Hall Chevrolet operated in the location for 25 years.
“Easy Auto’s growth, including our January expansion to the Dalton, Ga. market, has resulted in the company needing more room for its reconditioning center which is currently located on Grove Avenue,” Card said. “This property allows us to expand our reconditioning operations to meet the growing need to service all the cars for our retail stores which are in Cleveland, Knoxville, Chattanooga and Dalton. It also gives us room to allow for expansion to additional markets, if we see an opportunity.”
Jack Hall, long-time owner of the prior Hall Chevrolet dealership, said the transaction is a good fit.
“I am happy Bob (Card), Robby and their team are the buyers and will be able to put the facility to good use,” Hall said.
Easy Auto Chairman Bob Card added, “Jack and I have always been friends and respected each other during many years we competed against each other.”
Shane Gibson, Easy Auto vice president of operations, said the transaction brings additional growth potential to the used car dealership.
“We plan to move our Cleveland sales office to the front location and should continue to grow,” Gibson said. “The combination of allowing us to expand our reconditioning center and expand our sales office and display space made this a perfect location for us.”
Another upside to the deal is that Easy Auto will increase its employee base.
“We anticipate adding several new employees in the reconditioning center within the first year which should take our total Easy Auto and Sunrise Acceptance employees at all the locations up to around 150 people by the end of 2011,” Gibson explained. “Our administrative offices and the Sunrise Acceptance finance office will remain at our Mt. Vernon Drive location in Cleveland.”
(Robby) Card pointed to the benefits the Hall Chevrolet site acquisition brings to Easy Auto customers as well as to the community.
“Our customers want and deserve reliable transportation,” (Robby) Card said. “The quality and reliability of our vehicles has always been the most important thing to us. We start by buying most of our vehicles from local new car dealers after they are traded in. Then, they go through a thorough reconditioning process and quality control check before we offer them for sale. These are two of the best ways we can affect the quality of the cars we sell.”
Easy Auto is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and the Card family is celebrating 100 years in the car business.
(Robby) Card’s great-grandfather, C.C. Card, opened Cleveland’s first Ford dealership in 1911.
He said the Card family is excited about today’s announcement and pointed out, “(We) look forward to many more years of providing reliable transportation to the people of our area.”
