GM gives reprieve to Wickstrom Chevrolet

Owners of Dick Wickstrom Chevrolet in Roselle are breathing a sigh of relief with news that they will be able to celebrate 47 years in business next week.

Brothers Casey and Dan Wickstrom learned recently that their dealership on Irving Park Road is no longer on the chopping block and has been granted permission to remain in operation.

"I feel very, very happy. We didn't want to close," Casey Wickstrom said Wednesday.

The Roselle dealership was among about 900 originally slated to close that recently received a letter of intent from GM allowing them to continue to stay in business. The automaker will end up with about 5,000 U.S. dealers in July, up from original plans for 4,100. GM had about 6,000 when it filed for bankruptcy last year and began shedding dealerships as part of that process.

The switch represents a desire by GM's new leadership team to avoid the expense of closing dealerships, a move not believed to be critical to revive the company.

From the time they learned last June they were on the list of dealers GM was planning to close, the Wickstrom brothers had a drive to survive.

"We didn't feel that we should close. We didn't want to close. We wanted to stay open," said Casey Wickstrom, 56.

He said the dealership was able to weather the initial shock and learned of a process whereby they could press their case. "Congress passed a law in December that said if you passed seven criteria, you could remain open," Wickstrom said.

Showing that the dealer was profitable and economically viable were factors in the equation. The owners also had to present their overall business plan and prove the demographics of the area supported the business.

"We were fortunate enough to meet the criteria," Wickstrom said.

"I'm so happy that we can continue to go on and be part of the GM family in selling Chevy vehicles for the next 47 years."

Wickstrom, a Roselle native, emphasized the value of the decision on the 40 employees at the dealership.

"They have been here a long time," he said. "They have families. I have a son working as general sales manager who plans to take over the business someday."

He acknowledged the past year has been rough, but there were no layoffs and the service department continued to operate.

"We never did close. We got low on product though," he said. "We continued on as if we were going to remain a Chevy dealership and we are."

A Driscoll Catholic High School graduate, Wickstrom worked at his late father's dealership as a porter until he went to college. The timing of the early June announcement is coincidental, coming less than two weeks before the business's anniversary.

"My dad opened the dealership 47 years ago on June 14, 1963," Wickstrom said.