A longtime family-owned Galesburg car dealership is under new ownership.
Galesburg Nissan is now Nissan of Galesburg after Rik Fregia and his family purchased the business this week from Jeff Klinck. Klinck has owned Galesburg Nissan, 2080 N. Henderson St., since 1996.
The Fregia family own two car dealerships in Danville and the surrounding area. This will be their first Nissan dealership. In Danville, Fregia’s Courtesy Auto Group sells Ford, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram.
Klinck, a Galesburg native who joined his father K.G. Klinck in the car business in 1992, said he was not looking to sell Galesburg Nissan until approached about a year ago.
“Actually, I was approached about selling the dealership about a year ago,” Klinck said. “I really wasn’t considering selling, but there’s a wave of it going on in the industry. It was a tough decision, but it was either get bigger or get out of the way.
“These guys are such a nice fit. They are a small, family operation that’s not one of the big conglomerates. They seemed like the best fit for me, my team, all of our customers and for the Galesburg community. They are very, very community oriented.”
Klinck added, “They’ll definitely grow the dealership. They have a proven track record.”
Asked why he thought Galesburg Nissan was an attractive store for a buyer, Klinck said, “We’re a top performing store in a smaller market, type of operation buyers were looking for.”
Rik Fregia will move to Galesburg and be president of Nissan of Galesburg. His father Ray Fregia started the family in the car business and his brother Ray Jr. operates the stores in Danville.
“Galesburg is very similar to Danville in terms of population and demographics,” Fregia said. “And Nissan is a great brand.
“Then we talked to Jeff, and he’s just a great person. He told us about his staff, and that sold us.”
Fregia said Nissan of Galesburg will continue to offer lifetime warranties.
New owner plans to expand used car inventory
Besides the slight name change from Galesburg Nissan to Nissan of Galesburg, Fregia said the biggest change at the Galesburg dealership will be an expanded selection of used cars.
“About the only difference people will see is more used car and more selection,” he said.
“There is a big opportunity in used vehicles, and we’re going to be a major player in that field.”
Fregia said his family’s recipes for success in the car business is simple.
“We’re old fashioned — we get to work early, and leave late,” he said. “We just grind. My dad set an example of how to do, and we just follow that. There’s no secret sauce. The car business isn’t rocket science — you just get up and work hard.”
Klinck, who recently turned 60, said he and his wife Amy will continue to live in Elmwood. He joked that since giving up the dealership, he’s had to buy personal car insurance and two new cars for the first time since 1992.
He said he will miss some parts of the car business.
“I’ll definitely miss the customers and our great staff,” Klinck said. “The staff is what made us successful.”