Courtesy Saratoga Business Journal
By LEE COLEMAN
The Romeo Auto Group has moved into the Saratoga Springs market with the purchase of Saratoga Subaru and Saratoga Ford, both located just off Northway Exit 15.
“We are super excited to add Subaru to our dealerships,” said Mike Romeo, who will be dealer principal of the two dealerships purchased from the Mackey Auto Group on March 24.
The transaction comes just three months after Romeo Auto Group bought Whiteman Chevrolet on Dix Avenue in Glens Falls, now called Romeo Chevrolet.
The Romeo Auto Group has dealerships in Glens Falls, South Glens Falls and Queensbury as well as five dealerships in Kingston operated by Mike’s older brother Joe Romeo.
Mike Romeo said the group currently has a Ford dealership in Kingston but did not have a Subaru dealership. The auto group owns Romeo Toyota on Broad Street in Glens Falls, Carriage Traders on Saratoga Road in South Glens Falls, and the Romeo Auto Outlet on Quaker Road in Queensbury.
“We want to build it back up to what it used to be,” Mike Romeo said about the Saratoga Springs car market.
“We want to get involved in the community, do community (fund raising) events in Saratoga,” he said.
In Glens Falls, for example, Romeo Toyota for several years has donated cars to Glens Falls Hospital and St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Glens Falls for fund raising efforts.
The Mackey Auto Group still owns a car dealership in Greenwich but is now focusing its efforts into boats and real estate, Romeo said.
The two Exit 15 dealerships will be called Romeo Ford of Saratoga and Romeo Subaru. Romeo said he will be hiring more than twenty people so the dealerships can operate separately rather than just one entity as in the past. Each dealership will have its own inventories, computer systems, phones, and its own management teams.
Romeo said he is filling key positions from within the auto group. Zack Parsons from Romeo Toyota is being promoted to general sales manager for the dealerships and Rob Newton has been named general manager.
Romeo wants to do more volume at the Saratoga dealerships and will hire the manpower to do this.
Romeo believes the Saratoga market has been under served for the Subaru and Ford customers there. He added that there has not been a strong used car presence in Saratoga and that’s one of the auto group’s strong points.
As part of the Mackey-Romeo transaction, the Romeo Auto Group acquired a large commercial service facility at 250 Excelsior Avenue in Saratoga Springs, about a mile from the two Exit 15 dealerships.
Romeo said there is a need for a heavy duty service facility to work on large vehicles including RVs, buses, fleet trucks and other commercial accounts. He said Excelsior Avenue garage is a state-of-the art facility with 13 lifts that can serve everything from a bus to a Ford Explorer.
When the Romeo Auto Group bought Whiteman Chevrolet from the Whiteman family that operated the local auto institution for 68 years, Mike Romeo and his three siblings – Joe, Lucia, and Genese – bought the dealership together. With the acquisition of the two Saratoga dealerships, the family currently operates 11 rooftops (dealership buildings), Mike Romeo said.
Joe Romeo operates five dealerships in Kingston, N.Y. These include Romeo Chevrolet, Buick and GMC on Route 9W, Romeo Kia of Kingston, Romeo Ford of Kingston, Romeo Volkswagen of Kingston and Romeo Nissan of Kingston.
Mike’s sister, Lucia (an attorney), is the auto group’s corporate counsel and does all the closings and business deals. His sister, Genese, coordinates business development for all the dealerships. Mike’s father, Len Romeo, the founder of the auto group, is semi-retired.