dealership spotlight / service Daryl K. Tabor
The Will to Survive Witt Buick Lives to Celebrate 100 Years
Y
ou can't fight city hall. Just don't tell Jan Witt that, because she
did in an effort to keep the family's western Michigan Buick dealership.
Actually, Witt went beyond city hallall the way to Capitol Hill—in order to see the family business through to celebrate its 100th anniversary earlier this year. She had to go toe-to- toe with federal legislators
mandating a General Motors Co. downsizing plan in early 2009 after the government acquired a majority share of the auto giant in an almost- $50-billion bailout. That determination to preserve Witt Buick is simply the latest show of resolve that has kept the store alive in the center of Muskegon, Mich., since 1912.
"We're very proud of the heritage here," said Witt,
third-generation owner of the dealership whose son and daughter are also involved at the business and are poised to continue the family legacy. Witt was thrust into sole ownership after her husband, Lee, died in late 2010 at the age of 71. The couple was preceded in ownership by Lee's father, Frank Witt, and grandfather, Charlie Witt, who from humble beginnings to- gether founded what would
become the family's livelihood over the next century. "The Witt family began with renting horses and carriages," Jan Witt said.
Sometime during 1912, how- ever, the family turned from horses to the horsepower of Hudson Motor Car Co., selling the early American au- tomaker's brand for almost three decades. The Witt deal- ership sold now-legendary
Witt Buick in Muskegon, Mich., celebrated its 100th anniversary earlier this year. The dealership started as a Hudson Motor Car Co. retailer until the waning days of the Great Depression when it became a Buick dealership. Pictured above is the current staff at the small, midtown store.
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