Courtesy Automotive Group is expanding its footprint this month with a Nissan dealership in the East Valley. At the same time, the company is going back in time to launch into the future.
Digging deep into its founder’s vault from the 1950s, Courtesy realized that its current public identity became diluted as the company grew over 68 years into a $1 billion enterprise. This month, Courtesy will unveil its recaptured essence demonstrated by its dedication to the “Courtesy Way”. The company will splash into the market with a dynamic, multimillion-dollar ad campaign illustrating its evolution and distinguishing Courtesy as a family-owned, contiguous group of seven local dealerships serving generations of families through the Courtesy Way.
Growing by leaps and bounds since the flagship Courtesy Chevrolet opened in 1955, as the only car dealership on Camelback Road, the company has expanded to seven Valley-wide stores carrying Chevy, KIA, Volvo, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and the all-electric Polestar. This month, Courtesy is expanding once again with the opening of Courtesy Nissan in the East Valley (deal is expected to close October 30.)
The company currently employs 760 local community members and has won numerous J.D. Power Awards for customer satisfaction.
Its Chevy store is among the largest in the company and is the 2023 Chevrolet Dealer of the Year for 19 years and counting.
The Courtesy Way is championed by President and CEO, Scott Gruwell, a third-generation owner of the company. Gruwell started at Courtesy Chevrolet as a retail salesperson right out of college 27 years ago and rose through the ranks to CEO sitting alongside Jason Church, COO and Gruwell’s brother-in-law. The Courtesy Way demonstrates Gruwell’s and Church’s dedication to their employees and commitment to Courtesy’s customers, teaching each employee how to treat new and returning purchasers in ways that gain generational loyalty.
Bryan Long is the General Manager of Courtesy KIA and has been with the company for 20 years. He’s a humble, nontraditional GM with an infectious smile and a knack for listening, remembering the finer details about customers and their families. Customers are free to speak with him whenever they want and Long engages them with kindness, often offering meaningful gestures that surprise and delight. He lives the Courtesy Way by helping everybody, overcoming obstacles that open hearts and build good will. His attitude inspires respect and builds customer admiration every day.
Also an approach to hiring, the Courtesy Way digs deep into the communities located around the stores so that local residents have opportunities for great jobs while customers see themselves reflected in the Courtesy employees with whom they engage.
“Moving forward, our community will learn that many of our employees are Hispanic, female and veterans. They’ll understand that many of our new hires come here and stay here because a family member or a friend used to work at Courtesy,” says Gruwell.
Church adds, “Customers will know we’re in their neighborhood and that we all sweat every detail, so the buying experience at any of our dealerships is exactly what they hoped for.”
Photo provided by Courtesy Automotive Group
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