For Somerset County residents looking for a nearby luxury car dealership, the wait is over—they need look no further than BMW of Bridgewater, on Route 202/206.
“Customers have been waiting for us to get here for quite a while, so they’re pretty excited that we finally made it here,” said dealership owner Gailon McGowen. “People that live in this area now have a local BMW dealership.”
And Bridgewater residents have had one since Nov. 7, when the 30,000-square-foot facility first opened its doors to the public. Since then, business has increased for the dealership that used to be known as Hunterdon BMW and was located in Lebanon.
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“Obviously, we have a much bigger market than where we came from," McGowen said. "We’re excited to be here. There’s definitely [been] an increase in all facets of the business, sales, service, parts. We’re servicing more customers and it’s been busier.”
The transition was made easier by the local government, McGowen said.
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The dealership worked closely in conjunction with the Bridgewater Township Council throughout the construction process, and even sponsored the opening of the township’s well before the dealership itself opened in Bridgewater.
“It’s been great, we have a really good relationship with the Bridgewater Township officials,” McGowen said. “They oversaw the construction project and were very supportive of what we’re doing here on the site. It’s just a very good feeling working with them.”
Community involvement will be important for the dealership going forward. Although it hasn’t been involved in too many community service projects within the township at this point, McGowen expects his dealership’s community participation to increase as temperatures increase during the spring.
“Obviously, as we move forward, we intend to be an important part of what happens in Bridgewater,” McGowen said. “We want to take it slow and make sure we can take care of our customers, and do the job the way it’s supposed to be done. We’re looking forward to getting through the winter, getting to some better weather and basically just serving Bridgewater and the greater Bridgewater community.”
