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Matheny Motors buys St. Marys dealership

Photo by Jeff Baughan The former Harrington Ford in St. Marys became Matheny Ford in early May. From left are: Jay Justice, sales manager for Matheny Ford; Mick Ward, general sales manager of Matheny Motors; and Tim Matheny, owner of Matheny Motors. They are standing with a 2017 Ford Raptor at the St. Marys dealership. The service building is behind them.

ST. MARYS — Matheny Motors has added the former Herrington Ford to its list of franchises with the approval of the Ford Motor Co.

“We closed May 5,” said Mick Ward, general sales manager with Matheny Motors. “May 6, the dealership became Matheny Ford.”

Matheny Motors is excited to be a part of the St. Marys community, said Tim Matheny, president of Matheny Motors and the fourth-generation owner.

“We plan on being active within St. Marys just like we are in Parkersburg,” Matheny said.

Staff from the previous dealership was retained “and we have added five new employees with plans to fill more jobs,” Matheny said.

“There are plans in place for continued growth with the full Ford product line, which will include a large inventory of the Ford Super Duty product,” he said.

The majority of the new car lot will be trucks and SUVs, Ward said.

“This makes up about 80 percent of the business,” Ward said. “But what it will allow is the expansion of the commercial operations in other divisions of Matheny Motors.”

The company will be able to purchase bigger trucks and supply them to be upfitted with chassis for wreckers and utility bodies, Ward said.

“Most of the upfittings of the wrecker bodies is done in Mineral Wells,” he said.

Matheny Motors had been “looking to add another franchise and this one was close,” Ward said.

“The commercial aspect was a big part in the decision to make the purchase. We already have on the lot tow truck bodies and flatbed truck bodies as well as utility trucks,” Ward said. “We are ready to help with the expanding oil and gas business not only in Pleasants but in the surrounding area.”

The Matheny Ford region includes Pleasants County, Ritchie County and parts of Washington County.

“This dealership becoming Matheny Ford is a sizable investment,” said Ward. “But we also see it as a sizable investment in St. Marys as well.

Things have gone well only weeks into the new dealership, according to Matheny.

“We are going to be aggressive with the Ford name in our area of responsibility assigned to us by Ford,” Matheny said. “And it appears that within weeks of becoming Matheny Ford, we are the apparent low bidder for 90 Department of Highway Ford F550 snow plow trucks. So we are off to a good start.”

Ford has had a presence of more than100 years in St. Marys as the dealership began as Clovis Ford in 1914, according to Ward.

“It’s one of the oldest Ford stores in West Virginia and the only new car dealer in Pleasants County,” Matheny said.

Within the next two years, major facelifts will come to the three buildings which make up Matheny Ford.

The service area sits across Route 2 from the sales area, Ward said. Used cars are on the lot of a former Exxon franchise, which is situated on a side street next to the new car lot.

“We’re going to be following the Ford image profile and giving the service, sales and used vehicles buildings a remodel so all will be like other Ford dealerships,” Ward said.

“By conforming to the high standards set by Ford for interior and exterior improvements, we will give our customers the best experience whether they are buying a vehicle or having it serviced,” said Jay Justice, who is the sales manager for Matheny Ford. “We want to make Matheny Ford a place where people stop to buy a vehicle.”

Ward continued Justice’s thought by adding, “We’re already making our presence known here. When we took over, there were 19 vehicles on the lot. Now there are 60 new vehicles and plans are to make that 100. There are 40 vehicles on the used car lot and that’s soon to be over 60.”

Within the Matheny Ford dealership, Matheny Insurance Services will have a representative offering complimentary comprehensive insurance reviews. The insurance service, an affiliate of Allstate Insurance, can review auto, home, life, recreational vehicle policies.

“This allows the customer the extra convenience of being able to purchase a vehicle, have it serviced and insured under one roof,” said Matheny.

Matheny Motors was founded in 1922 and represents Ford, Buick, GMC, Freightliner, Thomas Built buses, Hino, Isuzu trucks, Miller Towing equipment, Landoll and AC trailers, E-One and KME fire trucks, Demers and Osage ambulances.

With the addition of the Ford dealership, Matheny Motors employs over 300 employees at 11 facilities in West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Maryland and Virginia.

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