they build, which help them understand and value their neighbors’ quality of life more.
Workforce recruitment presents another ongoing challenge. The industry nationwide faces demographic headwinds as experienced technicians and sales professionals age out of the workforce. Hoch’ s strategy of hiring individuals who are service-oriented and training them in the skills necessary for his industry represents one answer. But the broader issue of attracting young people to automotive careers persists. The transition to electric vehicles may help here, as the high-tech nature of EVs potentially appeals to a generation raised on technology.
The prevailing sentiment among Berkshire’ s dealer community remains cautiously optimistic. They’ ve navigated the waters of the 2008 financial crisis when auto sales cratered. They’ ve adapted to the internet age and the transformation of car shopping from lot-browsing to online research. They’ ve survived pandemic
shutdowns and supply chain chaos. Each challenge reinforced rather than diminished their commitment to the long view and the perspective that comes naturally when you ' re building something to pass on to the next generation, or in Salvie’ s case, when you’ ve grown from a young salesperson to a dealership owner investing millions in your community’ s future.
Walk through any door of a Berkshire auto dealership and you’ ll likely encounter what makes its retail special: people who know your name, remember what you bought last time, and have a genuine stake in your satisfaction because they’ ll see you at the grocery store, at Little League games, and at community events where their company name appears on the sponsorship banner.
This is the advantage that family ownership provides in an age of corporate standardization— the flexibility to adapt while remaining rooted, to embrace technology while preserving personal relationships, to grow while giving back. When Bedard talks about transparency as his family’ s motto, when Hoch insists people want to be served rather than sold, when Haddad describes building loyalty through service, or Salvie says he goes the extra mile for his customers, they’ re articulating a business philosophy that transcends quarterly earnings and market share.
As the industry looks toward an electric future and continues adapting to digital commerce, family-owned dealerships are writing the next chapter of stories that began in Adams garages and Pittsfield sales lots decades ago. The names on the buildings may be the same, but like the vehicles they sell, these businesses have evolved. Today, they’ re better equipped, more efficient, more connected, yet still fundamentally about the same thing they’ ve always been about: serving their neighbors and investing in their community’ s future and simply believing that doing right by your customers and your community is not just good ethics, but good business. n
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