About Us | |
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Success With Customers | Community Involvement | Core Values | |
| Dick joined the automotive industry after serving his country as a Navy fighter pilot in World War II. He went to work for Chevrolet Motor Division as a District Manager in Des Moines, Iowa. He was promoted to Business Manager in 1954 and transferred to Chicago. He was also in charge of the marketing survey team which concluded that the far northwest area was sure to have the next "boom" in population growth. | |
| As part of the research Dick found that Chevrolet did not have a dealership between Oak Park and Elgin. That void was left in the late fifties when the dealership in the tiny community of Roselle closed. Dick always had the burning desire to have his own dealership.In 1962 he made a life decision to leave his secure job with Chevrolet and pursue the opportunity in Roselle. |  |
| He and his wife, Eileen, sold their house in Evanston, moved their family of six children, and invested their life savings in the dealership in Roselle. | |
| When the dealership opened in 1963 Roselle was actually a rural community of 3,000 people. Roselle has blossomed to 22,000 and the surrounding area to over 300,000. The business grew with the community, and Dick's two oldest sons kept with family tradition. They both served their country in Vietnam - Terry a Marine and Tim a Naval officer - and in the late sixties joined their dad at the dealership. The third son, Casey came aboard in 1978 after graduating from Northwood University and selling cars at a Chicago area dealership for two years. | |
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In 1979 a deep recession hit the nation and the car business was heavily impacted. In 1980 the fourth son, Dan, graduated from Southern Illinois University. Who better to dig in and help during the tough times than family. Dan joined in and the partnership was completed. The brothers stuck together and with the help of our dedicated employees , emerged from the recession stronger and more able to take on the challenges of the future. In 1984 Tim and his wife, Gail, left Roselle and opened Wickstrom Ford in Barrington. This gave the Wickstrom Family two great locations and the top two product lines to offer our customers. |
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The mid eighties saw the end of the recession. New car and truck sales grew at a record pace, and exploding used vehicle sales caused some growing pains. In 1985 a used car and expanded service facility was built one block east of the main dealership building. This has allowed us to keep growing and provide our customers with world class service. The Wickstrom Family lost its founder and father, Dick Wickstrom, in 1998; but his legacy continues. He instilled a commitment to our customers and employees that is carried on by his sons. | |
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The partners - Casey, and Dan, along with the 75 dedicated employees of Wickstrom Chevrolet would like to thank each and every one of our customers for allowing us the privilege of serving them. The past 40 years has seen continual growth at Wickstrom Chevrolet. We are proud to have sold over 100,000 new and used vehicles and vow to continue to be a leader in total customer satisfaction. |
