River Front to celebrate 30th anniversary in February

River Front Chrysler Jeep Dodge in North Aurora will celebrate the dealership's 30th anniversary next month, owners said.

In 1989, Bill McSkimming, president of River Front, opened the doors to his Chrysler Plymouth dealership, then located at 1261 Lake St. in Aurora. The dealership moved to its current 36,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art location in the North Aurora Auto Mall in 1996.

Expansion has taken place with the acquisition of the Jeep and Dodge brands and Chrysler Corp.'s transformation of Ram into a separate line. This growth and increase in available inventory necessitate the need for use of nearby storage lots.

“Many of our employees have been with us since the beginning. Others have been here for 15-plus years,” McSkimming said. “There is a cohesiveness that exists from department to department. The teams work together with the common goal of satisfying our customer's needs.”

McSkimming has been in the automobile business since 1970. He believes River Front's success is due to his management, sales, service and parts staff. “Our employees enjoy what they do and it shows,” he said.

River Front Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram was recently awarded the Chrysler Customer First Award. For several years running, it has earned an A+ Rating with the Better Business Bureau.

“Our customers are our best referrals. In every sales meeting, I remind the crew that if we keep our customer base satisfied, they'll come back …” sales manager Paul McSkimming said. “And in turn they will share their experience with family and friends.”