CARMEL, Ind. — J.D. Byrider said it has opened its third new location since the start of 2009, in addition to naming a director of service operations.

The Monroeville, Pa., store marks the third Byrider franchise in Pittsburgh, the 10th in Pennsylvania and the 129th nationwide. In March, J.D. Byrider opened new stores in Traverse City, Mich., and North Charleston, S.C.

"In these rough economic times, we've seen an increased number of applications at our stores. Not only are our customers facing credit challenges, but many traditional automotive dealerships are also not able to offer credit," said Steve Wedding, president of Byrider Franchising.

"We have money available for financing, and we offer a full program of service and warranties that will help our customers get on with their lives and rebuild their credit," he added.

The Monroeville location, like all J.D. Byrider stores, offers used-car sales, financing and a service department. Franchise owner Rob Palmer also owns two additional Pittsburgh locations, as well as one dealership each in Hermitage, Pa.; Boardman, Ohio; and Warren, Ohio.

His locations are dedicated to customer service excellence and have gained satisfaction rating of 96 percent and service satisfaction rating of 93 percent.

"As I open my sixth location, I am proud to be a part of J.D. Byrider's success," said Palmer. "We look forward to expanding even more into the Pennsylvania and Ohio markets."

Palmer was awarded the 2009 Franchise of the Year Award at J.D. Byrider's annual convention late last year. He was chosen because of his commitment to customer service, sales excellence and to sharing best practices with other J.D. Byrider franchisees, he indicated.

The award was Palmer's second consecutive and sixth overall.

J.D. Byrider Names Director of Service Ops

In other related news, J.D. Byrider announced it has promoted Ed Cowan to director of service operations.

Cowan is in charge of the service and customer service departments at J.D. Byrider's 14 company-owned locations in Indiana, Georgia, Florida and Ohio.

He began his career at J.D. Byrider in 1990 as a service technician. In 1991, he was promoted to service manager; in 2007, he was promoted to service manager for the Ohio region, which covers five locations. In 2008, he was promoted to assistant director of service operations.

Cowan has been certified as an Automotive Service Excellence master technician.