As the Laconia Daily Sun reported today, the Irwin Automotive Group has officially marked its 60th year of doing business in central New Hampshire from its original site at 59 Bisson Avenue in Laconia, NH. The Irwin Automotive Group began as a single Lincoln Mercury dealership in 1951 and, after 60 years and three generations, it has evolved into one of the region’s largest automotive groups.
After founding the dealership in 1951, Robert Irwin added a Ford franchise in 1955. His son, Peter, entered the business in 1977 and acquired a Toyota franchise. The dealership added a separate used car center at 450 Union Avenue in 1994 to accommodate the larger inventory of pre-owned cars. Scion, Toyota’s youth brand, was added to the new car line-up in 2003. Chris Irwin, third generation, joined the business in 2008, the same year that the dealership completed a renovation of its 60,000 square-foot Bisson Avenue building. Laconia Quick Lane Tire and Auto Center opened in fall of 2010, adding many new jobs to the Laconia community. In June 2011, the Irwin Automotive Group expanded with the acquisition of a Hyundai dealership in Belmont, NH.
The Irwin Automotive Group’s charitable donations have grown along with the success of the business, and to date the dealership has given more than $1,100,000 to various organizations. The dealership is actively involved in the Laconia community, and supports many groups including, but not limited to, Community Health & Hospice, the Laconia Library, the Rotary Club, the Lion’s Club, the Laconia Putnam Fund, and the Lakes Region General Hospital Board of Directors. As Chris Irwin, vice president, explained, “Giving back is really important to us as a business and as community members.”
The Irwin Automotive Group currently employees 115 people and is the largest car dealership in central New Hampshire.
Irwin Lincoln Mercury in 1953
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