Last month Mark Medinger put it this way when someone asked him if he was going to take down the Savannah Dodge sign, a sign which indidated he was an approved Chrysler dealership. "Let them come and take down their own damn sign," he said.
He wasn't smiling then, but he is now. On Thursday, Medinger says it became official. He's a new Hyundai dealer.
Medinger told News 3 he purchased the Hyundai franchise from Dan Vaden. "But it still had to be approved by Hyundai. And they acted quickly to help. I think the speedy approval may be unprecedented," says Medinger.
Medinger says it's been quite a month. "On June 9th I closed a dealership and on July 9th, basically opened a new one," he told me. "I could use some sleep but I'm so happy to be a part of something that I and my employees can get excited about."
Medinger made a point of showing me some information that says JD Power has just ranked Hyundai 4th in its 2009 automotive quality study. "Ahead of Honda and Toyota," he says.
He says customers and businesses in Savannah have been very supportive. "I think they know what Chrysler did wasn't fair," he says.
Medinger says over 90 percent of his employees have stayed to help build the new franchise. He also says that many customers are still coming to have their Dodges serviced with his people. "Our biggest challenge now is to work towards beiing one of the largest Hyundai dealers in Georgia," he says.
And Medinger likes to finish by saying that on Thursday, when new Hyundais were arriving on his lot, someone from Chrysler had finally arrived to take down their sign. "I guess you know what I said to them," he laughs.
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