Car Dealership Builds Up Business During Building Project

In 2010, Deacon’s Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Mayfield Village, OH, was asked by then-Chrysler to build a new facility or close.

The dealership has operated under various automotive companies and other owners in the previous 85 years. It was a gamble, but the Deacon family, owners since 1963, decided to build.

Their requirements were to stay open during construction, adhere to the budget, and meet design guidelines from the local government and the automaker. Architect Randy Smith from Davison Smith Certo Architects proposed using a metal building system. Carey Construction Group would erect the building.

Deacon’s Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram/Allison Carey

“With the change of project scope to include replacement of the existing service bays, the need for long, clear span bays came into play,” Smith says. “In our experience, metal building structures are ideally suited to these requirements.”

The system centers on the use of a high-performance, structural steel frame. The frame bears the load of a building, so the exterior finish can be virtually any material, such as wood, glass, brick, masonry, stucco or architectural metal panels.

Structures constructed that way once were called pre-engineered. Metal building components are fabricated in a plant for fast construction at the site. Weather does not impede the ability to join the building system elements, allowing for a faster construction schedule.

The approach also allowed for phasing the work, which became crucial to maintaining the Deacon dealership operations in the existing areas during construction. The project took 20 months due to the phasing to keep the dealership open the whole time.

Phase 1 was the expansion of the lot onto the rezoned property and site improvements.

Phase 2 was the showroom and customer-service area construction, which was done around the old service department.

Phase 3 included building nine service bays and a temporary wall separating the old and new service departments, which allowed for the previous building to be torn down. In the additional space went a 21-bay service area and car wash.

“My dad created and ran a mom-and-pop shop with loyal, repeat customers,” says dealer principal Jim Deacon. “This family reputation helped us, because we had customers in and out of a modified service area with excavators outside. The site was muddy and not very customer friendly, but we amazingly grew our business during construction.”

The 27,735-sq.-ft. (2,576-sq.-m) building has a red brick exterior with accents of glass, aluminum panels and precast concrete, as well as a standing-seam metal roof. Chrysler-brand logos were added with a customized Chrysler arch constructed by Carey.

Smith says: “Working with metal building framing, roofing and siding in conjunction with brick, masonry, precast concrete, glass or other materials on the facades has allowed us to incorporate the benefits of the metal building into projects of many functions, styles and appearances.

“In this case, we were able to incorporate both the village’s desire for a design that complemented the local aesthetics, while blending in the contemporary image and materials established by Chrysler’s corporate standards.”

The Deacons were not anticipating having to make such an investment in their company and dealership, but the automotive industry bankruptcy in 2010 was a game changer. 

With guidance from the architectural and construction team, Deacon’s Chrysler Jeep thrived during construction and overcame a difficult situation.

With the economy in a better position than it was five years ago, think about what you can accomplish in 2016 with the proper products and plans.

Dan Walker, P.E., is the assistant general manager of the Metal Building Manufacturers Association (www.mbma.com).