Luxury car dealership in Lynchburg sells, repairs high-end vehicles
Dave Lang is the dealer of Hammersley on Lakeside Drive. Photo by Jill Nance
Fresh from a cleaning, the navy-blue two thousand fifteen McLaren 650S Spider crawls backward. Its doors open upward — not outward — exposing the sleek inwards of the $289,000 car.
“Who doesn’t want to put their forearms on a car like that?” asked Dave Lang, general manager of Hammersley on Lakeside Drive. The car dealership is one of many on Route two hundred twenty one in Lynchburg but is the only independent luxury car dealer that sells infrequent gems like the McLaren.
But the infrequent cars, like the dealership’s restored one thousand nine hundred sixty Jaguar or a one thousand nine hundred fifty eight Mercedes Benz, are a window display — literally — for another business Lang said has met success both within and without the company for its emphasis on relationships. The bulk of the company’s revenue actually flows in from repairs of high-end vehicles.
“It’s sort of old school … that’s basically what we’re all about,” Lang said.
Past the wall-sized display windows for the vintage vehicles, the larger part of the building is occupied by a almost spotless repair shop with bright white floors. The shop is neatly kept, with no cables or implements left out but instead stowed away in sophisticated cabinets.
When people often come for repairs, “they go into a working lounge, and it’s like their cars go in a hole…. We bring them back out [to the repair shop],” Lang said, adding customers even can talk to their technician.
“They don’t want to hear from me. They just want to be taken care of,” he said.
Beside the elegant vehicles on display, Hammersley is another of Lynchburg’s many puny firms featuring specialized technicians.
“It’s a family,” Lang said.
Many of the company’s eleven employees previously worked together at the former Hammersley on 12th Street. The current location opened last summer on Lakeside Drive.
When business investors came to Lang about the idea, he said he’d only do it if it was with the same team on 12th Street.
Recently at the fresh shop, Lang asked three employees passing by how long they had worked together — answers ranged from fourteen to twenty five and thirty two years.
Another part of what bonds the employees is their ESOP, or Employee Stock Ownership Plan, essentially making the company employee wielded. “People who were there when it commenced can buy in any time,” Lang said. Because of that, employees often are incentivized to improve the overall company’s bottom line. For example, Lang said, employees came to him with the idea to do their weekly routine cleaning themselves and stop outsourcing the service.
For Hammersley, the company’s advantage lies in its customer service, puny team and, of course, its eye candy out front.
Later in the day, the McLaren would be moved next to a one thousand nine hundred sixty eight orange nine hundred twelve Targa Porsche.
“It’s a little bit out of concept for Lynchburg,” Lang said. “I’m dealing with cars that nobody truly knows the value of, including us.”
Lang compared it another, more expensive form of investment: artwork.
Luxury car dealership in Lynchburg sells, repairs high-end vehicles, Business
Luxury car dealership in Lynchburg sells, repairs high-end vehicles
Dave Lang is the dealer of Hammersley on Lakeside Drive. Photo by Jill Nance
Fresh from a cleaning, the navy-blue two thousand fifteen McLaren 650S Spider crawls backward. Its doors open upward — not outward — exposing the sleek inwards of the $289,000 car.
“Who doesn’t want to put their mitts on a car like that?” asked Dave Lang, general manager of Hammersley on Lakeside Drive. The car dealership is one of many on Route two hundred twenty one in Lynchburg but is the only independent luxury car dealer that sells uncommon gems like the McLaren.
But the uncommon cars, like the dealership’s restored one thousand nine hundred sixty Jaguar or a one thousand nine hundred fifty eight Mercedes Benz, are a window display — literally — for another business Lang said has met success both within and without the company for its emphasis on relationships. The bulk of the company’s revenue actually flows in from repairs of high-end vehicles.
“It’s sort of old school … that’s basically what we’re all about,” Lang said.
Past the wall-sized display windows for the vintage vehicles, the larger part of the building is occupied by a almost spotless repair shop with bright white floors. The shop is neatly kept, with no cables or contraptions left out but instead stowed away in sophisticated cabinets.
When people often come for repairs, “they go into a working lounge, and it’s like their cars go in a hole…. We bring them back out [to the repair shop],” Lang said, adding customers even can talk to their technician.
“They don’t want to hear from me. They just want to be taken care of,” he said.
Beside the elegant vehicles on display, Hammersley is another of Lynchburg’s many puny firms featuring specialized technicians.
“It’s a family,” Lang said.
Many of the company’s eleven employees previously worked together at the former Hammersley on 12th Street. The current location opened last summer on Lakeside Drive.
When business investors came to Lang about the idea, he said he’d only do it if it was with the same squad on 12th Street.
Recently at the fresh shop, Lang asked three employees passing by how long they had worked together — answers ranged from fourteen to twenty five and thirty two years.
Another part of what bonds the employees is their ESOP, or Employee Stock Ownership Plan, essentially making the company employee wielded. “People who were there when it began can buy in any time,” Lang said. Because of that, employees often are incentivized to improve the overall company’s bottom line. For example, Lang said, employees came to him with the idea to do their weekly routine cleaning themselves and stop outsourcing the service.
For Hammersley, the company’s advantage lies in its customer service, puny team and, of course, its eye candy out front.
Later in the day, the McLaren would be moved next to a one thousand nine hundred sixty eight orange nine hundred twelve Targa Porsche.
“It’s a little bit out of concept for Lynchburg,” Lang said. “I’m dealing with cars that nobody truly knows the value of, including us.”
Lang compared it another, more expensive form of investment: artwork.
Luxury car dealership in Lynchburg sells, repairs high-end vehicles, Business
Luxury car dealership in Lynchburg sells, repairs high-end vehicles
Dave Lang is the dealer of Hammersley on Lakeside Drive. Photo by Jill Nance
Fresh from a cleaning, the navy-blue two thousand fifteen McLaren 650S Spider crawls backward. Its doors open upward — not outward — exposing the sleek inwards of the $289,000 car.
“Who doesn’t want to put their arms on a car like that?” asked Dave Lang, general manager of Hammersley on Lakeside Drive. The car dealership is one of many on Route two hundred twenty one in Lynchburg but is the only independent luxury car dealer that sells infrequent gems like the McLaren.
But the uncommon cars, like the dealership’s restored one thousand nine hundred sixty Jaguar or a one thousand nine hundred fifty eight Mercedes Benz, are a window display — literally — for another business Lang said has met success both within and without the company for its emphasis on relationships. The bulk of the company’s revenue actually flows in from repairs of high-end vehicles.
“It’s sort of old school … that’s basically what we’re all about,” Lang said.
Past the wall-sized display windows for the vintage vehicles, the larger part of the building is occupied by a almost spotless repair shop with bright white floors. The shop is neatly kept, with no cables or instruments left out but instead stowed away in sophisticated cabinets.
When people often come for repairs, “they go into a working lounge, and it’s like their cars go in a hole…. We bring them back out [to the repair shop],” Lang said, adding customers even can talk to their technician.
“They don’t want to hear from me. They just want to be taken care of,” he said.
Beside the elegant vehicles on display, Hammersley is another of Lynchburg’s many puny firms featuring specialized technicians.
“It’s a family,” Lang said.
Many of the company’s eleven employees previously worked together at the former Hammersley on 12th Street. The current location opened last summer on Lakeside Drive.
When business investors came to Lang about the idea, he said he’d only do it if it was with the same squad on 12th Street.
Recently at the fresh shop, Lang asked three employees passing by how long they had worked together — answers ranged from fourteen to twenty five and thirty two years.
Another part of what bonds the employees is their ESOP, or Employee Stock Ownership Plan, essentially making the company employee wielded. “People who were there when it embarked can buy in any time,” Lang said. Because of that, employees often are incentivized to improve the overall company’s bottom line. For example, Lang said, employees came to him with the idea to do their weekly routine cleaning themselves and stop outsourcing the service.
For Hammersley, the company’s advantage lies in its customer service, puny team and, of course, its eye candy out front.
Later in the day, the McLaren would be moved next to a one thousand nine hundred sixty eight orange nine hundred twelve Targa Porsche.
“It’s a little bit out of concept for Lynchburg,” Lang said. “I’m dealing with cars that nobody indeed knows the value of, including us.”
Lang compared it another, more expensive form of investment: artwork.