Pictured are Wyatt-Johnson Auto Group salespeople Sonja Rohra, left, Shannon Moats, Morris Lancer, Josh Meeker, Dealer Principal Katherine Johnson Cannata, Assistant Sales Manager Curtis Nichols, Sales Manager James Conley, Dealer Principal Sid Johnson, GM Zone Manager Scott Maletesta, General Sales Manager Mike Polston, GM District Manager Tim Farmer and Salesman Doug Talent. The dealership was named the top-selling GMC-Buick dealership in 2010. / Contributed photo
Written by THOMYA JENKINS
The Wyatt-Johnson Automotive Group sold more Buick and GMC vehicles than anyone else in the state in 2010, making it the top Buick-GMC dealership in Tennessee.
The dealership won the award for the second consecutive year, outselling competitors in larger metropolitan areas like Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville.
Additionally, the group was the third-highest seller in the southeast region, which includes Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio and Indiana.
The recognition was based on new car sales.
Co-owner and Dealer Principal Katherine Johnson Cannata said the dealership's success is a direct reflection of the group's sales force. The local dealership was able to be best in the state and third in the region during a period of a slump in the automotive industry as a whole and during a deployment of the 101st Airborne Division.
"Our salespeople really paid and listened to every customer," she said. "We listened more, understood more and that enabled us to sell more."
Cannata also credits Clarksville as a whole for the dealership's success. She said the dealership offered competitive pricing on its inventory and has developed "great relationships" with banks to ensure financing for customers.
"We don't market outside the area much, but if someone comes to us, we do everything possible to get their business," she said.
Cannata said the dealership was very proud that it was able to outperform other dealerships in the state even though the 101st Airborne was deployed. The military, she said, makes up about 20 percent of the dealership's customer base.
"The market in Clarksville, even when the soldiers were gone, is more resilient. You have HSC, and the housing market didn't go down like other places, and Buick-GMC has some great products out," she said. "We have a lot of repeat customers. When someone buys a new car, we send them a survey, and I read their comments that they send back. It's phenomenal the number of customers who said they were happy they shopped with us and that their salesperson treated them respectfully.
"Clarksville is a pretty good place to do business."
Wyatt-Johnson offers Buick, GMC, Subaru, Hyundai and Mazda vehicles at 2425 Wilma Rudolph Blvd. and 2600 Wilma Rudolph Blvd.
Thomya Jenkins, 931-245-0248 Business Editor business@theleafchronicle.com
