Bowser trades Cadillac outlet in Peters to Oregon company
In a deal reminiscent of Major League Baseball, Bowser Cadillac has been traded.
Bowser Automotive Group has dealt its Cadillac operation at 3260 Washington Road, Peters Township, to Lithia Motors Inc. for Day Chevrolet, a Lithia dealership on Route 286 (Golden Mile Highway) in easternmost Monroeville.
The deal was consummated recently, and the name changes took effect Monday. Megan Erney, advertising director for Bowser, said company policy prohibits the release of financial details at this time.
Expansion, apparently, was a primary reason Bower made the move. Gary Bowser Jr., the company’s dealer principal, could not be reached immediately for comment by the Observer-Reporter.
He did tell Pittsburgh Business Times, via email, “We were interested in expanding our business and having a significant presence with Chevrolet in the Pittsburgh market and Lithia was interested in our McMurray property, so we felt this worked for both parties involved.”
Erney said new signs are already up for Bowser Chevrolet of Monroeville. The Bowser name has been removed from the front of the Peters facility, but Cadillac remains.
Bowser – a.k.a. Power of Bowser – has been a family-owned business since 1983. Gary Bowser Sr. started the company and is still active with it. He works with two sons, Gary Jr. and Kurt, the executive manager.
The company is based in Pleasant Hills, one of its four locations. The others are in Beaver Falls and Chippewa Township, both Beaver County, and now Monroeville. Bowser has an estimated 300 employees.
For many years, Bowser Cadillac has been a Route 19 staple in northern Washington County. The dealership operated near the intersection with Galley Road in North Strabane Township until about three years ago, when it relocated three miles to the north.
Lithia Motors is fairly new to the Pittsburgh region. The Medford, Ore.-based company entered Western Pennsylvania in May 2017, when it purchased Baierl Automotive Group of Cranberry. Then in February 2018, it bought most of the operations of Day Automotive, parent of Day Chevrolet.