Cranberry Twp auto dealer looks to the future with upgraded facility
CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP— Jack Barnes of Cranberry has been buying and servicing his vehicles from the Ron Lewis Automotive Group for nearly a quarter-century.
A familiar face at the Ron Lewis Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Fiat dealership in Cranberry Township, Barnes said it is the family-like atmosphere that keeps him coming back to the local business.
“They always treat me so well with the service,” Barnes said. “I’ve owned a lot of Jeep and Mopar and Chrysler products. This is my dealership.”
Barnes was one of the customers in attendance for a ribbon-cutting a dealership at at 21145 Route 19 on Saturday, April 6. Three generations of the Lewis family stood together to cut the ceremonial ribbon, capping off the completion of a four-year facility renovation and kicking off the dealership’s customer appreciation month.
Co-president Gwen Lewis said the dealership group decided to “refresh” its Cranberry Township location in 2018 to keep up with the increasing population in the area.
“The growth in Cranberry Township and the Butler County area just exploded, and we felt we were in the right place at the right time,” Gwen Lewis said.
Gwen, the daughter of Ron Lewis, is part of the second generation running the Lewis Automotive Group. She said the decision to upgrade the Cranberry location was an easy one.
“(My dad) considers (the Cranberry location) our legacy store for our family,” she said. “And this is where we plan to have our next generation involved as well. We’re looking at this as a very long-term investment in the community.”
The Lewis group also owns a premium preowned vehicle dealership in Cranberry Township as well as dealerships in Pleasant Hills and Waynesburg.
Founder Ron Lewis said even with the state-of-the-art upgrades to the showroom and service center, there is one aspect that won’t change.
“We’re still going to be customer oriented,” he said. “We’re here every day, and we’re going to just take care of people. It’s the personal touch that matters.”
Butler County Chamber of Commerce president Jordan Grady said family-owned small businesses such as the Ron Lewis dealership are essential to the community’s economic health.
“It’s hard to compete, in some cases, with large corporations,” Grady said. “When we have a model that is working, like it has worked for Ron Lewis, we as a chamber have to do whatever we can to make sure we provide support.”
Also in attendance was state Rep. Robert Mercuri, R-28th, who said the dealership provided an economic model of success for the increasing population of its home township.
“What’s happening in the city is people are moving up and so there’s a real opportunity in the commercial sector for continued economic growth,” Mercuri said. “It’s important that in a dynamic economy that we react to what people are wanting, and this is a good example of that.”
Diane Housholder has worked for the Lewis Autogroup for 32 years. She said the family aspect is a driving force for the dealership’s sustained success.
“Families are the nucleus of everything,” Housholder said. “And when you work for a family-owned dealership and you do business with a family-owned dealership you are supporting all the families in the community.”
Ron Lewis Cranberry Dealership Customer Appreciation Events for April
Saturday April 13
From noon to 2 p.m.
Cool Beans Taco Truck
4x4 hybrid demonstrations
“How do I…?” tech tip workshops
Open house for trade & high school students
Saturday April 20
From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Peace, Love & Little Donuts
Test drives of our 2024 “supermodels” — Alfa Romeo, Wagoneer, Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4, Dodge Hornet and more
Saturday April 27
1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Millie’s Ice Cream Truck
Kids duck pond and cornhole with games and prizes
Raffle winner announced!
