Denton Weiss, General Manager, addressed Kiwanis on Thursday with insights into the launch and progress of Carmi’s new CDJR dealership.
Following Weiss’s introduction, he explained that CDJR, which stands for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram, took over the Jansen dealership just a few months ago. According to Weiss, all the wheels are turning for the better.
In discussing the team’s leadership, Weiss highlighted that the new owner, Moe Ihmoud, is a 27-year-old go-getter who has learned all aspects of the car dealership world: finance, management, sales, and more. He further explained that software systems have been updated to enable salesmen to track their customers and the services they will need in the near future. Illustrating customer service improvements, he noted that the dealership has even sold four Lamborghinis that were not physically on the lot, as customers can now request specific vehicles without inspecting them in person.
Continuing with operational details, Weiss shared that there are currently four salespeople on staff. He also stated that the dealership will have 50-60 new cars and 125 used cars on the lot.
Transitioning to recent challenges, Weiss shared a crazy story that happened during the recent snowstorm: 16 vehicles were stolen from an auction where the company bought its vehicles. Weiss explained that he went through all the hoops to try to recover all 16 through the company Sirius XM. They recovered 12; a thirteenth was found totaled, and the remaining two are still missing. Despite these challenges, CDJR, as Weiss stated, has made many positive changes under an owner who is very involved in the business and soon to be involved in the community of Carmi.
Shifting the focus to other Kiwanis activities, Jefferson Attendance Center principal Lacey Moore introduced five Bullpup MVPs, all third graders: Stella Hammond, Lydia Healy, Fisher Sisco, Axel Brown, and Wyatt McCormick.
Carmi Kiwanis meets every Thursday at noon at the Farm Bureau building.