A global pandemic may seem like a risky time for a business to go into expansion mode given the volatile economic climate. However, when that business is located in the heart of a rapidly expanding community like the Georgian Bay and Simcoe County area, there’s no time like the present to put plans in motion to better serve the local population.
That’s definitely the thinking at the Bourgeois Auto Group, which grew from one dealership at the beginning of 2019 to its current four dealerships as of 2021.
“For the most part our goal is to give the community choice, and to provide the community with what they want,” said Ben Alger, Marketing Coordinator for Bourgeois Auto Group. “We added three new locations, and the community has been receptive to the growth. We’re growing our business to meet the needs of the community and we remain just as connected to the area as we have been for over 75 years.”
The business has had a long association with the area. Lionel Bourgeois founded the flagship location in Midland in 1945. He was followed by John Bourgeois and Bob Bourgeois, uncle and father of current owner Adam Bourgeois, making this a three generation family run company. With the expansion, Bourgeois Auto Group now includes Bourgeois Midland Nissan, Bourgeois Ford North in Parry Sound, and their newest addition, Bourgeois Midland Hyundai. According to Alger, market conditions were a primary driver of the decision to expand.
“The community has been growing and we wanted to grow along with them,” he said.
“That Georgian Bay community is a place where people want to be. There are lots of people moving into the area from the city. The big auto manufacturers wanted to add new locations in the area, so they added a Nissan store and a Hyundai store in the last two.”
According to Alger, one of the company’s core business pillars is to support the communities in which it does business. In May 2021, for example, Bourgeois Auto Group owners Adam and Beth Bourgeois committed $100,000 to Georgian Bay General Hospital to help address the organization’s highest capital projects for the next decade. The company continues the family tradition of supporting a variety of other local causes including hockey clubs, curling teams, snowmobile trail organizations and the fire department.
“Adam has grown up in this community,” said Alger. “So has his father and his grandfather who founded the first store. We want to make sure we remain part of the community and to welcome each new customer into our family. We want to give back to the community and that starts at the top with Adam. That’s something that’s important to him.”
With rapid expansion comes the risk of growing too big, and many companies have lost touch with the personalized services that helped establish their reputations. Alger says Bourgeois Auto Group is avoiding the traps that turn smaller operations into big corporate conglomerates.
“As we grow our business as a whole we want to maintain balance,” he said. “We want to give customers the choice of how they want to do business with us. We’ve got a great sales team that’s part of the community. Although we want that small town feel when customers come into the store, we want to make it as easy and convenient as possible for customers to do business with us online. That’s really helped us expand in our local market and we’re now doing business right across the country.”
To find out more about the amazing products and services available from Bourgeois Auto Group, visit them online.