For quite a long time, John Megel Chevrolet was a bit out of place in growing, but still very rural Dawson County.

According to John Megel Chevrolet Executive Manager Jonathan Megel, when they first began putting down roots for the dealership, which sits along Ga. 400 near the North Georgia Premium Outlets in the heart of Dawson County, the region had virtually none of the business and development that is so prevalent today. 

"Then all of a sudden you start to see the development … and it's great to see," Megel said. "It took a little longer than we wanted, but it's here now."

And as the Dawson County community grew, so too did the community’s trust and respect for the local Chevrolet dealership, which has won award after award, year after year,  for its service and dedication to loyalty and trust.

Today, that trust between customers and the dealership is at the heart of everything they do, and every interaction they have with the community. And taking care of customers, making them feel at home — that’s their bread and butter according to Megel. 

"Nobody really loves to go buy vehicles, but you know, we try to make that a fun and easy process," he said. "We don't want to just sell someone a car today and never see them again, we want them to come back."

When asked why that trust is so important, dealership General Manager Shawn Boyd said that it all comes back to the fact that, as salesmen of, “the second-largest purchase” people make in their life, customers need to know that they are dealing with honest, dependable people, whether that’s in the showroom, the service department, or 200,000 miles down the road when it’s time for an upgrade. 

"There are some people that come in and deal with the same person on multiple transactions, not having to see somebody different every time they come in. It just builds comfort and trust,” Boyd said.  "People are going to buy from people that they trust."

This year, John Megel Chevrolet won two categories in the Best of Dawson contest, for Best New Vehicle Dealership and Best Used Car Dealership. 

According to Megel in Boyd, those awards are a testament to the connection that they have made with the Dawson County community and a testament to the quality of their staff. 

"It's very rewarding, that means that we are doing the right thing and that we're making that name in the community," Megel said. "It's a vision that we've had for a long time, and that is to give the customer the best experience we can, but we can't do that without the people that we have."