The 1950s and 1960s were the heyday for the Chevrolet Motor Company. Over those two decades, the American automobile manufacturer introduced a series of iconic, bestselling sports and muscle cars, including the Impala, Nova, Chevelle, and Camaro.
It was also a booming time for Berger Chevrolet in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After a halt in automobile production due to the Korean War in 1952, the Berger family dealership experienced a post-war boom as customers raced to get behind the wheel of America’s first mass-produced sportscar, the Corvette.
The sales boom of the 1950s continued into the 1960s, with Chevrolet rolling out more sports and muscle cars to build on the popularity of performance cars and drag racing. Soon, Berger Chevrolet carved out its own niche, becoming nationally known as the outlet for all of the Bow Tie brand’s high-performance cars and parts. The dealership created “Prescribed Power” packages that boosted horsepower for Chevelles, Novas, and Camaros.
By the end of the 1960s, Berger Chevrolet sales had more than tripled to over 1,700 new vehicles sold per year. It was just the beginning of a long period of growth and expansion for Berger Chevrolet and the family behind the dealership.
“From increasing our acreage and expanding our buildings to growing our team and introducing new products like electric vehicles, Berger has learned to grow and adapt for a century, and we will continue to do so in the years ahead,” said Matt Berger, owner of Berger Chevrolet.
“It’s Always Better at Berger”
The W.H. Berger Motor Company was founded in August 1926 by William (Bill) H. Berger II, a third-generation farmer from Jenison, Michigan. Not interested in farming, Bill Berger took a job at Wilcox-Kuennen, the local Chevrolet distributor in downtown Grand Rapids. He became branch manager in 1925, taking over the business and changing the name to W.H. Berger Motor Company.
Grand Rapids was still fairly rural at the time, with mostly dirt or stone roads and horse-and-buggies for transportation, so sales at the new Chevrolet dealership were slow. According to family lore, Bill Berger would often forego his own paycheck to pay his employees.
Just as Bill was starting to see some success, the Great Depression hit. Instead of scaling back, Bill went big, moving into a new store with a four-car showroom and 15 service stalls in 1933. With a bigger location, Bill’s oldest son, Dale, joined the family business to help out.
The fledgling Berger dealership also got a boost from the Grand Rapids Auto Show that was held in 1934 in the brand-new Welsh Civic Auditorium. Despite all of the economic challenges, W.H. Berger Motor Company was selling 400 cars a year by the end of the 1930s, and had 30 full-time employees.
Like many dealerships, Berger had to pivot when the U.S. joined World War II in 1941 and auto production shifted to aiding the war effort. In addition to selling used cars, the Bergers sold Hotpoint appliances. When the war effort led to rubber shortages and a lack of tires, the Bergers bought two-wheel trailers to get tires for customers.
In 1944, Dale Berger took over management of the dealership and helped guide the company through the boom of the 1950s and 1960s. His son, Dale Jr., entered the family business in 1953.
With three generations of Bergers - Bill, Dale Sr., and Dale Jr. - working at the dealership, it was time to expand again, to a 5.2 acres property on southeast 28th Street. The new state-of-the-art dealership was completed in 1966.
Berger’s custom Chevrolets were featured in muscle car and enthusiast magazines, and several racing cars carried the “Prescribed Power by Berger” logo. The high-performance parts business was particularly successful, and GM created a training film featuring the department.
Finding New Roads
However, with the rise of gas prices in the 1970s and the upswing in the small car market, Berger Chevrolet once again pivoted, closing the High-Performance Parts Department in 1978 to focus on Wholesale Parts. Dale Berger Jr.’s son, Matt, began working at the family business in the mid-1970s, and Dale Berger Sr. retired in 1977.
Due to health issues, Dale Berger Jr. gave day-to-day management of the dealership over to his son, Matt in 1981. The then 22-year-old General Manager quickly brought about several changes, including new television commercials featuring a talking horse.
Since he took over as GM, Berger Chevrolet has experienced explosive growth, continuously ranking number one in total sales volume for both new and used cars in West Michigan. The dealership continued to grow, with a total upgrade to the body shop in 1993, a three-acre expansion of the used car facility in 1994, a third storewide renovation in 2007, and a new 45,000 square foot parts storage warehouse in 2009.
Also in 2009, Matt Berger’s son, Tyler, became the fifth generation of Bergers to work at the family dealership, serving as Controller since 2019. “As a dealership, reaching 100 years in business on its own is an incredible feat, but to do so remaining in the same family for five generations is something we take great pride in,” said Tyler Berger.
Today, Berger Chevrolet has 320 employees spread across a 20-acre dealership lot, including 120 employees in the parts department. In 2017, Berger Chevrolet sold over 6,000 vehicles, and the dealership currently ranks fourth in the nation for GM parts sales.
A Year-Long Celebration
The Berger family and dealership have always been committed to supporting the West Michigan community. Through its’ Berger Gives Back Campaign, the dealership proudly hosts community events, supports charitable initiatives, sponsors local non-profits, and invests in organizations that help make Grand Rapids a healthier, more vibrant place to live.
To celebrate 100 years in business, Berger is again focusing on the community that helped support the family-owned business for the last century.
Berger Chevrolet partnered with Lions and Rabbits Center for the Arts to commission a mural to celebrate the dealership’s history and to look ahead at what the future holds. Created by Kevin Wolfrom, the mural includes the “by Berger” logo that was created by Dale Berger Sr. in the 1940s and is still the iconic symbol for Berger Chevrolet.
In August, Berger Chevrolet will host its final All GM Show. Now in its 26th year, this annual car show features exclusive vehicles from the Berger collection, along with high-performance vehicles from the last 100 years. This year’s All GM Show will be a weekend-long celebration of the history and legacy of Berger Chevrolet and will include special prizes, food trucks, live music, and limited edition 100th anniversary merchandise.
