Origins of the Dealership
The Nurse family started their business over 40 years ago. Bill Nurse originated the dealership at 300 Dundas Street East in Whitby. In 1968, the dealership was relocated to the current location at 1530 Dundas Street East in Whitby and named Nurse Chevrolet Oldsmobile; in fact, most long-time Durham residents still call the dealership Nurse Chev Olds!
Back then, Bill Nurse's business growth strategy focused on providing outstanding service to customers, which quickly produced a steady increase in the company's reputation. In addition to his business interests, Bill was an active participant in the growth of the Durham community. He represented Durham's interests and that of the public through his positions with the Toronto Automobile Dealers Association and the Oshawa-Whitby United Way. During the 1970's, Bill presided as President of the Whitby Rotary Club and as Treasurer for Rotary International, where he involved himself and his family in Rotary projects to assist people in need locally and internationally. Bill served on other Boards relevant to his community, most notably the Board for the Whitby General Hospital, the YMCA and All Saints Anglican Church as Rector's Warden. Bill's passion over the years has always been in the arts. He is a founding Director of the Whitby Arts Council (Station Gallery), actively lobbied for fundraising for The Robert McLaughlin Gallery (Oshawa) and has been a Patron of the Ontario Philharmonic (Oshawa Durham Symphony Orchestra) since its inception.
And Now...
Bill's family supported and was involved with many of his community activities over the years. More recently, Anne and Mary, Bill's daughters, have become involved in the family business. In 1989, Anne expanded the organization by opening Passport (Isuzu and Daewoo products) and then in 1991, Motorcity Saturn. This was followed by an additional Saturn dealership in Peterborough in 1998, initially managed by Anne's sister, Mary. In 2001, Mary secured approval from General Motors as a Dealer Principal and came back to Durham to take on the renamed Nurse Chevrolet Cadillac dealership. Bill remains as Chairman of the Board and continues his Durham community involvement.
Mary Nurse's business strategy is much like her father's: to do business with trust, honesty and commitment to customer satisfaction. She also regards her community involvement as an important aspect of life. Mary is a solid supporter of Durham public service organizations: Lakeridge Health Whitby Foundation and Lakeridge Health Foundation, United Way, University of Ontario Institute for Technology (UOIT), Parkwood Estates, Abilities Centre, Whitby Rotary Club, and the Ontario Philharmonic. The management team and staff at Nurse Chevrolet Cadillac are active in local sports teams and community services as sponsors, organizers and participants.
For three years running and until the competition end in 2009, Nurse Chevrolet Cadillac was a winner of the General Motors President's Triple Crown Award. The award goes to the top 100 Dealers in Canada, based on their performance in Sales Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI), Service CSI, Vehicle sales volume and Business Management. It is a challenging award to win, because the targets are constantly moving! Additionally, the satisfaction indicators are judged by each of our customers, with no intervention from General Motors. Each person on our sales and service teams receive mentoring and support to provide our customers with the best possible experience in purchasing a vehicle and after-purchase service. The entire staff is part of this accomplishment. We are proud of this!
Changing the Face of Business...
As time moves forward, corporate identity inevitably undergoes changes. General Motors has a new brand identity and Nurse Chevrolet Cadillac and Motorcity Saturn have merged... staff and customers!
To continue to meet and exceed our standards of customer service, the Nurse Chevrolet Cadillac facility continues to expand! Progress toward the completed renovations is steady, with some major milestones met:
- 2005 - The first shovel hit the ground
- 2006 - A state-of-the-art Body Shop facility welcomes customers to its new building
- 2007 - The first phase of the new Showroom opens
- 2009 - Ground up renovations begin on the new Service, Parts and Accessories facilities. During this construction period, Nurse Chevrolet Cadillac and Motorcity have merged at the Motorcity Service location to service all lines of General Motors products!
There is more to come!
- 2010 - The last phases of construction: Service, Parts and Accessories and the second phase of the Showroom.
In December 2010, Service, Parts and Accessories and the second phase of the Showroom are to be completed. The plans include details sure to delight our customers: a customer car wash, "spa" vehicle detailing service and an inviting customer café.
Nurse Chevrolet Cadillac has steadily served a growing number of customers for over forty years and continues to look forward to change and evolution with the Durham community. We feel "It's the Little Things That Count" and it's our pleasure to welcome you to our dealership!
