Ryan Ramey is hoping to corral a corner of the market in car sales and has prime location to begin his new business.
Lake City Motors will open for business Friday morning at the corner of Center Street and U.S. 30 in Warsaw.
The new business is settling into a renovated building formerly home to the Golden Corral restaurant, which closed several years ago.
Converting a restaurant into a car dealership might not sound like an ideal situation, but the building features plenty of windows, Ramey said.
Interior renovations include new offices and 6,000 square feet of new carpet, Ramey said.
The company will focus its sales on late model vehicles and brings with it a sales staff with plenty of experience, says Ramey, who co-owns the business with Chris Cummins.
Ramey, a Warsaw native who graduated with a marketing degree from Grace College in 2013, has eight years of experience in car sales.
Cummins has 30 years of experience in boat sales.
For Ramey, 26, the new business is a huge career goal.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to have a car dealership,” Ramey said. “I love cars. I like people. I like Warsaw a lot.”
The company will soon have an inventory of about 150 vehicles with a goal of having as many as 200 within a few months, he said.
Also opening Friday is the Lake City Motors Service Center, located a block away in the old Midas car repair building along U.S. 30 just to the east of the sales center.
The service center will be open to the public and offer full service repairs and detailing, Ramey said.
The car dealership will have a staff of about 14 people, including six sales people, he said.
The sales staff has plenty of experience.
“These guys have all been in the business for a long time,” Ramey said. “I want our sales staff to be able to help people all the way through the process.”
His goal is to provide customers with a selection of quality vehicles to choose from and a friendly staff to help make that happen.
“I’m giving everyone in here the tools and the power they need to be successful and treat people the right way,” he said.
Lake City Motors will open at 9 a.m. Friday and will be open Monday through Saturday. To learn more, call 574-267-5454.
