News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Thunder Bay Chrysler Dodge Jeep in Alpena, seen here on Friday, has been sold to the McInerney family, which has been in the auto sale industry for decades and has a sales presence around the country.

ALPENA — The Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep and Ram dealer in Alpena has been sold, and the new owners are well-known in the industry, especially in Michigan.

The McInerney family has been in the auto business for decades and has purchased the former Thunder Bay Chrysler Dodge Jeep store.

Mike McInerney said his family decided to make the move after researching Alpena and its market.

“My family has been in the car business downstate and around the country for since the early 1960s, and this is a good opportunity for us,” McInerney said.

He said there are a lot of things attractive about the area, and his main goal is to provide customers top-notch service and to utilize technology to make shopping and servicing vehicles more convenient.

Over the years, McInerney and his family have learned a lot about automobile industry trends and have been able to make buying a new car less stressful for people. He said customers in Alpena will notice that right away.

“Buying a car is in the top three or four things that people just don’t want to do,” he said. “It’s painful, non-transparent, confrontational, and more and more people don’t want to do it. But we have built our reputation on the people we have sold cars to and have created lifelong friendships by getting to know our customers and being a part of our communities.”

McInerney said people will notice that the new store is not a traditional car dealership. He said customers will be able to buy vehicles or have them serviced without even leaving their house.

“I have spent the last five years developing a platform where people can buy their car effortlessly online,” McInerney said. “We started a website called delivermyride.com. Customers can shop metro dealership’s inventories and have it delivered. It’s like an Amazon market.”

McInerney said the service department will utilize an app that will allow customers to describe what is wrong with their car and help technicians diagnose the problem. When the customer arrives at the garage, staff will be ready to get to work.

“As the car is getting worked on, you’ll be getting updates on your phone on what is being done to your car every step of the way,” he said. “Domino’s can do it with a pizza. Now we can do it with a car.”

McInerney said most of the employees from Thunder Bay have remained, and he said he has empowered them to give their opinions, concerns, and ideas to him to help make the business the best and can be.

“This isn’t a top-down … store,” McInerney said. “I’m getting a ton of feedback from the staff, and I’m giving everyone more responsibility and I want them to be a part of everything.”

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.com.