About
Welcome to Bill Harris Auto Center! We are conveniently located at 2245 Claremont Ave, Ashland, OH 44805. You can reach us by calling 567-203-4026. We carry the latest models from Chevrolet and have an extensive and complete used inventory. Our experienced service department has factory-trained technicians that will take great care of your vehicle while it's in our hands!
We appreciate you taking the time today to visit our website. Our goal is to give you an interactive tour of our new and used inventory, as well as allow you to conveniently get a quote, schedule a service appointment, or apply for financing.
At our dealership, we have devoted ourselves to helping and serving our customers to the best of our ability. We believe the cars we offer are the highest quality and ideal for your life needs. We understand that you rely on our website for accurate information, and it is our pledge to deliver you relevant, correct, and abundant content.
Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have. Our staff is happy to answer any and all inquiries in a timely fashion. We look forward to doing business with you!
Our Values
At Bill Harris Auto Center, we pride ourselves on being the distinctively different dealership. We are proudly guided by our business core values. We love giving back to the community and are involved in a number of different community events. We also partner with different charities and organizations each year to help them reach their goals.
We love to heard feedback from our customers! We believe it allows us to grow and improve our processes so that we can make the car buying experience as enjoyable for you as possible! You can read what our customers have to say about us right on our website. If you've had a recent experience with us and want to let us know how we did, click here.
We hope to see you soon and allow us to make you a member of the Bill Harris Auto family!
Remember our motto: Sales with integrity, service with confidence!
Our Story
It was towards the end of a 23-year career with the United States Marine Corp that Bill Harris knew he was called to own his own business to spread the lessons and talents he had acquired through his life. Originally from Tennessee, Bill earned his B.A. in Secondary Education from the University of Arizona. Bill served in the Korean War as an enlisted Marine, after Korea he attended the US Army Counterintelligence School, and then served the remainder of his 23-year career with the USMC as an intelligence and counterintelligence officer, serving two tours of duty in Vietnam. Bill received numerous decorations for his military achievements including but not limited to Joint Service Commendation (Achievement) and Bronze Star Medal (Service) concluding his military career.
In a moment of serendipity Bill found himself buying a new Chevrolet at a Chevrolet dealership in Escondido, California near his retirement. The sales manager at that dealership recommended that Bill try out car sales and see if it would be a fit. Bill found that in a dealership there was the opportunity he was looking for to grow a business and to give back to the local community in a great way. Shortly after his start in the auto industry he was asked to move from California to northeast Ohio to help run a Chevrolet dealership in Mentor. Within a year of that move to Ohio Bill learned of a Chevrolet store coming up for sale in a small town about 70 miles south. Bill moved to Ashland in 1981 and immediately started pouring back into the community and grew the store into one of the largest Chevrolet stores in northcentral Ohio through the 1980s.
Bill grew the dealership with the help of his three sons, Billy Jr., Lonnie and Scott. The Harris family found success in providing an experience that was desired by the local community by putting faith, family, and community first. One of the first taglines that the Harris family committed to was “Sales with Integrity and Service with Confidence”. Those who did business with the Harris family found it was a pleasurable and fun experience dealing in Ashland. The word spread and business continued to grow, Bill was able to add other franchises to the existing Chevrolet store (Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Jeep, and Eagle).
Through the relationships built during his time of owner of Bill Harris Chevrolet and Bill Harris Auto Center Bill found his next calling in 1994, through the heavy requests of some friends at the time Bill decided to venture into state politics to bring a small business owner mentality to Columbus.
Bill was the kind of guy who would not own something he wasn’t actively involved in, so he decided to sell his stake in the business to Billy Jr., Lonnie, and Scott.
Scott had been acting General Manager since 1989 and now became President of Bill Harris Auto, Lonnie was Used Car manager and Treasurer, and Billy Jr. became Vice President. Through Scott’s leadership Bill Harris Auto continued to thrive and was able to acquire the local Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram franchise in 2005. Scott’s two sons joined the business in 2007 (David) and 2008 (Aaron).
David and Aaron were given the opportunity to become owners in 2018 when Billy Jr. and Lonnie decided it was time to retire. Aaron became the Dealer and General Manager. Aaron wishes to continue to the legacy of his grandfather Bill by putting faith, family and community first. The Harris family believes the business is designed to enrich the community, to provide a world class customer experience while providing a career opportunity for those who desire to work with excellence.
