Erickson Chevrolet sold
Wednesday, February 20th, 2008Countryside buys longtime Verona dealership
John Erickson is selling his Chevrolet dealership in Verona to a duo who own dealerships in Columbus and Beaver Dam. Terms were not disclosed.
“I’m looking forward to retirement,” said Erickson, 77, who bought the dealership at 513 W. Verona Ave. from Ed Harrington three decades ago. “It’s been good. I’ve made lots of good friends and sold a lot of cars.”
Buyers Keith Ghanian and Dan Fox started with Countryside Ford Mercury in Columbus in 2000. In 2003, they purchased a Pontiac GMC Oldsmobile dealership in Beaver Dam, then added a Chevrolet Buick dealership there the next year. The combined lines became Countryside GM Auto Group at a new building that opened in 2005 in Beaver Dam.
“I live in Oregon so I commute about 65 miles every day so I did have my eyes open for a GM dealership in the Madison area,” Ghanian said.
The deal, which was signed about three weeks ago, requires the approval of General Motors but both sides don’t see that as an obstacle since Ghanian and Fox already are GM dealers.
Ghanian said he hopes the Verona dealership will become Countryside Chevrolet in early March.
“My goal is to meet with every individual employee by the end of this month and the goal is to make sure everyone stays on board,” he said. Erickson has about 30 employees.
“In terms of plans,” Ghanian added, “the very first thing we would like to do is get involved in the community — helping local hospitals, schools, the fire department, the police department. That’s my No. 1 goal. We’ll have an active ownership and be available to our customers. The goal is to improve on every aspect of the operation.”
Ghanian said Countryside would honor deals Erickson made, such as lifetime free oil changes for new car buyers.
Before the changeover, Erickson is holding a going-out-of-business sale.
Ghanian said the deal was the “easiest transaction I’ve ever made,” with no brokers involved — just a direct deal with Erickson.
Erickson had put the word out that he was interested in selling and the Countryside owners contacted him about four months ago after hearing about it from a vendor.
“They have the small-town inclination for business and Verona’s a small town,” Erickson said. “And I felt it would be a good fit for my employees — that they would treat them fairly and wouldn’t run over them and bring in a lot of outside people and let them go.”
Verona’s booming growth and the changes at GM bode well for his dealership’s future, Erickson said.
“I think it’s an opportune time,” he said.
Erickson, who started selling cars more than 50 years ago at what would become Thorstad Chevrolet in Madison, was known for his TV ads that featured his horse, Bo, who he said is doing fine at age 33.
“I take good care of him,” he said. “He’s got the best of everything.”
Erickson’s retirement plans include traveling with his wife, enjoying life and spending more time on hobbies such as gardening.
Ghanian is excited about the changes at Chevrolet, including the new Malibu, the new Camaro and ZR-1 Corvette that are coming, and the Chevrolet Volt that will be GM’s first plug-in hybrid when it debuts in a few years.
“I think Chevrolet is the most exciting line at GM and that was part of the reasoning behind this deal,” he said. “Chevrolet is spearheading the new products coming into the GM pipeline.”
The Erickson acquisition might not be Countryside’s last.
“I’m not putting any limits on myself,” Ghanian said, noting that he’s just 46. “If the proper opportunities present themselves I’m definitely open-minded.”
