Bruner Auto Group and Bruner Toyota have announced their future plans to relocate their dealership facilities to the intersection of Hwy 377 and Hwy 183 adjacent to Prima Pasta and Scott’s Western Wear, across from Heartland Mall. They will begin construction of a 30,000 square foot Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac full service dealership and a 20,000 square foot Toyota full service dealership on the approximately 15 acre tract.
“We are completing the construction documents currently and plan on breaking ground by early summer 2011. We anticipate a 10-12 month construction time period,” stated President Greg Bruner. “We’re really looking forward to breaking ground as we have been making plans for this project since we opened for business in 2007.”
The state of the art facilities will include the newest corporate images and will create a regional attraction that will service several counties. Incorporated into the facilities will be a modern, comfortable sales and service environment. Both facilities will include dedicated express lube and expanded service bay capabilities to provide quick and convenient service to all customers. Included in the plans is also a new collision center with the latest frame straightening and paint booth technology.
“I am so excited to bring the latest in automotive facilities to the good customers of our area,” stated General Manager Jim Stanley. “Our longtime and new customers will get to experience facilities that are normally only found in metro areas, but will continue to receive the same hometown customer service that our customers have come to expect from Bruner Auto Group and Bruner Toyota.”
The new plans call for two service areas, one for the General Motors brands and another for the Toyota lines. According to Bruner, they currently have 58 employees and within approximately two years, 12 or more new jobs will be created in the service department.
At Tuesday night’s meeting, the Early City Council granted Bruner Auto Group incentives of bringing all needed city services (utilities) to the build site, construction of any necessary drainage features, waiving all building permits required by the City of Early, and construction of a road with curbing and gutters for easier access to the Bruner property as well as other adjacent properties.
Bruner Auto Group began business in the Brownwood location on January 1, 2007 and closed on the purchase of then Holley Chevrolet in June of 2007. The purchase did not include the real estate, which is still owned by the Holleys. Bruner stated that remodeling the older facilities would have been too costly to meet today’s standards, which is why they are making the move.
“For the last 4 years, we have been seeking out a tract of land to accommodate our plans to do what we need to do,” stated Bruner.
In relation to the new dealership renderings, Bruner showed an architect rendering of the property with the future facilities and explained that a new road will be created behind the property to make access to the Bruner facilities as well as surrounding properties easier and safer than it is now. Access to Prima Pasta is a little difficult as there is no left turn from the northbound lanes of Early Blvd, which causes most of their patrons to cut across the Comfort Inn parking lot. Both Bruner Auto Group and the owners of the adjacent land, the Roby family, each donated half of the land needed to develop a road that will begin behind the Comfort Inn extending to the entrance by Scott’s Western Wear. This road will allow an easier access from the inbound lanes of Hwy 183 and from the Old May Road.
Bruner stated that his company plans to open the new facilities in June of 2012.
Pictured below are owners Dwain Bruner and Greg Bruner. See also architect renderings below of the future Bruner Auto Group and Bruner Toyota facilities.
