There has been a Chevrolet dealership on the corner of routes 10 and 1 (West Hundred Road and Jefferson Davis Highway) for as long as most can remember.
It has been more than 80 years since Harold Goyne moved his dealership, Dutch Gap Motors, one mile south to protect it from the construction of Interstate 95. The business survived and was sold to H. Carter Myers III, who grew a family of dealerships from one – Petersburg Motor Co., which his grandfather started in 1924 – to 13 dealerships and 16 franchises.
Carter Myers Automotive is now under the leadership of its fourth generation. Elizabeth “Liza” Myers Borches is president and CEO of the family- and employee-owned dealership. Carter Myers III serves as executive chairman.
Chester’s Carter Myers dealership is Heritage Chevrolet, a loyal community patron supporting schools, clubs and organizations, health and fitness, culture and community news. That loyalty has earned them wide community recognition and loyal customers.
Community involvement was a practice Myers believed in and one that its current leader, Jay Burchell, has continued with his 30 years of leadership at Heritage. He and his team members represent exceptional citizenship in the Chester community.
Heritage Chevrolet had been serving the community for 30 years when CMA decided to expand in the Chester area. They had solid footing with three dealerships in the Charlottesville area, and today have four new franchise dealerships — including Honda, Hyundai, Kia and Suburu — in the Walthall area.
When General Motors began requiring all their dealers to update their showrooms, Heritage had to make a decision to remodel and stay in the community or follow CMA’s family of dealerships with a new building on Hull Street Road. GM wanted a new building. Burchell and Myers believed the dealership had to stay in the community. The dealership was able to stay, and a million-dollar renovation and expansion was completed in 2012.
CMA has been rebranding their franchises with the name Colonial, and has now determined it was time to include Heritage under the Colonial name, effective March 1.
“Heritage Chevrolet has been a part of Carter Myers Automotive since 1981 back when we only had a couple of dealerships in Petersburg,” Borches said. “Our company vision is: Moving Lives Forward, and this includes our customers, our associates and our communities. We have grown to 16 different brands, 13 dealerships, and three markets across Virginia. The next step in our company growth is to better communicate as one cohesive team to our customers so that they know that they will receive the same great customer experience at any CMA dealership across Virginia. By tying our names together, we will be able to make sure our customers know where to find us no matter which brand they may be looking to buy or service. We have had a strong reputation in creating a great customer experience for 94 years in each individual dealership, and now want to expand that reputation across our entire dealership group to best help our customers and their friends and families.
In addition, we have almost 600 employee owners (we are family and employee-owned through our Employee Stock Ownership Plan), and as sales associates, technicians, service advisors
Colonial Chevrolet will continue to be a strong community supporter and strong in supplying the community with new lines of the Chevrolet brand and a leader in truck sales.
They have also expanded the hours in the service department, adding more certified technicians. They are now open until 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until 6 p.m. Friday. Saturday hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“I wanted to let you know how excited we are to offer our Heritage customers extended hours for their service needs,” service manager John Kinton said. “We are all aware of how busy everyday life can be, so we wanted to give our friends another option of when they could get their car serviced. Another way we are celebrating this is to offer a special of ‘buy three tires and get the fourth for free,'” he said, noting that some exceptions apply.
As president and executive general manager, Burchell is grateful for the community support and does not hesitate to show the
“I am proud of the history of Heritage Chevrolet in our Chester and Central Virginia Community,” he said. “Having now been part of the team for 30 years, it is gratifying that we have so many great and loyal customers right here in our back yard. As a way to give back, we have been active and contributed to the youth in our area through the local schools and the Chester Family YMCA, those in need with Chesterfield Food Bank, Christmas Mother
“In summary, we are looking to better take care of our customers and future employee-owners by creating a regional brand for all of their automotive needs and job opportunities,”
