January 1977, some thirty-seven years ago, Hellar Pylypiw assumed ownership of Western Chevrolet Oldsmobile in Drumheller, and shortly after, became known as the Deal Makin’ Man.
The dealership was located in downtown Drumheller then, and had some 14 employees. With eight years behind him in the car business at a Winnipeg dealership, the opportunity to purchase Western Chev prompted the move to Drumheller in the fall of 1976.
It wasn’t long after that he started making plans to build a new dealership, moving from downtown out to the present location on Highway 9 South. That move was completed in 1980, and at the time was one of the most modern and spacious rural dealerships in the province. Hellar became known as the “Deal Makin’ Man” as the slogan for his advertising, and the message was heard and seen from Calgary to the Saskatchewan border.
He readily recites the jingle, “Never met a man I couldn’t meet, never met a deal I couldn’t beat”.
In 2001, Western Chev became an all line dealer, and began selling the Pontiac, Buick and GMC lines. As readers well know, the Oldsmobile and Pontiac lines have disappeared, but the Chevrolet, GMC, Buick nameplates have remained strong. Two General Motors brands, the totally revamped 2014 GMC truck, and the new 2014 Corvette, were recently named North American Truck and Car of the Year.
Then in 2006, Western underwent a total re-development, with a multi-million dollar upgrading and expansion to better serve their growing clientele. Sales staff worked out of trailers, while new showrooms, sales offices and service bays were added, and the fully-trained staff now numbers over 30. Plans are currently being made for further expansion of the busy dealership as the goal of the company is to continue to exceed the expectations of their customers.
One of the things Hellar is most pleased to see improve over his years in vehicle sales, is the continual improvement in the quality of the products. “The fit and the finish of today’s cars and trucks is really exceptional, compared to that from 30 years ago”, he told the Mail. “Plus there are so many more safety features, built into new vehicles. Safety aspects are meant to prevent injuries and save lives.”
Doug Lubinski will continue on in his role as General Manager, and he and the staff will continue the tradition of providing excellent service, exciting General Motors products and taking care of their customers to the level they have come to expect from Western. “With that”, Doug continued, “Western is committed to supporting the community with solid history of staff volunteering, and donations back to where we work and live”.
