BY JOHN M. JONES JR.

EDITOR

After almost a year of complicated discussions and negotiations, Bachman-Bernard Auto Mall has become -- in just about every detail -- the new Chevrolet dealer for this community.

Many drivers on the U.S. 11E Bypass/East Andrew Johnson Highway probably noticed late Wednesday afternoon a large sign at the former Lawson Chevrolet dealership announcing that "Chevrolet has moved to Bachman-Bernard."

A similar banner announcing "New Chevrolet cars and other services sold at this location" had been mounted on the fence outside that multiple-franchise dealership on Bachman Drive, just off Tusculum Boulevard.

But not every detail has been nailed down. There are still some documents to sign.

Kent Bewley, principal owner of Lawson Chevrolet, Inc., and Myron Bernard, co-owner with Phil Bachman of Bachman-Bernard Auto Mall, explained in separate interviews Wednesday evening where things stand.

"It's official but it's unofficial," Bewley said, with a humorous note in his voice that acknowledged the contradiction in his statement.

"Bachman-Bernard has been approved as the dealer. We have started the completion of the documents. We should have all the documents filled out by the end of next week."

He added, "I'm happy for them [Bachman-Bernard]. ... I'm happy the deal was completed [and that] Greeneville has a Chevrolet dealer. I think they'll do a terrific job."

Asked if he felt relieved to have the sale of the dealership business all but complete, he replied with a firm, immediate "Yes," adding, "It's just so hard to do business right now. The business climate needs to improve."

LAWSON A MAJOR PLAYER ALSO

In addition to Bewley and Bernard, Bewley pointed out, Lennie Lawson was also a major player in the discussions about the transfer of the Chevrolet dealership since Lawson has remained the official "dealer of record" for Lawson Chevrolet even though he (Bewley) was the actual owner of the business.

For that reason, Bewley said, the part of the negotiations relating to the actual transfer of the dealer designation to Bachman-Bernard involved Lawson, Bachman-Bernard, and General Motors, while the part of the negotiations relating to the sale of the business involved himself and Bachman-Bernard.

Lawson, the owner/dealer of Gateway Ford and Gateway Mazda, said that he was very happy with the way the changeover had worked out.

"It's a good thing," he said, noting that he was happy for local Chevrolet-owners to have a good local dealer to turn to for their sales and service needs.

THE SIGNS

Bernard and Bewley explained in the interviews how the signs announcing the long-expected change in the Chevrolet franchise went up before the last documents finalizing that change were actually signed.

The last formalities were scheduled to be completed on Wednesday afternoon, they said, but then it became necessary for there to be a slight delay. The formalities are expected to be completed soon.

The signs had been slated to go up on Wednesday to tie in with the completion of the dealership transfer, and they were put up Wednesday, as planned.

When Myron Bernard noticed that they were up even though the final details had been delayed a few days, he notified Bewley and asked if he (Bernard) should have them taken down.

Bewley decided it was just as well to leave them up.

Bernard noted that the General Motors Internet website that lists all Chevrolet dealers (http://www.chevydealer.com) already identifies Bachman-Bernard Auto Mall, 300 Bachman Drive, as the Chevrolet dealer for the community.

CHEVYS BEING ORDERED

Bachman-Bernard had no new Chevrolets actually on the lot for sale Wednesday evening, Bernard said, but he added that he may have some on the lot from a nearby dealer by sometime today.

Meanwhile, Bachman-Bernard is now ordering new Chevrolets, Bernard said.

The local Chevrolet dealership has been closed, with no new Chevrolets available for sale in Greene County, since last October.

That was when Bewley sold his inventory of new cars to Champion Chevrolet Cadillac of Johnson City. The inventory of used cars was gradually reduced as well.

By early November, the lot at Lawson Chevrolet was completely empty.

Discussions and negotiations had been going on since the fall of 2009, Bernard and Bewley said.

Because of confidentiality agreements, neither side was at liberty to disclose who the potential buyer was, although, unofficially, it was widely believed that it was Bachman-Bernard.

TWO YEARS OF CHANGE

The anticipated signing of the last document will bring to a conclusion almost two years of turbulent change for the local Chevrolet franchise known for decades as Lawson Chevrolet.

In September 2008, the Max Lawson family sold their various automotive interests to Bewley after 37 years of major involvement in the automobile business here. The sale included their interest in Lawson Chevrolet.

The Lawson family had entered the local automotive business in Greeneville in 1971 with the purchase of what was then Bewley Chevrolet from Joe L. Bewley, who is now deceased. (Joe Bewley was a cousin of Kent Bewley.)

Lawson Chevrolet had opened on Aug. 2, 1971. In 1977, Lawson Mountain Imports (Mountain Mazda) was established by the Lawsons, with the local Mazda franchise.

Later, the family became partners with others, including Kent Bewley, in those and other automobile dealerships.

Before the Lawson family sold their automotive interests to Bewley in September 2008, Lawson Chevrolet was owned by Max Lawson, Lennie Lawson, Kent Bewley, Daniel Johnson, and Susan Holzschuh. Lawson Mountain Imports (Mountain Mazda) had the same owners.

ROLE OF LENNIE LAWSON

After the sale to Bewley in September 2008, the Lawson family withdrew from involvement in the operations although Lennie Lawson continued to be the official dealer of record with General Motors.

Kent Bewley, who was operating the franchise, changed the name of the business to Greeneville Chevrolet and made various changes in personnel, etc.

By then the severe recession was hitting the economy hard, however, and all U.S. automotive dealerships, including Greeneville Chevrolet, struggled.

In April 2009, after an absence from the new-car automobile dealership business for seven months, Lennie Lawson returned to the leadership of the Chevrolet dealership (although not to an ownership position) at the request of his former partners.

He managed the dealership from that time until his purchase of the Gateway Ford Lincoln-Mercury dealership and the Mazda franchise for Greeneville in August 2009. Bewley was the principal owner of both.

Lawson has not been involved in the management of Lawson Chevrolet since that time, he said, even though he continued to be the official dealer of record.

'HADN'T PLANNED ON IT ... BUT'

Discussions looking toward Bewley's sale of the Chevrolet business began in the fall of 2009, as the impact of the recession on the automotive business continued to be strongly felt here and elsewhere.

Meanwhile, over the course of the last year, Bewley has sharply reduced his other automotive interests, including Morristown Chevrolet, which he sold in mid-April after having owned it since 1993.

Bewley said in an interview in April that "I hadn't planned on selling it," but he added that the poor economy since 2007 forced him to leave the automotive business in Morristown and elsewhere.

In the last year he has also sold his major ownership interests in Gateway Ford Lincoln-Mercury and Carolina Chevrolet, in Marshall, N.C.

In addition, he said Wednesday night that a buy-sell agreement has also been reached for the sale of Toyota of Bristol, and that he expects it to close soon.

When that happens, he said, his family will be out of the automotive business entirely, in an ownership capacity, for the first time since 1937.

He said, however, that he continues to have a consulting relationship with Chevrolet of Morristown, the new dealership there, and will also have a consulting relationship with Toyota of Bristol.

He noted that he also owns the real estate where the Morristown dealership and the local Gateway Ford dealership are located.

He currently owns the real estate where the Toyota dealership is located but will be selling in in the upcoming transaction, he said.

FAMILY BACKGROUND

Bewley is a second-generation automobile dealer whose family has been involved locally in automotive businesses since his father, Roswell R. Bewley, and his uncle, Hazen O. Bewley, established Bewley Motor Co. here in 1937.

The company owned and operated the local Packard franchise at that time.

R.R. Bewley bought his brother's interest in the business in the 1940s. Both men are now deceased. Kent Bewley closed Bewley Motor Co. in 2003.

At one time, he owned six new-car dealerships and three used-car sales businesses, he said in an interview in April.

In 1980, Kent Bewley had become an auto dealer by acquiring the Greeneville Oldsmobile/Subaru franchise.

'Å TIME FOR ALL THINGS'

By the early 1990s, his dealerships had grown and established his success, and so he seized the opportunity to buy Eddie Triplett's Lakeway Chevrolet dealership in Morristown.

Nearby, Harry Lane operated a Buick, Oldsmobile and Nissan dealership. Bewley later acquired the Olds and Buick dealerships and combined them with the Chevrolet business.

However, years later, GM discontinued the Oldsmobile nameplate. Bewley terminated his Buick distribution in 2009 and focused on the Chevy brand.

He said Wednesday night that he feels good about leaving the automotive business.

He explained that he had had a health problem last year but now was in excellent health, is running and lifting weights regularly, and feels as good as he has felt in 10 years.

But his family has wanted him to slow down, he said, and that is what he is going to do.

He added, "There's a time for all things."