Riding on stride of 'fantastic brand'

Half-Way Motors Mazda in Thunder Bay is celebrating its expansion into a new location at 545-13 Memorial Avenue. For more than 60 years, the Trevisanutto family has grown their group of dealerships to include Half-Way Motors Nissan, Half-Way Motors Powersports, Half-Way Motors Carstar Collision Centre and Half-Way Motors Mazda. Patrick Trevisanutto, the dealer principal for the Mazda dealership, said the partnership secured the Mazda franchise almost seven years ago, and within that time, the business has more than tripled. "We're so grateful for the support we've got from the community and we feel Mazda has a fantastic brand that's just really hitting its stride now with where it's going," Trevisanutto said. The transition from the Tungsten Street location, which they outgrew, has been a work in progress since January and has gone better than they expected. "It's a nicer place to come and work and that's playing on to our customer base with what we get back on survey scores and reports where our customers are happier to be here," Trevisanutto said. "It's a nicer experience overall for everyone." Halfway Motors began on Hodder Avenue as a Studebaker franchise in 1963. "That's where it all started and that's where our name came from, because we were located halfway down Hodder Avenue," said Daniel Trevisanutto, a partner in the Half-Way Motors Group who oversees the Half-Way Motors Carstar Collision Centre. "They got started with Studebaker and then slowly brought on more brands over the years." He said it was the early 1980s when manufacturers started changing the way they wanted business done, and the dealership had to pick a brand. "They picked Datsun at the time, and luckily, it has worked out for us and it's grown into these other opportunities," he said, adding Datsun eventually rebranded to Nissan. Mazda's neighbouring building, Half-Way Motors Nissan, is also undergoing an expansion to its building as the company continues to grow. Three of the family's businesses are located very close to each other and Daniel called that a "happy little accident." "We have our car star location, Nissan, Mazda, all basically within a city block, and then Power Sports is just straight down the road on Carrick Street, which is really convenient," he noted. The Trevisanutto family has always recognized the support they receive from the community and has undertaken many fundraising endeavours over the years to support organizations. Daniel pointed out that the charity work they do is a "family-wide" initiative that involves all four brands coming together to make it possible. "Our charitable work in our community has always been a core value of what we represent as a company," he said. "We don't grow and exist without the city of Thunder Bay, so it's our duty to support those that need it. If we can support those at the bottom tier of our society, the ones that are struggling and need the help, we can bring everyone up together, which (ultimately) helps the whole community thrive." Last year, the Half-Way Motors group raised more than $30,000 for Our Kids Count in one evening alone. The new Half-Way Motors Mazda location features more customer-focused conveniences including a modern service department with additional service bays and a spacious showroom where more vehicles can be displayed.

Sandi Krasowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Chronicle-Journal