Already selling more Chevrolets than anyone on Delmarva, i.g. Burton broke ground in mid-June for a new Chevrolet store in Berlin. The new building, to be built next to the current dealership, will include a 17-bay shop area and more room for sales and customer amenities. The company, which is also the No. 1-selling Jeep and Ram as well as Buick GMC dealer on Delmarva, has also recently remodeled its Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Fiat store in Berlin.
Charles Burton, owner and president of i.g. Burton, said he is very happy to be in Berlin, which he described as “a great town, a nice, old historic town.”
Burton’s company itself is historic, dating back to 1908, when his great-grandfather, Capt. Theodore Burton, began selling cars out of his general store in Millsboro. The company is named for the captain’s grandson, Irwin G. Burton, who was Burton’s grandfather.
Charles Burton is the fifth generation to run the operation, having been called from a career in the automotive finance and insurance business to take over i.g. Burton when his father, David Burton, began thinking about retirement. Starting with his father in 1990, Burton has been a dealer for 32 years now.
“The business grew. Dad was good at building; I was good at selling cars,” Burton said. He added that five generations is unusual for a dealership, or for any business.
Burton attributed much of the company’s success to the way it treats customers as well as employees.
“Our mission statement is ‘Too care,’” Burton said, “and that’s not misspelled. We want people to care to the extreme. When you come to work for us, you’ve got to care — for yourself, how you present yourself, for other employees and especially our customers.”
He continued, “We want people to be treated right. They pay a lot of money for a car, and they deserve to do business with someone they’ll get a good deal from, and someone they can trust.”
Burton makes sure that every customer gets a card with his direct telephone line and the contact information of the company COO, M.J. Lofland. “Everyone who works for me knows my number is out there, so I want them to do a good job.”
Every customer who buys a car also gets a personal letter from him. That’s 500 to 700 letters a month, but it’s a nice personal touch, Burton said.
The car business has been tough since the pandemic started. It’s been even tougher to grow. But that’s what Burton wants to do by acquiring other dealerships in order to provide more opportunities for his employees.
New cars are in short supply, a situation Burton expects will continue for another year or two. Meanwhile, the value of trade-ins -used cars- has gone up. “Now is a pretty good time to buy,” Burton said.
“Electric vehicles are coming, too,” he asserted. “We’re looking at adding a charging station at our Milford campus.”
However, he suspects a lot of people may want to keep their gas car – and maintain it better so they can keep it longer than three years.
The last time there was a high gas price crunch, some people traded in SUVs for a more gas miserly vehicle. Burton said he hasn’t seen that this time. “We’re selling all the trucks and SUVs we can get. People still like nice big cars that offer a nice ride. Manufacturers also are building better gas mileage vehicles. They’re selling.”
See what i.g. Burton has to offer you. i.g. Burton has nine locations on Delmarva where an experienced sales staff is eager to share its knowledge and enthusiasm with you. Browse their inventory online at www.igburton.com, where you can also schedule a test drive and explore financing options. If you need more information, email questions to netsales@igburton.com, call 800-796-9702, or access the chat function of the website.
