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Colussy Chevrolet in South Fayette celebrates its 100th birthday

By Rick Shrum business Writer rshrum@observer-Reporter.Com 4 min read
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Photo courtesy of Colussy Chevrolet

Colussy Motor Co., in Bridgeville in the 1920s, was the forerunner to Colussy Chevrolet.

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Photo courtesy of Colussy Chevrolet

The Colussy family lineup features, from left, Dan, Matt, Jon, Tim and Megan.

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Photo courtesy of Colussy Chevrolet

Photo courtesy of Colussy Chevrolet

Tim Colussy, left, and brother Jon are co-owners of Colussy Chevrolet in South Fayette Township.

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Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter

Standing, from left, are co-owners Tim and Jon Colussy, and Tim’s son Matt and daughter Megan.

Albert Colussy developed a passion for the automobile when there weren’t many.

“My grandfather (said) that when he was first selling cars, a lot of people in the area were using a horse and wagon,” Tim Colussy said, smiling. “It was hard to convince people to buy then, especially trucks. Country roads were not as good, either, and there weren’t any interstates.”

This was 1915, when Louis Colussy and his six sons had a contracting business in Bridgeville, constructing houses and other businesses. Albert, the oldest boy, was entrusted with the firm’s first truck, and his duties led him to becoming a skillful mechanic and a car junkie. He decided to sell cars, and with assistance from his father, secured locally based Elgin Auto Co., which they renamed Louis Colussy & Son.

In 1918, Albert applied for an existing Chevrolet franchise that was available in Bridgeville and got it. Colussy Chevrolet was born, along with a nearly unprecedented family tradition … five generations and counting.

One relocation, one devastating fire and 100 years later, the business is humming along the way the 1918 Chevrolet 490 Touring Sedan sitting at the front of their showroom once did.

“Our claim is that we’re one of the oldest family-owned Chevrolet dealerships in the United States,” Tim Colussy said of the auto emporium on Washington Pike in South Fayette Township, about 300 yards from the Bridgeville line. It celebrated its official centennial Wednesday.

Tim and his brother, Jon, share ownership of the operation based on nine acres. They succeeded their father, Skip; who followed his father, Albert; who was supported by Louis, who immigrated from Italy. (Albert later ran the business with brothers Gilbert and Arthur.)

Tim’s three children comprise that fifth generation: Megan, the marketing director; Matt, the operations manager; and Dan, a service department employee.

“About 3 percent of family businesses get to the third generation,” Tim said. “My father didn’t force me into our business, and I wanted my kids to try something else, but here we are. My kids are very dedicated and committed, so I feel well positioned for the future.”

There was a time when the business appeared to have a grim future. In the 1920s, the Colussys operated the dealership on the first floor of a Baldwin Street building. They lived in an apartment on the second. One night, Louis and Albert returned from a trip to Pittsburgh to see their building ablaze.

“They lost their business and their home and a number of cars,” Tim said. “The family lost $80,000 – the equivalent of $1 million today. There was no insurance on any cars.”

A large safe, he said with a laugh, survived intact.

The family was distraught, Tim said, but a district manager from Chevy encouraged them to rebuild on Baldwin Street. They did and reopened the dealership within six months.

Nearly 90 years later, tragedy would thrust that building into the limelight. It is the current home of The Canine Club, a boarding, grooming and training facility for dogs that was wracked by flooding in late June. Ten dogs had to be rescued and five died.

The blaze was the beginning of an extended period of turmoil for Colussy Chevrolet, which then had to endure the Depression and World War II.

“Chevrolet didn’t build new cars during the war,” Tim said. “Our business depended on selling used cars and repairs of cars.”

Colussy Chevrolet did regain its traction, though. Skip Colussy moved the dealership to its current location in the early ’70s, a decade in which they endured a couple of gasoline crises that prompted a demand for smaller, more gas-efficient vehicles. Adapting to change is vital to auto sales, and the Colussys have strived to do so, with a hot trend now being electric vehicles and crossovers.

“A lot of today’s problems (with vehicles) tend to be electric because of technology,” Tim said. “But cars today are much more reliable, better built and more efficient.”

The family runs a full-service dealership at this single location, which features a large collision center/body shop and serves as a commercial truck dealer. An insurance company maintains an office in the collision center.

Maintaining a strong customer base, Tim Colussy said, is a key to succeeding in this industry. Satisfied customers may be more likely to return, and recommend the dealership to their families and friends.

“One thing I enjoy a lot is customer relationship,” he said. “We want to have that base, and we try to appeal to customers in a generational way.”

The Colussys are well aware of generational benefits.

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