Wadler dealership under new management
Greenville dealership to become Ceranti-Oakes

BY ALAN TAYLOR
DBJ Contributing Writer

Tom Wadler Toyota-Lincoln-Mercury in Greenville is now under the management of Ceranti-Oakes Automotive, Inc., and will ultimately undergo a name change to reflect new ownership.

James Ceranti, who also owns James Ceranti Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep, says the acquisition process has been underway for several months.

“The Wadler Auto Group made the decision to sell their Greenville operation, and we were approached last summer about the possibility of buying the dealership,” he relates. “My partner Bryan Oakes and I had been looking into possible expansions, and then this opportunity presented itself.

“Officially, at this point we are managing the dealership, while we wait for the final approvals from the manufacturers. That will hopefully occur within 60 to 90 days, and then the dealership will become Ceranti-Oakes Toyota-Lincoln-Mercury. My other dealership will continue to operate as a separate entity.

“We’re very excited to be a dealer for these auto makes,” he continues. “It’s a wonderful franchise and a wonderful facility. We’re fortunate—my other dealership is in a high-traffic-count location on the highway, and this dealership is also in a very busy part of town.”
Ceranti says he had hoped the changeover would be well received, and has been pleased that the response exceeded his expectations. “When you go into a venture like this, you’re always somewhat guarded, even though you hope for the best. We’ve had many pleasant surprises in regard to the condition of the facility and the reception from the dealership staff and the entire community.

“People come up to us on the street and tell us how happy they are to hear the news. And the employees have been very positive—they are glad to be a part of our organization.”

Greenville residents have always demonstrated a commitment to supporting local businesses and helping the local economy, Ceranti observes, although various factors have often made that difficult.

“The whole area has always supported this community. But even with that kind of support, you have to be competitive and offer top-level customer support services in order to get and retain their business. That’s always been my focus, and will be at this dealership as well.”

He says changes at the Wadler operation will likely be minimal. “It’s a great location, and the staff has been unbelievable. The facility itself is still fairly new—it’s in great shape, and doesn’t need many changes.”

The ability to maintain greater inventories and consolidate some aspects of the two dealerships should provide multiple benefits, says Ceranti. “Having larger inventories will give us greater buying power. Internally, both dealerships will be more efficient and effective, and that will allow us to do an ever better job for our customers.”

Both Ceranti and Oakes have strong Greenville ties, and Ceranti says current and potential customers should be aware of this. “Bryan and I are local people, and very active in our community. We’ve lived here and been in business here for a long time. People know us and trust us, and we’ve developed many great relationships over the years. All of our employees also live in Greenville or in neighboring towns.

“This is a full-time venture for us, with no outside investors,” he continues. “The money we make will stay right here, to be reinvested in the community.”

The dealership is a family operation, Ceranti says. Both spouses, Anne Ceranti and Patsy Oakes, will be active within the business.

“Either Bryan or I, or both of us, will be here every day, and as they say, our door is always open,” Ceranti says. “We like to tell folks that we’re all Delta people taking care of Delta people.” DBJ