Brenengen Blog

Bob Lachman retires after 38 years in auto industry

2012-05-25T12:53:00.000-05:00

Bob Lachman, Sales Consultant at our Chevrolet dealership in West Salem is retiring after 38 years in the auto industry. Bob has been with Brenengen Chevrolet since the dealership opened 21 years ago.

Bob is moving to sunny Florida with his wife and plans to spend lots of time golfing and lounging by the pool.

You will be missed Bob and we wish you All the Best!

'Drive Away Hunger' food drive was a big success!

2012-01-10T10:01:00.006-06:00

Our 2011 'Drive Away Hunger' food drive was a great success! Thanks to the generosity of the West Salem, La Crosse, Onalaska, Sparta and Tomah, WI area communities, over 5,000 pounds of food, $3,200 in cash donations from the community and $20,000 from the Brenengen Auto Group have been delivered to local food pantries.

Each of our 6 dealerships had a showroom vehicle for food drop-off throughout December. We also held a one day event on Saturday, Dec 17th at Festival Foods in Onalaska, Hansen's IGA in West Salem, Piggly Wiggly in Sparta and Burnstad's in Tomah, WI.

We would like to thank the participating grocery stores, radio stations, US Bank, Sparta Gundersen Clinic, La Grange Elementary School in Tomah and everyone who donated for their support and generosity.

Be sure to check out the link below for a photo slideshow!

Photo Slideshow

The Chevy VOLT has arrived!

2011-10-18T12:47:00.006-05:00

The Chevy VOLT is finally here. It has been a long wait for us and we are very excited to be able to showcase this amazing vehicle. These first cars are for demonstration use only but will be followed by units that will be available for sale. See our salespeople for details.

The Chevy VOLT was Motor Trend's Car of the Year and for good reason. Be sure to check out the link below for the full article.

Stop by our West Salem or Onalaska Chevy dealerships to check out and test drive this game-changing car.

Great video presentation by our salesperson Jim Dolesy
Photo Slideshow
Motor Trend Car of the Year article
Chevy VOLT official site

Corvette & Custom Car Show was a blast!

2011-07-19T09:56:00.008-05:00

The 2nd Annual River City Corvettes Custom Car show was a success despite some rain in the morning. Held at our West Salem Chevy store, we had lots of great Corvettes, Custom Rods, Stock cars and even the Festival hot rod shopping cart on display.

Contest winners were as follows:
GM--Cullen Harbaugh - 2011 Camaro SS
FORD--Del Schreck - 1970 Torino GT
OTHER--Doug Goukey - 1972 VW Bug
PEOPLES CHOICE--Del Schreck - 1970 Torino GT
DRIVERS CHOICE--Andy Konicheck - 1988 Camaro

Congrats to the winners and thanks to all who stopped by for the fun. See you all next year! Check out the links below for a great video of the entire show, photo slideshow and more.

Photo Slideshow
Car Show Video
River City Corvettes official website
River City Corvettes facebook page

Don and Cheryl appear with Boys & Girls Club in National Magazine!

2011-06-06T12:09:00.011-05:00

Our owners, Don and Cheryl Brenengen have been featured with the Boys and Girls Club of the West Salem Area in the magazine 'Automotive News'.

This full page ad was sponsored by Ford Motor Company and was an unexpected addition to the Ford 'Salute to Dealers'. Earlier this year, Don and Cheryl were one of only 4 dealers in North America to receive the 'Salute to Dealers' National Community Service Award from Ford Motor Company for their outstanding corporate citizenship and contributions to the community (see blog post link below).

'Automotive News' is the leading magazine for the auto industry. Don and Cheryl are very excited to have this type of national exposure for Boys and Girls Clubs across the country.

View Full page ad (pdf)
Don and Cheryl Honored by Ford-original blog post
Automotive News website

1st Annual Poker Run for Charity a success!

2011-05-24T09:31:00.010-05:00

Our 1st Annual Poker Run took place Saturday May 22nd and was a lot of fun for all who attended. This was one of many different events arranged by our Fundraiser 'Fun Committee'. All proceeds are matched by the Brenengen Auto Group and go towards various Charities.

A Poker Run is an event where attendees drive or ride any vehicle they choose (motorcycles, classics cars, trucks, SUV's, etc) along a chosen route and stop at predetermined locations for fun and food.

At the start, poker hands and raffle tickets were purchased for door prizes and other prizes along the route. Starting at Brenengen Chevrolet in West Salem, the stops were Billy's Lantern outside of La Crosse, Hideaway in Chaseburg, The Thirsty Turtle in Stoddard and ended at the Great River Roadhouse located just before DeSoto, WI.

Check out the slideshow for the pics!

Photo Slideshow

Tornado hits our Sparta Chevy Store!

2011-05-23T12:14:00.001-05:00

The major storm that hit our area produced a tornado in Sparta that passed through our Chevrolet lot. Thankfully no one was injured. Several of our vehicles were damaged including one vehicle that was completely flipped onto it's roof. A few other vehicles were slid into each other and a few hoods were lifted. Numerous vehicles had their windows blown out.

A large billboard was blown on top of a new Silverado truck.

Check out the slideshow below for pics including our tow truck having a hard time flipping the one vehicle right side up.

Photo Slideshow

Our Onalaska store now OPEN for Sales and Service!

2011-05-17T17:28:00.008-05:00

Our new Chevrolet dealership in Onalaska is now OPEN for Sales and Service! Located in the former Saturn building on Theatre Rd in Onalaska, our new Chevy store is ready for your business.

We have been busily preparing for this day and have lots of changes in store for our newest location. Over the coming months we will be making lots of improvements. In addition, new and used vehicles will continue to pour onto our lot for you to choose from.

Stop in and see our friendly Sales or Service staff today!

Onalaska Dealership Home Page
Map, Hours and Phone
Sales Staff

Lucky Chevy VOLT Owner Stops by!

2011-03-14T14:40:00.003-05:00

Our Chevrolet store in West Salem had an unexpected visitor today. A Chevrolet VOLT! The proud new owner had just picked up his new car in Detroit and was on his way through our small town on his way home to Seattle. We are so glad he stopped by as this was the first time any of us had seen the car in person.

He also had an interesting story about how he came to purchase the car. The VOLT is almost impossible to purchase at this point in time. Orders for this car are far more than Chevrolet can produce.

While cruising his favorite Chevy VOLT forum on the internet, he heard about a fellow forum member who would not be able to take delivery of his VOLT. After calling the dealer and a few people falling out of line in front of him, the new owner had his car.

Chevy VOLT #1398 was his.

His impressions: "Extremely Solid Car. Has a low center of gravity and really hugs the road. It also gets up to speed quickly. I would say it's a 4 door sports car. While running on electric power, it was completely silent. After an imperceptible switch to Hybrid, the car was still extremely quiet."

Congratulations on your Chevy VOLT sir, thanks for stopping by and may you have a safe trip home!

Click the first link below for a great slideshow of his car.

Slideshow
GM VOLT Fan site with Forum
GM VOLT at Chevrolet.com

Don and Cheryl Honored by Ford

2011-02-03T11:14:00.025-06:00

Pictured above with Edsel B. Ford II, our owners, Don and Cheryl Brenengen, were one of only 4 dealers in North America to receive the 'Salute to Dealers' National Community Service Award from Ford Motor Company for their outstanding corporate citizenship and contributions to the community.

Honorees were selected from among nearly 4,000 dealers across the United States and Canada.

Don and Cheryl have been involved in major contributions and grass roots efforts in the community. These include the Boys and Girls Club of West Salem, West Salem Village People fund raising, Bicycle Safety Fairs and local charities among many others.

Here is an excerpt from the Press Release:
"In the end, Don firmly believes in the power of selflessness. “We both came from modest backgrounds and have been fortunate as our lives have moved forward. That may have given us greater awareness to the need to give back to the communities around us.”

Congratulations Don and Cheryl!

Coulee News Article
Video from Ford Motor Company--Must SEE!
Full Press Release (Word document)
Article and video at WXOW.com

1959 Thunderbird flies in to our Sparta Ford store

2010-11-23T13:20:00.009-06:00

A beautiful 1959 Ford Thunderbird was traded in along with a Ford Model A! This one is a 2 door hardtop with only 69,167 miles. It has the optional Lincoln 430 CID V8 engine rated at 350hp!, Fender Shields, Console Radio and Magicaire Heater. Wow, a heater, imagine that!

Stop on by our Sparta Ford store for a look.

Check out a photo slideshow

We get a rare Furious Fuchsia Challenger!

2010-09-22T08:58:00.006-05:00

Only 1 of 1,000 made, we are happy to have this Limited Edition Challenger in Furious Fuchsia. Check it out in person at our Chrysler Ford store in Tomah!

From Inside Line: "The Challenger R/T Classic Furious Fuchsia gets 20-inch polished-aluminum heritage wheels with all-season performance tires, egg-crate grille with R/T badging, body-color rear spoiler, functional hood scoop and a bright racing-style fuel filler door. The cabin gets Pearl White performance seats with optional Furious Fuchsia French-seamed stitching. It is equipped with a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 linked to a Tremec six-speed manual transmission.

The Challenger SRT8 Furious Fuchsia has Pearl White leather SRT performance seats, 20-inch SRT forged-aluminum wheels with Satin Black accents, serialized dash plaque indicating the limited production series of 400 and retro-inspired chromed quad exhaust tips. It is equipped with a 6.1-liter Hemi V8."

Check out the full article
Check out the Photo slideshow
Read all about the Callenger
View this vehicle on our website

Baby squirrels here - Isn't that Nuts!

2010-08-19T10:11:00.008-05:00

One of our employees from the West Salem Chevy store chopped down a tree in their yard and ended with 2 baby squirrels without a mama. The babies were fed for two days and then taken to the Coulee Wildlife Rehabilitation Center for Animals. During their short stay, they made a stop here and were a popular attraction as everyone had to have a look.

Joe Genardo retires after 38 years in the business

2010-07-29T13:15:00.014-05:00

After 38 years in the car business, Joe Genardo will be retiring. Joe is a disabled World War II American veteran having served in the South Pacific. Joe had his own dealership in Hammond, IN and also ran a wholesale and auction business in La Crosse for many years.

Joe has been with us here at Brenengen Chevrolet since 1993 and has been an important part of our business and growth over the years.

Joe now plans to travel the country visiting relatives and friends. He will then be stopping by here regularly to visit us and chat about the 'old days'.

Have a great time on your travels Joe and we will see you back here soon!

Slideshow of Joe and the gang

Update: Car Show pics and video!

2010-07-19T13:35:00.008-05:00

The Custom Car Show was a success. Hot weather and Hot Cars! We had lots of Corvettes from members of the River City Corvettes club along with plenty of custom, stock and race cars on display. Check out the links below for photos and a great video walk-through.

Photo Slideshow
Video Walk-through

Car Show to be held at West Salem Chevy store

2010-07-08T10:48:00.011-05:00

We will be hosting a custom car show on July 17. Feel free to stop on by or bring your custom or stock vehicle with you for show!

Details:

- July 17 at Brenengen Chevrolet in West Salem, WI
- 10am - 3pm
- Setup at 8am, registration at 9am or as cars arrive
- Food will be served by West view Inn from 11am - 2pm. Pop and Water will be sold by club members.
- Trophies awarded at 2:45pm

Stop in for a great time!

Map and directions to Brenengen Chevrolet

Sponsored by:
Brenengen Chevrolet
River City Corvettes
Eagle KQEG
Boys & Girls Club

Sparta Ford store wins President's Award...Again!

2010-04-14T09:59:00.009-05:00

Our Sparta Ford store has won the President's Award from Ford Motor Company 2 of the last 4 years! Congrats!

Press release text:
Ford Motor Company is pleased to announce and congratulate Brenengen Ford-Mercury, Sparta, Wisconsin on winning the 2009 President’s Award.

In order to achieve the President’s Award, dealers must exceed customer expectations every day in every department. The pursuit of excellence is not for the faint of heart – it requires passion, tenacity and, of course, hard work. This prestigious award salutes those top-performing Ford and Lincoln Mercury Dealerships that embrace these philosophies, achieving among the highest levels of customer satisfaction – in both sales and service – in automotive retailing.

Congratulations again and thank you to Brenengen Ford-Mercury, Sparta.

Kenneth M. Czubay
Vice President President
U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service Ford Customer Service Division

Frederiek Toney
President
Ford Customer Service Division

Brenengen Ford Sparta home page

Rich O'Wylie continues his St.Patrick's Day tradition

2010-03-17T09:05:00.013-05:00

Rich Wylie, Office Manager at our West Salem Chevrolet store has a long history of St. Patrick's Day celebration.

Rich's father and uncle celebrated every year while Rich was growing up. When Rich's uncle passed away, his aunt asked Rich what he would like to have. Rich wanted only the jacket you see him proudly wearing in the photo.

Rich obviously continues the tradition to this day. Thankfully we normally get some good cookies along with a few good stories and laughs!

Another photo showing Rich's awesome socks!
Website listing events across the country and more
Read all about St. Patricks's Day at Wikipedia

Guess which one is the real Salesperson!

2010-02-16T15:45:00.010-06:00

HINT: He doesn't have a goatee.

Ryan Grooms from our KIA store poses here with the stars of the KIA Sorento Super Bowl commercial. Ryan actually talks to them, seriously.

The characters are Sock Monkey, Mr.X, Teddy Bear, Robot, Muno and the biggest character of them all is Ryan.

Check out the commercial here
Kia Sorento home page

Our West Salem Chevrolet store now providing Saturn Service!

2010-02-10T15:15:00.014-06:00

We are proud to announce that General Motors has chosen our West Salem Chevrolet store as the Tri-State's Saturn Authorized Service and Parts Provider.

This means we can provide all Warranty Repair and Parts supply on any Saturn vehicle.

Our Service Department at this location is open 6am until Midnight Mon - Fri and Sat 7:30 - 3:30.

Bring us your Saturn vehicle or if you know someone with a Saturn please pass the word and we will be happy to help!

Saturn Warranty Information
West Salem Chevrolet Service Dept info

147 Child Seats checked in 2009 with 88% needing adjustment

2010-01-31T14:33:00.000-06:00

Last year we checked a total of 147 Child Seats and 88% of them were fitted incorrectly. This shows the need for these checks and we are committed to continuing this program for our community.

NOTE: For 2010 the monthly Child Seat Checks will be held from April to September (and March & October weather permitting).

The Checks are held on the First Thursday of each month as listed above from 3-7pm at the West Salem Chevrolet dealership.

If you would like your Child Seat checked during the Winter months, you can call the La Crosse County Health Dept. at (608)785-9872.

2010 schedule and more information

Our employees raise over $7,000 in 2009 for local organizations

2010-01-18T14:54:00.004-06:00

$7,455 to be exact. Employees from our stores took it upon themselves to hold events to raise money for needy families, troops overseas, food pantries and others. Last year we had Bake Sales, a Taco Bar, and various other events.

The Brenengen Auto Group owners then match whatever the employees earn up to $1,500 per location.

The Brenengen Auto Group also donated over 2,500 pounds of beef to local food pantries.

Our staff and owners are proud to contribute to needy organizations in our communities and are excited to continue in the years to come.

Do you have a Smoke Detector in your Garage?

2009-11-10T10:19:00.010-06:00

Since your vehicle and possibly gas cans, oil, etc are in the garage, a Smoke Detector is an inexpensive peace of mind. I found a First Alert model that comes with a 10 year Lithium battery for about $16. The 10 year Lithium batteries normally cost $10 for just the battery. The model number is SA305CN.

Make sure to avoid one with a Carbon Monoxide detector built in since your car emits Carbon Monoxide.

I found mine at Ace Hardware, but click below for the same model at Amazon.

First Alert Smoke Detector model SA305CN at Amazon
This post is not a product endorsement

'Packers vs Vikings' Mania takes over Sparta Ford store!

2009-10-05T13:38:00.007-05:00

Tonight's Packers vs Vikings game has brought on a flurry of fan-mania at our Sparta Ford store. Employees from both sides have taken over the dealership offices with tons of Packer and Viking garb. There has also been quite a bit of trash-talking going on.

Check out the slideshow below for more pics!

Slideshow

Custom 1957 Bel Air at West Salem Chevy store

2009-08-24T11:30:00.011-05:00

A beautiful 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air is at our West Salem Chevrolet store. We are selling it for one of our customers on eBay.

This car has all new body panels and floor, 502 Crate motor with 502hp, leather interior and trunk and much more.

Stop by and have a look or click the links below to have a look at this incredible Restoration-Mod vehicle.

Slideshow
eBay Auction

Check out the video below for a full walk-around!