DREWING AUTOMOTIVE Rusty & Gary Drewing, Owners
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on’t think for a moment that Gary Drewing is slowing down or even considering retirement. “We love the automobile business,” Drewing says. “I don’t look at the car business as work.” Last fall, Drewing sold all but two of his Joe Machens dealerships to McLarty Automotive Group of Little Rock. The former “car czar” of Columbia, owner of the largest dealership group in Missouri, retained only his BMW and MercedesBenz franchises to form Drewing Automotive with his son Rusty. “We wanted to keep something after the sale and see where it goes,” he says. Drewing arrived in Columbia from his native St. Louis in 1983, an experienced representative of the Ford Motor Co. He joined auto dealer Joe Machens as his partner and general manager. “We had three franchises and 34 employees,” Drewing recalls. A collection of vehicle franchises rotated in and out of the Machens dealership as it continued to grow. Owner Joe Machens died in 1997, leaving his son, Dave, and Drewing as partners in the operation. Drewing bought out Dave Machens in 2006 to become sole owner. By the end of 2013, the Joe Machens dealerships numbered 16 franchises and nearly 1,100 employees. The flagship Joe Machens Ford Lincoln dealership was Missouri’s No. 1 volume dealer, a top ranking it had held since 1997.
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The operation has had many suitors, hoping to buy a piece of the Machens magic. “Several groups approached us over the years,” Drewing says. “But when McLarty contacted us, we looked at what they were offering and what we thought we could get done. With any deal, we wanted to maintain the body of the organization and the name, and we wanted to make sure our employees could look at a new owner as family.” The sale closed on Oct. 19. Drewing rechristened his remaining dealerships as BMW of Columbia and MercedesBenz of Columbia. Son Rusty, former president/owner of Joe Machens Capital City Ford Lincoln, is president and majority owner of Drewing Automotive. One other son, Gary Jr., also works at the dealerships, which employ 80. Drewing is proud of his sons’ involvement in the family business. “I’m a proud father to begin with,” he says. “It’s been very rewarding to watch what my children do. Rusty is a phenomenal owner, a sharp car person. He’s the one responsible for our growth over the last seven or eight years.” There are already plans to grow the two luxury German auto dealerships. “My motto is, you either get better or you get worse,” Drewing says. A new BMW facility is under construction at the site of the old Days Inn, on a 5-acre parcel near the Mercedes-Benz lot on I-70 Drive S.W. The 25,000-square-foot showroom is scheduled to open at the end of the
year. The old BMW facility will transition to extra space for more vehicles. The two dealerships currently have a combined inventory of about 400 new and used cars. “Turnover is the key,” he says. “Typically, a car stays on the lot 30 to 60 days. You want to turn over your inventory as often as possible.” The Drewings expect to grow sales 20 to 25 percent over the next few years and increase employee numbers by 20 percent. “Selling BMW and Mercedes-Benz is no different than selling any other car brand,” Drewing says. “We approach the business with the same philosophy. The No. 1 goal in selling cars is happy customers. You don’t want to sell one vehicle to that customer — you want to sell 10.” He says this philosophy works, even with luxury brands. “BMW and Mercedes-Benz are phenomenal cars,” Drewing says. “They’re a lot more affordable than people realize. We want to offer a luxury buying experience at affordable prices. Customers can enjoy the experience and still get a payment or lease they can afford.” Drewing doesn’t rule out another round of expansion for his family’s new auto group. “We’ll see what the opportunities are, see what develops,” he says. “We still want to assist Joe Machens in the transition, and we’ll continue to help sell for McLarty.” The Drewings’ long tradition of community involvement will not change, he insists. “We’re going to stay very active in the community,” Drewing says. “That was a big part of the deal when we sold Machens. We will always support the community and our customers in the community.” Drewing sees a bright future for the Columbia auto market. “BMW and Mercedes-Benz will change and grow,” he predicts. “Joe Machens should maintain its market dominance. I don’t see anybody challenging it.” The local market is stable, he adds, and the 2016 forecast for the industry is strong. “Low interest rates and low oil prices help,” he notes. “It’s fun to do business with the people we do business with,” Drewing says. “We have outstanding people here at the dealerships. They’re excited for the future, and so am I. We’ve always had an open-door policy but we’re more handson now. With just two dealerships, our people are seeing us a lot.”