Cover-All Part of Successful Dealership

The merging of the Ford and Chrysler dealerships in Lisbon, WI allowed the dealerships to strengthen and grow. The new merger also meant a new location along Interstate 94 with the opportunity to build new facilities, including its Cover-All® TITAN® showroom. Located 200 miles from Minneapolis and 200 miles from Chicago, the Cover-All® building is a landmark in the area. "The Cover-All building has been a very successful part of this venture so far," says Mark Rudig, owner and dealer principal. "This is a facility people recognize. Everyone has seen car dealerships but very few actually have a facility like our Cover-All." The lettering atop the building also acts like a large billboard for all driving on the nearby interstate.

The 120' w x 220' l (36.5m x 67m) Cover-All® building has provided a number of advantages to the dealership in addition to the recognition it gives to the business. The main advantage is the protection it offers for the inventory of vehicles housed in the showroom. "One of the big concerns in our business is hail," says Rudig. "In the last 5 years I was hit with hail twice and it's devastating. All the insurance companies went to very high deductibles. When we moved into our new Cover-All facility, we actually had a decrease in our insurance rates. I''m no longer so concerned about that hail storm coming through because I have so many cars under cover; a wonderful asset." The 24,000 square foot facility can hold approximately 150 to 180 vehicles at one time.

In addition to hail, the building also provides everyday weather protection. "In our business it's pretty expensive to detail, to clean up all these cars. As soon as it snows or rains, they're dusty and they need to be re-cleaned," says Rudig. With the Cover-All®, the vehicles are put inside to maintain their show appeal once they have been cleaned. The weather also affects the potential customers that visit the lot as cool temperatures and an abundance of snow contribute to a customer's decision to visit frequently and take the time to learn about the vehicles. "The customers truly enjoy shopping in our naturally-lit Cover-All showroom as opposed to having the car sit on the lot and deal with the Wisconsin weather," says Rudig.

"The benefits have just been tremendous," shares Rudig. "It does everything that they said it would do. We've had the hail, we've had the snow storms, we've had the high winds. It's like a rock, it doesn't move. It's a great, great product and I recommend getting one. It's served our business very well." Instead of putting the facility on a 4-foot cement wall, the building has a ground mount installation so the dealership can drive cars out the front and side and also serve the people that want to browse at their leisure.

The dealership has also enjoyed the versatility to host community events and promotions. "It has sort of turned into a community center," says Rudig. "It's kind of a landmark. You see it and you won't forget it." From vehicle protection and shopping convenience to advertising and serving the community, the TITAN® building has been a great asset to Rudig Jensen Automotive!