The Sonju Story Twist of Fate by Zuzana Friedt
Throughout the years along the North Shore of Lake Superior, a car dealership called Sonju has been working hard every day to provide its customers with as many options as possible when shopping for a new car. In part one of the “Twist of Fate”, The Sonju Story, we will turn the clock back to 2007 and the beginning of the recession.
One by one, companies were in trouble. First, it was the banks and mortgage companies, then the retailers, and then the automakers. First Chrysler Corporation declared bankruptcy, then General Motors, followed by a government bailout of both. Then on August 6th, 2010 when Keith McKinzie, owner of Sonju Superstore came in to work, a certified letter was waiting for him from Chrysler. They were canceling the dealership agreement with Sonju along with 788 other dealerships nationwide. Keith was devastated. Chrysler was making desperate decisions with little regard for the customers driving their product. All the years of hard work building the Chrysler brand would be lost and the thousands of Chrysler customers served by Sonju were now to be orphaned.
It was something Keith could not let happen. So, Keith began by hiring the best attorneys, calling everyone he knew in the Chrysler “Top Brass”, and flying to Detroit for meeting after meeting. During all of this Sonju Superstore continued to serve customers and Keith continued to grow the dealership, but he believed there was something more he could do…..something really BIG that would bring Chrysler back and solidify Ford, Chevrolet and Buick as well. What if Keith combined all the brands on the same piece property? At that time Ford was located 5 miles south of Two Harbors and Chevrolet and Buick were in town. Could it be done? Chrysler, Ford, Chevrolet, and Buick NEW vehicles sold side by side on the same lot? How Keith started down that road in the part two of “Twist of Fate”….. To read the original blog post on the Sonju Motors website click here.
