Location: Valley Stream, N.Y.
"Chrysler has wanted to get rid of the mom and pop stores for years now. I think that's a tragic mistake. It just means more inconvenience for the customers who have to travel farther to a dealership, and less customer service.
In my case, we've been fighting since 2006. They said they wanted to shut me down and put a larger franchise closer to the highway. I have 25 employees, including my daughter, Sheree, who has been working with me for 10 years. They all decided to rally with me back then, working harder than ever, pushing themselves longer hours, seven days a week.
I won that battle. And I feel stronger from that experience to fight this battle. Right now my employees are numb from the news, but several have already approached me and said they will fight with me.
We've been through difficult times before, and I've never laid anyone off. I'm not about to lay them off now - even if it means I have to open a new dealership." - as told to Emily Maltby
NEXT: Lloyd's Chrysler & Toyota
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