Driving into the future

Meet Jim Fugina, dealer principal and owner of Chalet GM in Kimberley

1 of 2Chalet GM has undergone a full-scale reconstruction. — Keith Powell photo

2 of 2Chalet GM's Kimberley building was one of the first dealerships in Western Canada to adopt General Motors' new image requirements. — Keith Powell photo

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After more than a year of construction, the major expansion and renovation of Chalet GM in Kimberley is complete and the results have proven to be nothing short of spectacular.

“This was far more than a renovation, it was a total reconstruction,” said Jim Fugina, dealer principal and owner. “Chalet is one of the first GM dealerships in Canada to adopt the General Motors new image facility requirements. The typical reaction of customers who come in our front doors now is, ‘Wow, this is really beautiful.’ ”

Chalet added more than 8,300 square feet of space to its existing floor plan including nine service bays, a spacious new showroom, new reception area, sales offices and customer lounge.

“We gutted the entire building,” said Fugina. “There isn’t one square inch of this building up or down that hasn’t been rebuilt.”

From top to bottom, outside and in, the new facilities have been created with exceptional customer experience in mind. When you walk through the front doors, you enter a bright, open space highlighted by a fireplace to your left. To your right is the new customer lounge and waiting area with a 50-inch television; there are computers to surf the Internet and also Wi-Fi or a direct plug-in for your handheld device or laptop. Comfortable chairs and beverages are also available to customers. The showroom is complete with new sales and business offices and energy-efficient windows.

Jim Fugina and his business partner Ron Gilbertson first started Chalet Chev Olds back in 1979. Fugina had graduated from the University of British Columbia and worked in the Vancouver business community for five years before returning home to launch a new GM dealership in Kimberley. After 10 years, Gilbertson retired and Fugina bought his shares out.

“We had a great working relationship getting this dealership up and running,” said Fugina. “I know Ron Gilbertson, who passed away several years ago, would be very impressed and proud of our new building and how we have grown over the years.”

Chalet GM is a full-line General Motors automotive dealership that traditionally stocks one of the largest inventories in the Kootenays including the most popular models of Chevrolet and GMC trucks, the Chev Equinox and GMC Terrain, and a full line of GM cars, which features everything from the new Chevy Cruze to the high-performance Corvette.

Fugina and his staff of more than 26 employees extend their appreciation to all the construction workers, contractors and suppliers who worked so hard on the new building. Fugina would also like to thank all his loyal customers, employees and family—his wife, Andrea, and daughters, Alexa and Mynoondjie—for their patience and understanding while the renovations were taking place.

Chalet GM consistently scores near the top in both customer satisfaction and sales amongst GM’s western network of dealers—and everyone at Chalet sees that continuing and growing into the future now that the new state-of-the-art facility is complete.