speed stick shift. That fall, Tom was off to college and the Blue Vette went with him. In 1974, Sue went to work for Tom Henry Chevrolet as a Title Clerk.

In November of '75, fresh out of Michigan's Northwood University with degrees in automotive marketing and business management, Tom started, full-time, for his Dad as a Service Writer. He, also, made his first sale, a left-over '74 Impala. In 1976, he moved to Sales, by '78 was Truck Manager and in '80, General Manager. By then, his Sister had moved up to Office Manager. Finally, in May 1982, with Tom B. wanting a less-busy schedule and part-time work, young Tom G. took over as Dealer Principal. 

By 2001, Tom Henry Racing was selling "upfitted", new Chevys on a "second-sticker" basis. The first was a performance-enhanced Camaro, the "Tom Henry SS". Thirty-two were built and sold in 2001 and 2002. Each had a modified LS1 engine along with special wheels and tires and customized interior and exterior.

The 2007-2009 period was the most challenging yet the most rewarding in the company's history. In '07, although truck and SUV sales decreased, sales of the Equinox crossover, the Chevy Cobalt and the new Chevy Malibu did well. In '08, the worst year for the car business since the Great Depression, Tom Henry Chevrolet passed its 50th Anniversary in mid-February. Tom Henry waited to April, when inventory and the weather were better, to honor that occasion with a sale and celebration at the dealership one evening. Over 200 people attended and a high point of the evening was his Dad and founder, Tom B. Henry, coming to socialize with old friends and long-time customers.

Few dealers weathered the Great Recession and the GM bankruptcy better than Tom Henry Chevrolet. By October '08, used cars, parts, service and the body shop all slowed, but the year ended with new unit sales actually beating the dealership's 2007 performance–an astonishing feat, considering the economy cratered and new car sales nationwide tanked. "We outpaced the market. In '08 we did better than the average dealer in the Pittsburgh area," Henry beamed.

Into 2009, with good new unit numbers the year before and knowing the fifth-generation Camaro would be on sale by early Summer, Tom Henry Chevrolet and Tom Henry Racing had momentum, but downs and ups continued. April was tough with dealership founder, Tom B. Henry, passing away at the age of 86. On the upside, in May, the dealership sold its first 2010 Camaro and delivered 11 more in June. Starting in April business improved over '08. In June, when Chevrolet announced which dealers would have their franchises renewed, one was Tom Henry Chevrolet. Henry attributes that to performing better than other Pittsburgh dealers and Chevrolet wanting a presence in Pittsburgh's growing northern suburbs.

During Spring of '09, THR developed a new upfit product, the "Tom Henry Racing Camaro", a unique interpretation of the fifth generation of America's iconic sports coupe. The first was sold in mid-June. THR Camaro development continued into the second half of '09 resulting in a supercharged engine option.

"We repeated our record new unit sales in 09," Henry said. "That put us in the top 10% of dealers in the northeast region." When asked how, when many other dealers have fallen on hard times, he could do that twice in a row, Tom says, "A big part was our Sales Manager, Jeff Blough, who read the market, made the right decisions and  inspired the rest of our Sales Team to strive for success."

For 2010, Tom Henry is upbeat. The new Camaro has already bolstered sales. The unique Tom Henry Racing version is succeeding with 24 sold so far and perhaps another 15 sales before year end. "For '10, we want continued increase in new unit sales. Another goal is to improve customer satisfaction at the service desk–making sure we are really taking care of people coming in for service," Henry stated. "Besides Camaro, I think the new Traverse and redesigned Equinox crossovers will be good sellers for us by Summer, once we can get enough of them. Malibu is going to be stronger because availability is better. We're going to concentrate on a low price Malibu lease or buy. Full-size trucks are still solid for us, so we're going to work our commercial business. We're stocking more work vans, 3/4-ton snow plow trucks, dump trucks, that kind of thing. We're, also, doing more business with used commercial vehicles–3/4-ton used pick-ups are very strong."

Part of the Tom Henry Chevrolet success formula is enthusiasm for America's iconic brand, Chevrolet. For 40 years, Tom Henry and his Sister Sue Scott have been car nuts and have a nice collection of Chevys. "Tom's Toys" include the '72 Corvette he bought over a generation ago which he drives regularly and keeps in original condition. He, also, has a restored, '64 Vette and two late-model Camaros, a rare, 1998 Brickyard 400 Pace Car, one of only 11 in private hands, and one of his own Tom Henry SSes. The '72 LT1 and the TH/SS have been featured in national automotive magazines. Tom's sister Sue's hot rod, is a modified, ’04 Corvette Convertible, one of 14 Vettes she’s owned.

Another reason the Henrys have lasted over half a century in the car business is rapid response to changing markets. "A major accomplishment was getting every department to be more self-sufficient," Tom Henry says. "When I took over in 1982, Service, Parts and Body were 30% of our fixed coverage (percentage of expenses covered by those departments' profit). That was the business model then–you could make it just on new unit sales. Today, that doesn't work. We took fixed coverage to about 75%. Adapting to the evolution of the dealer business model has been a big factor in our longevity. Department profitability, increased efficiency, great employees and customer satisfaction–especially customer satisfaction–are keys to our success.

"One way I like to market Tom Henry Chevrolet is to be involved in local events at schools, youth centers, churches and so forth. I want us to be visible and supportive to people who live in my community."Our mission," Tom states, "is to maintain a conservative operation. I really believe in 'a promise made is a promise kept.' If we tell a customer we're going to do something; we do it. I'm probably too conservative for a car dealer. I will not tolerate screwing around with deceptive sales practices.

"For over 50 years this has been a family-owned business," Henry beams. "We're not absentee owners. For that entire time, there's been at least one family member active in the business on a daily basis. My two kids are a bit young to be involved right now, but I'd like to structure it so they have the opportunity in the future."