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Date: 11/3/2017
CHICOPEE – Mayor Richard Kos would rather have the new Mercedes-Benz dealership on Burnett Road with a sign that reads “Mercedes-Benz of Chicopee” rather than “Mercedes-Benz of Springfield.”
Apparently the name was a corporate decision and state Rep. Joseph Wagner told the city officials and other gathered for the official grand opening he had told Kos, “You’ve got the taxes, you’ve got the jobs. Two out of three isn’t bad.”
The new dealership sits across from the entrance of the Massachusetts Turnpike at end of I-291. The former Plantation Inn had previously occupied the location.
Peter Wirth, who owns the dealership with his wife Michelle and Rich and Amy Hesse, said since its soft opening two and a half weeks ago, the response has been “really amazing.” He noted the service department has been busy and “we’ve sold a car every day we’ve been open.”
Wirth noted the cooperation he received from the city and said that many of the dealership’s 25 employees are from Chicopee. He said their skill level was “really astonishing.”
Kos noted the dealership reflected a $12 million investment in the city and Wagner added the dealership is important as it sits at one of the city’s major gateways on Burnett Road. He added there is new hotel project being discussed for across the street as well as a new signal system for the intersection at the entrance of the dealership.
Jay Ash, secretary of Housing and Economic Development, was at the grand opening and had been at the location three other times during its development. He discussed the importance of having the right business at a city’s gateways.
Ash said when people traveling see that sign “they’re going to think about quality.”