EVERETT — Construction is under way on a nearly $12 million Chevrolet dealership in Everett.
The 38,000-square-foot showroom and lot for Chevrolet of Everett will be on 4-1/2 acres at 7300 Evergreen Way.
“We’re probably looking at the end of the year before we’ll be open,” said general manager and equity partner Cline Davis. “We’re pushing hard, but there are hiccups on the way.”
Shannon Harnish-Cook, who owns fives dealerships with her family under the Harnish Auto Family umbrella in Puyallup, was selected to restart the Chevrolet franchise in Everett after the last one closed in 2009.
“It’s a great opportunity when the manufacturer selects you personally,” Harnish-Cook said. “Obviously you represent them well.”
The design work for the project was done by longtime Harnish Auto Family employee Larry Guck. Harnish-Cook’s husband, Scott Cook, is the general contractor on the project. He’s had experience building two other stores owned by the family in Puyallup.
“It’s going to be a beautiful showroom and a beautiful lot,” Harnish-Cook said.
As part of the project, Harnish-Cook is building a one-story parking garage that allows the business to keep 475 cars and trucks on hand. The parking garage is built so that more stories can be added in the future.
“We decided to go ahead and build the parking structure because the property is a little bit small for a Chevy dealership,” Harnish-Cook said. “So we decided to go up in the air.”
The dealership is expected to employ about 65 people.
Chevrolet is looking to grow sales and market share and Everett is a significant part of the greater Seattle market, said Shad Balch, manager of new product and public policy communications at General Motors, in an email.
Harnish-Cook was selected in a competitive process. She is one of 225 women who own dealerships out of the 4,400 dealerships that GM has nationwide. Candidates for the Everett location were evaluated based on a number of criteria, but gender was not among them, Balch said.
The strength of the Boeing Co. and the thousands of aerospace workers who live in the area played into the desire to move into the Everett market, Davis said. And the Chevrolet brand, with its mix of trucks and SUVs, has been going strong and is on an upward trend as well, he said.
Davis, who will be the on-site representative for the Harnish Auto Family, lived in Everett as a child and still has friends in the area. He’s excited to move back. He and Harnish-Cook said the family is eager to be in Everett.
“We’re excited to be part of the community,” Harnish-Cook said. “And we’re excited to bring our award-winning sales and service up to Everett and be involved in the community and be able to give back.”
For more, go to www.chevroletofeverett.com.
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