Rusty Wallace Ford to build new facility in Dandridge - Knoxville News Sentinel
Groundbreaking is set for Friday on the new location of Rusty Wallace Ford off Interstate 40 in Dandridge, where it will be moving from its current Newport site in late spring, dealer principal Greg VonCannon said Tuesday. “We’re real excited about the opportunity to do this,” VonCannon said. The new $4 million facility will have nearly 20,000 square feet of floor space, and will sit on a nearly 5 acre parcel bordering Interstate 40 at Exit 417, at 134 Sharon Drive, VonCannon said. It’s just 15 miles from the current store, which is off Exit 432. Rusty Wallace Ford now has about 25 employees, but will “go to 30 to 35 pretty quickly, and 50-plus at some point in the future,” he said. The old store and property will eventually be put up for sale, VonCannon said. Other Rusty Wallace dealerships in the Knoxville area include Toyota, Cadillac, GMC and Kia stores in Morristown. and the recently acquired former Fox Chevrolet store in Clinton, VonCannon said. “Our plans are to open two to three more dealerships in the Knoxville area over the next couple of years, with Hyundai probably next,” he said. In an unrelated transaction, mega-national car dealer AutoNation said Tuesday that it is acquiring the Carl Gregory dealerships in Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama, including the Carl Gregory Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram and Fiat stores in Johnson City. Source: www.knoxnews.com
