The roots for the Bergey family business were planted when Norman L. Bergey was born into the Mennonite farming community of Hatfield, Penn., in 1901.
Growing up on the family farm, Norman often found himself repairing the tractors and other machinery on the farm, and he had a natural talent for fixing things. At 17, he went to work at Heebner & Sons, an agricultural manufacturer of farm equipment in neighboring Lansdale. He soon transitioned to working on the newest mechanical innovation – automobiles – getting a job as an auto mechanic at the Ford dealership in nearby Telford.
When an old blacksmith and wheelwright shop came up for sale near his church in Franconia, the now 23-year-old Norman decided to buy the property and convert half of the building into an automobile garage. Franconia Garage opened in 1924 at the corner of Allentown Road and Harleysville Pike.
The Golden Rule
"From the start, Norman relied on his deep faith to serve his community and the philosophy to treat others – customers and employees alike – how you want to be treated," says Norman’s great grandson, Luke Bergey, a dealer principal at Bergey’s.
Within a few years of opening Franconia Garage, Norman started expanding, adding additional garage bays in 1926 and selling other automobile-related items, including gas and tires. At the same time, the Bergey family was also expanding – Norman’s two older sons got involved in the family business in the 1940s. “When they came along, they needed to expand the business,” says Luke.
In 1936, Norman acquired the General Tire franchise and continued to expand his garage by buying and converting neighboring properties. He also opened a stand-alone tire store in Lansdale. By 1959, all three Bergey sons – Lester, Henry and Norm Jr. – were involved in the business and the family business name was changed to Bergey’s Garage.
A Period of Explosive Growth
The Bergeys acquired their first vehicle franchise in 1967, with FWD Trucks, and consistently grew and diversified into other franchises and industries, even venturing into sales of lawnmowers, snow mobiles and dirt bikes.
"Our founder was intentional in how he welcomed his sons into the business while he was still young, setting the company up for success as a multi-generational family business”, says Bergey’s Director of Marketing, Carmen Leatherman. “He was also supportive of them trying new things they were interested in, allowing them to grow the business with their ideas, as well as learn from their decisions."
Subsequent generations have embraced that principal as well, encouraging Bergey family members to pursue opportunities in the company. Today, over 25 members of the Bergey family work in the business, representing the third, fourth and fifth generation of Bergeys.
Today, Bergey’s is a sprawling auto, truck and tire company with locations throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. The company has 20 vehicle brands across 50+ locations – including the corporate headquarters at the original Harleysville Pike location – and employs 1,800 full- and part-time employees.
“My great grandfather or grandfather (Henry Bergey) didn’t have a grand plan. It’s just as opportunities became available, they took them. My grandfather, in particular, was always about adding other brands,” says Luke. “He had 10 grandchildren, all of whom work in the dealership, and always did.”
That includes Luke Bergey, who started doing small jobs at the dealership when he was 8 years old. “Other kids would go play or watch cartoons, but my granddad didn’t see much use in that,” he chuckles. “When I was 16 years old, he didn’t give me a car, he gave me a job.”
Luke is quick to clarify that none of the Bergey children have ever felt pressured to join the family business. “It was not something where he said, ‘You have to work here.’ That was very smart of him. We always had a choice, to make our own decisions,” he says. “The way our grandfather and great grandfather treated it is: We are stewards of this business. It’s not just to consume it for ourselves.”
Staying True to Their Roots
Not surprisingly, the Bergeys had a big celebration to mark their century milestone, including publication of a coffee table picture book called Driven to Serve: The 100-Year History of Bergey’s, highlighting the company’s history. In January, every Bergey team member received a 100th celebration kit with the book and other commemorative gift items.
The Bergey family also undertook a six-month, four-state “Thankful Tour” going to every Bergey’s auto, truck and tire location to personally thank their teams, customers and communities. As part of the Thankful Tour, the Bergeys created a 20-foot history trailer – or “travelling museum” – that included a timeline of the Bergey’s company story. The trailer also featured the names of every team member who has ever worked at Bergey’s – 8,500 people total, organized by decade.
The four-state tour ended with a 100th year celebration event on September 14 near the Bergey’s corporate office location in Franconia. The company shut down Route 113 with a classic car show, entertainment and free food attended by an estimated 8,000 members of the community.
The event wrapped with a fireworks finale featuring the song “Counting my Blessings” by Seph Schlueter. “There was a lot of intentionality to that event,” Luke says. “Our Christian faith is important to us, and that song thanks community and God for the ability, availability and blessing to be able to serve the community in that way.”
Check out video highlights from the Bergey’s 100th Year Celebration Event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyPZpkMjq_Y
The dealership’s history page can be found at https://bergeycorporation.com/our-history-2/#_
