Over 60 years ago, two men opened a business selling Ford vehicles in Hamburg, NY. In 1950, Joseph Herr Jr. and Harold West began selling Fords under a tent near the corner of Clark Street and McKinley Parkway. The dealership soon found a more permanent location down the road on Clark near Buffalo Street. The dealership remained at this location until 1966, when the doors were opened at its present location at 5025 Camp Road in Hamburg.
Brad Hafner joined the dealership as a salesman in March of 1959. Through his efforts, the dealership grew in volume and prominence. He became a partner in 1970, sole owner in 1975 and Chairman in 1997.
In 1975, Scott Bieler joined the Sales Team at West Herr Ford. He quickly rose through the ranks and became the number 1 Ford salesperson in New York State.Scott was named partner in 1983, President in 1997 and became majority owner in 2000.
Both of our Vice Presidents: John Wabick & Bill Loecher started with sales as well at West Herr Ford in 1981 & 1982 respectively. They were made Vice Presidents in 1988 and as of 2000, became partners of the entire West Herr group.
West Herr built its reputation on excellence and customer satisfaction. Dealing fairly and honestly with our customers as well as our employees is all we have ever known. This philosophy, which is the key to our success, is shared throughout our organization in Sales, Parts, Service and the Collision Center. In 2008, we serviced nearly 280,000 vehicles and sold or leased almost 27,000 new and used vehicles. As a result, we are consistently ranked among the top dealers in the Nation in Customer Satisfaction which has earned us countless awards and recognition. To date West Herr employs nearly 1,300 Western New Yorkers; is the number 1 largest automotive group in NYS and is the 21st largest automotive group in the nation.
Left photo: Origional West Herr location on Clark Street in Hamburg, New York.
Right Photo: from left to right: Scott Bieler, Brad Hafner, Bill Loecher. John Wabick Sitting in front.
West Herr is continuously recognized, by nearly every major vehicle manufacturer we represent, for the quality of service our staff delivers to our customers. These achievements are attributed to the high level of dedication put forth daily by our team.
The West-Herr Automotive Group 21st largest automotive group in the nation. With over 1,100 employees in the WNY area, the West-Herr Automotive Group is now the largest group in New York State, selling over 26,000 new and used vehicles annually.
The West Herr Auto Group has earned the distinction of being the Best Place to Work in WNY for five years in a row since its inception in 2005 through Business First in the category of companies with 401 and more employees. Business First turned to the employees to identify the companies that are succeeding in retaining and recruiting good people and making them feel engaged in their work.
The West-Herr Automotive Group received the Better Business Bureau’s Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics in 1998, 2001, 2004, runner-up in 2002, and again in 2007. This award is given for excellence in marketplace ethics and commitment to customer satisfaction, and is rarely given to the same organization twice. (It is important to note that we have never had a vehicle go to lemon law arbitration).
The West Herr Automotive Group was the recipient of the 2008 Buffalo Niagara Business Ethics Award in the large business category. Sponsored by the Buffalo Chapter, Society of Financial Service Professionals, these annual awards recognize companies that demonstrate a strong commitment to ethical business practices in their everyday operations and in response to crises and challenges.
Saturn of Orchard Park won the Saturn Summit Award in 2006 and 2007. It is the most prestigious award that Saturn presents, and only dealers with exceptional customer satisfaction are considered.
General Motors Corporation awarded the Mark of Excellence Award in 2005 to West Herr Chevrolet of Hamburg and West Herr Chevrolet of Orchard Park for their superior performance in overall customer satisfaction and sales. Of the approximately 4,300 Chevrolet dealerships nationwide, only 4% met the stringent requirements to receive this honor.
West-Herr Jaguar has received the Pride of Jaguar in 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003, 2004 and 2005, and 2006. The Pride of Jaguar is based on customer care, sales and marketing and business management.
18-time recipient of the Ford President’s Award (formerly the Chairman’s Award) presented by Ford Motor Company in recognition of outstanding customer satisfaction through progressive management, dedicated employees, and high standards of operational excellence. This award is given to only the top 2% of dealerships in the country.
West Herr Ford of Hamburg and West Herr Ford, Lincoln Mercury of Amherst have both achieved Ford Motor Company’s Blue Oval Certification. Blue Oval Certification is recognition of the high level of customer satisfaction achieved by dealerships with every purchase, lease and service experience.
West Herr Subaru has achieved the Subaru Stellar Performer Award in 2003, 2004, 2005 and again in 2006. This process recognizes those dealerships that have achieved a high level of customer satisfaction through continually striving to improve dealership processes, and is granted to only a few dealerships nationwide.
Over 60 years ago, two men opened a business selling Ford vehicles in Hamburg, NY. In 1950, Joseph Herr Jr. and Harold West began selling Fords under a tent near the corner of Clark Street and McKinley Parkway. The dealership soon found a more permanent location down the road on Clark near Buffalo Street. The dealership remained at this location until 1966, when the doors were opened at its present location at 5025 Camp Road in Hamburg. 
Both of our Vice Presidents: John Wabick & Bill Loecher started with sales as well at West Herr Ford in 1981 & 1982 respectively. They were made Vice Presidents in 1988 and as of 2000, became partners of the entire West Herr group.
