Posted on 05/19/2009 10:29:47 AM PDT by American Dream 246
My name is George C. Joseph. I am the sole owner of Sunshine Dodge-Isuzu, a family owned and operated business in Melbourne, Florida. My family bought and paid for this automobile franchise 35 years ago in 1974. I am the second generation to manage this business.
We currently employ 50+ people and before the economic slowdown we employed over 70 local people. We are active in the community and the local chamber of commerce. We deal with several dozen local vendors on a day to day basis and many more during a month. All depend on our business for part of their livelihood. We are financially strong with great respect in the market place and community. We have strong local presence and stability.
I work every day the store is open, nine to ten hours a day. I know most of our customers and all our employees. Sunshine Dodge is my life.
On Thursday, May 14, 2009 I was notified that my Dodge franchise, that we purchased, will be taken away from my family on June 9, 2009 without compensation and given to another dealer at no cost to them. My new vehicle inventory consists of 125 vehicles with a financed balance of 3 million dollars. This inventory becomes impossible to sell with no factory incentives beyond June 9, 2009. Without the Dodge franchise we can no longer sell a new Dodge as "new," nor will we be able to do any warranty service work. Additionally, my Dodge parts inventory, (approximately $300,000.) is virtually worthless without the ability to perform warranty service. There is no offer from Chrysler to buy back the vehicles or parts inventory.
Our facility was recently totally renovated at Chrysler's insistence, incurring a multi-million dollar debt in the form of a mortgage at Sun Trust Bank.
HOW IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA CAN THIS HAPPEN?
THIS IS A PRIVATE BUSINESS NOT A GOVERNMENT ENTITY
This is beyond imagination! My business is being stolen from me through NO FAULT OF OUR OWN. We did NOTHING wrong.
This atrocity will most likely force my family into bankruptcy. This will also cause our 50+ employees to be unemployed. How will they provide for their families? This is a total economic disaster.
HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN IN A FREE MARKET ECONOMY IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA?
I beseech your help, and look forward to your reply. Thank you.
Sincerely,
George C. Joseph President & Owner Sunshine Dodge-Isuzu
Others have pointed out that between the franchise fee and the requirement that marketing materials be purchased from the parent company, even a franchise that doesn’t sell a single car produces revenue to the parent company.
Yet...Ford will not be allowed to compete and out perform the new government auto company.
Anything that shows the fallacy of government owned anything will be destroyed
No, I tended to use my grandmother's front lawn since she lived on the corner. A much better location don't you think?
Random unsubstantiated personal insults aside...
My point was and remains - he is IN a situation. Chrysler and GM needed to streamline their cost based infrastructure, and they are in the midst of doing so. That leaves hundreds and thousands of people like this man in a tough spot. It is not a situation he planned for, it is not one he expected, but it is the situation in which he finds himself. He has assets, knowledge, personnel, infrastructure, and ability. In short, he still has opportunity.
I hope and pray that he finds a way to buckle down and make something good out of bad. I hope and pray that he, and others like him, will be the kind of success stories we can all feel good about months from now - examples of American ingenuity and entrepreneurialism that we all respect and admire.
Forgive me, but considering your previous comment I couldn't help myself...
I truly hope that he can find a way to turn lemons into lemonade.
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To me, people who railed against the Big 3, the UAW, and the bailout suddenly blaming the government for this man's woes, is akin to people like us, mostly the same people, saying the government needs to learn to spend less, but then suddenly getting mad at the government when it is our neighbor or family member who actually gets laid off.
I thought it was the liberals who led with emotion...
Stop making sense. It's way more fun to scream about how Obama's wrecking the economy by doing (in this particular case) exactly what a lot of people on this board said needed doing just a few months ago.
What were the exact words in Chrysler's notification, not this guy's interpretation, but the exact words?
All dealers do that, it's called flooring.
Most companies that carry large inventories do the same thing.
A bunch of the people replying here don’t know what it means to be a conservative. They’re A-OK with the government closing down private enterprises. It’s a disgrace.
Maybe his employees and perhaps himself shouldn’t have voted for the Communist.
Others are wrong. There is no other way to put it. Underperforming franchises are a huge drain on a franchisor.
“HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN IN A FREE MARKET ECONOMY IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA? “
By electing a marxist.
No one wanted to believe he was a marxist, and our american/pravda media won’t tell you he’s a marxist.
But he’s a marxist.
Welcome to the “New America” folks.
Obama is ashamed of the old America - of guys like these dealership owners.
He is wiping the slate and rebuilding our country according to his vision.
Isn’t this going to be fun?
They should have gone bankrupt long ago, without the federal funds keeping them afloat and making them beholden to the feds. However, an unassisted bankruptcy would likely have been worse for this dealer and many others had Chrysler actually closed its doors during the proceedings. Without a UAW deal there would have been no ongoing manufacturing - no parts, no cars, just dead stock. I’m not saying I like the government deal, but this is a discussion that started about one dealership - and had the market been allowed to work properly he very well may have been in the same situation - or worse.
Amen, I am utterly amazed at some of the posts on this thread. From smart ass remarks to complacency to schadenfreude, unbelievable
As the tentacles of Obamanomics wind their way through the fabric of corporate America, I suspect the phrase, "Going Michael Douglas," will be heard with increasing frequency...
Perhaps he should changew the rules. Perhaps he and his peers should take up arms and go to Washington and shoot the place up. A little blood in the streets is what is needed.
Ahhh, it is easy to tell the Bozo supporters, they always have the apology ready for his illegal and unconstitutional actions. Whether this guy was making money or not, he has money invested in this franchise, the company is supposed to buy it back from him if they shut it down. They are not buying back his inventory, if he was doing so bad why did they continue to sell him so many cars? He will lose millions and you think it is ok for Bozo to say "shut him down!".
Who did you vote for? Bozo? I thought so.
We need to put this country back in the hands of private enterprise and get the frickin' government out of business, period.
How is that? What’s the cash flow from the franchisor to the franchisee or other expense attributable to the relationship?
ping
I don’t know; I didn’t get a copy of Chrysler’s letter.
He didn’t say “The franchise I’ve spent 35 years building was destroyed”, he said it was taken away and given to another dealer.
It certainly is. And, who is next?!!!
This should all fall on the lap of Obama & Co. whatever happens to these people. They should camp out on the front lawn of the White house until they get an answer from 'the chosen one'!
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