Lee Hyundai bringing dealership to Goldsboro market
By Staff Reports
Published in News on January 30, 2011 1:50 AM
With plans to open in June, Lee Hyundai is moving to fill a void in Wayne County's automotive retail market.
"We had such good success with our Hyundai dealership in a military market in Fayetteville, that when the Hyundai point became in available in Goldsboro, we went after that point. We were very excited to have the opportunity to come into a similar market because we think it's a very good fit," said Sue Smith with marketing and management support for Lee Automotive Management, the parent company for Lee Hyundai of Goldsboro, as well as six other dealerships.
The Hyundai market opened in Goldsboro in March 2009 when Honda of Goldsboro and Hyundai of Goldsboro closed their doors.
Ms. Smith said the new dealership, which will be located on North Oak Forest Road across the street from Toyota of Goldsboro, will employee about 25 people when it opens, and will be comperable in size to Lee Automotive's other dealerships.
She explained that the original plan was to move into an existing facility for several years while building a new one, but that when a suitable one could not be found, they decided to move forward with the new facility.
Lee Automotive, which is owned by president John Lee and vice president Tim Varnell, was founded in 1953 and is based in Wilson.
The flagship dealership is Lee Motor Co., a Ford/Lincoln dealer in Wilson. Other dealerships include Lee Nissan in Wilson, Lee Hyundai in Fayetteville and Lee Kia in Greenville, as well as Kia dealerships in Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Ga., and part ownership of another in LaGrange, Ga.