O’Brien Auto Park in Urbana is slated to have a new owners in late 2015. Majority owner Joe O’Brien and president Jim Turner have agreed to sell the business to Napleton Automotive Group. While this is huge news for the company, Napleton is committed to continuing the legacy of O’Brien Auto Park in the community.
Turner will act as Executive Manage and, by all accounts, he and the Napleton group are committed to the current employees and will look to keep serving Champaign-Urbana in a positive way.
From the release:
Joseph D. O’Brien Jr. of Simpsonville, KY and formerly of Central IL, and Jim Turner of Champaign, Dealer Principals and Partners of O’Brien Auto Park, Urbana have announced that they have entered into an agreement to sell the auto dealership and surrounding property to Napleton Auto Group, based in Vestment, IL. The dealership will be called Napleton Auto Park, Urbana. The purchase, which will take approximately 4 months to complete, will expand the Napleton Market into Downstate Illinois. It currently includes 32 franchises in 15 different locations in four states; Illinois, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Missouri.
Jim Turner will take on the responsibilities of Executive Manager for the new Napleton Auto Park Urbana. “I am excited to be staying on and to be part of this impressive tam. I look forward to continuing to work with the current staff and serving our customers,” Turner said.
O’Brien and Turner opened Prospect Mitsubishi in 1990 and added the Hyundai franchise in 1991. The two purchased Shelby’s in Urbana in 1997 and consolidated all franchises in 2006 when the current dealership was opened on North Cunningham Avenue in Urbana. Auto brands sold at this location are Toyota, Hyundai, Kia, Volkswagen, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Scion.