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Kinstle’s cuts ribbon on new showroom

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

There was cake, snacks, a drawing for a big-screen television and a ribboncutting ceremony as Lee Kinstle’s GM Sales & Service celebrated completion of its new showroom Thursday with an open house.

Eric McCracken, owner of the GM dealership, cut the ribbon on the new showroom, which took a little more than 50 weeks to complete, starting January 10, 2013, and ending two days before the end of last year on December 29.

A large number of people were on hand to help McCracken and Kinstle staff celebrate, including members of the Van Wert Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, local officials, Kinstle customers and many others.

“We’re very excited,” McCracken said on Thursday. “We love and support this community and wouldn’t want to do it anywhere else.”

McCracken said the project was undertaken to provide better identification with the GM and Chevrolet brands, while also adding functionality to the showroom.

“I loved the old building and was very excited to keep most of that the same, but also make it look more like Chevrolet and GM wanted us to look,” he added, noting that the front entrance now conforms with the GM corporate branding.

The dealership’s new exterior, McCracken added, will also identify Kinstle as a GM dealership, so that non-Van Wert GM customers driving through the community will instantly know the dealership can help them with automotive needs.

McCracken said most of the early work on the project was done inside the building, so that many people did not know the extent of what was being done at the dealership until work, which was done mostly using local contractors, moved to the buildings’ exterior.

One thing that hasn’t changed: dealership founder Lee Kinstle’s picture still hangs on the wall, and McCracken said that, and the dealership’s name, won’t change.

Members of the Van Wert Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and others watch as Eric McCracken cuts the ribbon on Lee Kinstle GM Sales & Service's new showroom. (Dave Mosier/Van Wert independent)
Members of the Van Wert Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and others watch as Eric McCracken cuts the ribbon on Lee Kinstle GM Sales & Service’s new showroom. (Dave Mosier/Van Wert independent)

POSTED: 01/24/14 at 8:12 am. FILED UNDER: Business, News