ILLINOIS
Quincy Automotive Supply Co., a privately-owned group of 10 NAPA jobber stores in Rockford and Springfield, has been sold to Motor Parts & Equipment Corp. (MPEC) of Rockford, ending an 87-year, three-generation run in wholesale parts. J. Garth "Butch" Elzea III, president of Quincy Automotive Supply, completed the sale April 1. Quincy's reputation for being well-run NAPA stores was one of the main motivators for the acquisition, said MPEC President and CEO Joseph Hansberry.
APSA of Illinois (APSA-IL), an aftermarket parts and service association, has six Town Hall Meetings scheduled for April and May. APSA's President Matt Wells said the primary topics is a bill in the legislature that would enact California-like EPA standards that could prohibit certain vehicles from being sold or licensed in Illinois. All meetings start at 6:30 p.m. The meeting schedule is as follows: April 16 Route 66 Hotel 625 E. St. Joseph St., Springfield; April 17 Elks Lodge 1107 Jordan Street, Mt. Vernon; April 22 Rexroats 221 W. Jefferson St., Effingham; April 23 Holiday Inn City Center, 500 Hamilton Blvd., Peoria; May 6 Holiday Inn, 7800 S. Kingery Highway, Willowbrook; and May 7 Holiday Inn, 5300 W. Touhy Ave, Skokie. For more information, contact Wells at 800-369-2964.
KENTUCKY
In late December, workers from R.E. Purnell Construction Co. of Shelbyville bolted on the last beam in what will be Nifco auto parts manufacturing's newest U.S. facility. Nifco, a Japanese auto parts manufacturer, will use the 80,000 square-foot building to make fasteners for Toyota, Honda, and domestic models.
Kentucky Automotive Center of Grayson is Tri-state's only five-star service dealer. The dealership, formerly know as Adkins and Slone Automotive, has a new name and new owners. Greg and Linda Crawford opened the doors to their new business Jan. 2. As natives of Greenup and Boyd counties, the couple also has family in Carter County.
Advance Auto has celebrated the grand opening of its new 7,000-square-foot location in Carrollton.
MISSOURI
White Auto Body of Florissant announced that Master Technician Matt Morfeld, Technician Craig Fievet, and Consultant/Estimator Glen Hecht have reached a decade of service with the Missouri collision repair facility.
O'Reilly Auto Parts in Ste. Genevieve held a grand opening at its store on State Highway 32 on the west end of town, one of 164 stores in Missouri and 1,775 locations nationwide. O'Reilly's also recently opened a store in House Springs.
A new sign with a new name went up last week at JC Auto Value in Monroe City. After nearly 20 years of association with the Auto Value affiliation, JC has joined forces with Parts City Auto Parts. Based in Springfield, Parts City now has in more than 200 stores nationwide either in or committed to joining the program.
Mike Hill, president of Precision Rebuilders of St. Clair, was named the "Heavy Duty Remanufacturer of the Year" at the 2008 APRA Heavy Duty Remanufacturing Group Summit on Jan. 21. This was the inaugural presentation of the award, given in acknowledgement of outstanding leadership and industry vision.
Corum's Transmission and Auto Repair has opened in Monroe City. Randy Corum said his new business will cover all general car care, including inspections, oil changes, and lube jobs. He also said he will work on air conditioners to get them ready for summer use.
Festus Ford donated a 1995 F150 truck to Jefferson College in Jefferson. The donation will allow students to get hands-on repair knowledge of that vehicle.
O'Reilly Auto of Perryville has donated $200 to the Perryville Area Career Center. It will be used to purchase tools for the auto service programs.
Don Wessel Honda of Springfield has been awarded the 2007 President Award. The award is considered Honda's highest dealership honor and is presented to the top 15 percent of Honda dealerships across the country annually.
West County BMW has a like-new home in Manchester after a yearlong upgrade. The new complex boasts more than 40,000 square feet for sales, service, and parts. Some of the highlights include a glass-enclosed showroom, a customer lounge featuring a Starbucks coffee and juice bar, a comfortable work area with WiFi service, and a large-screen TV.
The first Chevrolet prototype dealership in the Midwest is open at Jim Butler in Gravois Bluff Shopping Center in Fenton. It is one of four General Motors design-compliant dealerships in the United States that offer the look of Chevrolet dealerships for the next 20 years.
Steve Schmitt Inc. announced last week that it had closed Schmitt Chevrolet Buick Chrysler Dodge Jeep in Greenville in favor of expanding its Chevrolet Pontiac GMC dealership in Highland.
Michael Tyra, new sales associate with Autotech Service, and Holly Wood, owner of Autotech Service in Belleville, Ill., pose at the 16th annual Vision Hi-Tech Training & Expo. Tyra will be covering the eastern Missouri and southern Illinois territory.