RUBBING ELBOWS … Attendees of the Swanton Area Chamber of Commerce’s After Hours event at Ballas Chevrolet enjoy catering and camaraderie Wednesday evening.
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
Members of the local business community gathered at Ballas Chevrolet to eat, drink, and network at the Swanton Area Chamber of Commerce’s After Hours event on Wednesday evening.
Chamber President Delray Busch said she was excited to see Ballas join the community and wanted to give them an opportunity to meet chamber members and other businesses.
“There’s nothing better than connecting with your local businesses right here in Swanton, knowing your neighbor, working with them, and just networking,” Busch said.
Ballas Chevrolet Executive Manager Jeff Robinson said the community response since they took over the former McNeil Chevrolet has been great.
“Business has been good. The last two months, we did 110 percent of our factory objectives,” Robinson said. “Business is growing every day, and we look forward to the future.”
He said the dealership is expanding into commercial vehicle sales beginning next week, which will bring more new and used car sales as well as more trade-ins. The Ballas Buick GMC location in Toledo already does commercial truck sales.
“I feel like the Chevy brand brings us extra opportunity for that,” Robinson said. “It’s a largely untapped business; there’s not a lot of dealerships that really go after that, but there’s a need there. In Toledo, Swanton, and beyond, I think that we can do some volume.”
Food and drinks at the event were provided by Nick and Jimmy’s Bar and Grill.
Upcoming chamber events include a ribbon cutting at 2 p.m. on November 17 at H.O.O.V.E.S. and a Coffee and Conversations event at 9 a.m. on December 5 at CK Sweets.
Busch and chamber members will also be volunteering at Christmas in Swanton on December 5 and 6. For more information on the chamber, its members, and upcoming events, visit swantonohiochamber.com.