Categories: Life
For nearly a century, the Haradens had their family business circle on State Street Hill in Schenectady. They are not abandoning the site altogether, however, the circle of family car dealerships, Mohawk Honda, is now promoting cars on Freemans Bridge Road in Glenville. .
At age 92, Mohawk Honda is the oldest circle of family car dealerships in Schenectady County.
Joe Haraden, a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, worked at General Electric in 1919 when he opened a car dealership. He discovered some acres of land on Schenectady, just east of where Nott Terrace and Veeder Avenue are located on State Street. He eventually passed the business on to his son Joe Jr. , known as Buzz, who passed it on to his two sons: Jeff is the company’s ceo and Steve is the executive vice president.
Mohawk Auto Sales was the company’s original call, and the Haradens will continue to sell used cars on the previous ground and manage a maintenance branch and frame store. Joe Haraden Sr. basically sold Chevrolets and some other logo manufactured through Moon Motor Car Company, but until 1971 Buzz had incorporated Hondas into the harvester and until 1980, Mohawk Chevrolet had Mohawk Honda.
Jeff Haraden grew up in Niskayuna and after graduating from high school there, went to northwood University in Michigan, then a two-year school that taught car marketing classes. He, his wife and their five children in Malta.
Q: Why its location on Freemans Bridge Road to Glenville?
A: The other site is too small for the stock we had and there is not enough parking area for our guests. . . We have been looking for a new home for about 10 years, and have had some da over the houses on Freemans Bridge Road that have gone wrong. But then, when Salisbury Chevrolet lost its franchise, the owner called us and asked if we would be interested. We said, “oh, yes. ” For us it was the best, we had a construction that was already made for us, but internally everything is new, we also got low interest loans, all kinds of incentives and assistance from Metroplex, it worked very well.
Q: How are you so far?
A: Last December, we doubled our activity compared to last December at the previous site. In fact, it’s our most productive December. I think Freemans Bridge Road sees a lot of traffic. People are on their way to downtown Schenectady, and it’s also very easy to get from Burnt Hills, Clifton Park, Amsterdam and all the problems to the west. You know, if there’s a Wal-Mart and a Lowe, then they did their due diligence and the traffic counts had to be correct.
Q: How did Mohawk Honda perform in the recent recession?
A: We especially increase our sales with the recession. Honda is lately the number one sales company in the Capital District and there aren’t that many dealerships left in Schenectady County. You have had other establishments that have broken or taken their franchises. and that’s paved the way for us. We didn’t have to lose any post and we really have a few more on the new site. Lately we have about 70 employees.
Q: Has there ever been a time when I was younger than I was looking to leave the family circle business?
A: Growing up, my parents had a new car in the garage and that new car smell is invading you. I think she was spoiled. And I started running there in high school, cleaning used cars at night to make money. They gave me the worst cars I could to torture the owner’s son. I’d be scratching the nicotine off the windows. But I’ve also held almost every single position at the dealership, allowing me to worry and communicate with anyone about a challenge they’re having. I can communicate with them personally and say, “I went, I did that. “
Q: What can you tell us about the new location?
A: Everything is as green as possible. We have solar panels on the roof, we have installed 75 trees and shrubs, which is more than double what the town wanted, it has a great country air. Neighbors were concerned about parking lots, but we reduced the strength of the soft bulbs so they wouldn’t glow in the neighborhood, and there is no noise outside either. My 14 year old daughter has shown much more interest in the business. since we moved here, where we have a new data center; possibly have a computer, or possibly it’s for Villa Italia cakes in our waiting room for what you are. We also have a new giant service front where you can park your car and avoid the elements. No more status in the pouring rain. .
Q: Why the transition from Chevrolet to Honda?
A: My father saw that all imports came to town, and he was a smart friend of Kevin Langan, who had two other Volkswagen dealerships and was doing very well with the Beetle. I don’t forget that my father said, “I don’t care what it is, the next import I see, I get it. “When my father first signed up, he was riding one of those Honda 600s, with the motorcycle engine on him, and everyone was laughing. Civic in 1973, and then we had the oil embargo and bought fuel on even days and suddenly other people started paying attention to fuel intake and quality. The quality was mind-blowing and took off like a rocket, they’ve had enough.
Q: What did your father give you about managing the business?
A: One of his keys was to make sure he controlled expenses. He sought to pay for every imaginable expense of departments and portions of service so that any new cars he sells would be almost completely profitable. during difficult times or when interest rates are between 16% and 18%, you may simply survive. He was always perceptive about it, and the other thing was to treat other people the way you were looking to be treated. In this way, never if you look back, you are concerned that someone has not been treated properly.