Florida's Alan Jay group recovers All Pro fumble

Alan Jay Automotive Network, which has grown in Florida to 15 brands and 11 rooftops, branched out to the Detroit area in 2018, buying four dealerships, including two All Pro Nissan stores that abruptly closed last fall.

The All Pro Nissan stores — part of a dealership group owned by former NFL linebackers Antonio Pierce and Jessie Armstead and auto industry veteran Michael Saporito — closed after Nissan Motor Acceptance Corp. filed lawsuits against the owners in August. Nissan's captive finance company alleged the group failed to repay millions of dollars in floorplan loans after selling hundreds of vehicles.

The sudden closure of several All Pro stores spurred lawsuits from Nissan and Hyundai captive units. But it also opened the door for Alan Jay's northern expansion and a reunion of college friends.

Alan Jay closed on All Pro Nissan of Macomb in Clinton Township and All Pro Nissan of Dearbornon Dec. 27 and the stores reopened a day later, said Alan Jay Wildstein, CEO of the Sebring, Fla., automotive group. Financial terms were undisclosed.

The stores have been renamed Nissan of Macomb and Nissan of Dearborn, said Wildstein, who has been a dealer in Florida for 27 years, including two decades as a Nissan franchisee.

"Under new ownership" banners hang over the All Pro signs until new ones are delivered. Hiring is ramping up, computer systems are getting integrated and vehicle sales have started, Wildstein said.

"You can go in there today and get an oil change," he told Automotive News. "We're fully operational right now."

Wildstein, 51, said he joined with two friends he met in 1986 at Northwood University — Art White and Michael Witham — plus longtime employee James Lizotte to buy the four Michigan dealerships that include Nissan of Canton and Kia of Canton. Witham is chief operations officer and Lizotte is vice president of operations for Alan Jay Automotive. White, a former regional parts and service manager for Kia Motors America, is a partner and operator of the four Michigan stores.

"My partners and I are excited to be in the Michigan market," said Wildstein, a Miami native.

The first deal — to buy Kia of Canton from Bruce Genthe, president of Dick Genthe Chevrolet in Southgate, Mich. — was completed in August, White said.

Across the street was Nissan of Canton, owned by Paul Sabatini, dealer principal of Lincoln of Troy in Michigan. Wildstein said he inquired about a snowplow truck and ended up buying the store.

Wildstein said his dealership network in Florida has been successful because it has economies of scale, so he may seek more outlets around Detroit, too.

"We're still looking at opportunities to grow in the Michigan market," he said.

The deal for the All Pro stores started to come together over the summer, Wildstein and White said. White said the changes to the names, launching new websites and advertising slated to kick off this month will spur the ownership transition.

Customers so far have had positive things to say, White said.

"They're thrilled the stores have reopened," he said. "They like that they are under new ownership. We greet everyone with a smile."

Wildstein said some former All Pro Nissan employees have been rehired, and White said they are looking to add 10 to 20 employees per store, including sales staff and service advisers and technicians.

"We're adding them as we go each day," Wildstein said.

Nissan had been working to find new ownership for the stores. A few years ago, Nissan had touted the All Pro stores as part of its ambition to gain market share in the Detroit area.

"We are excited to have Mr. Wildstein expanding further in the Detroit markets," Nissan Group wrote in an emailed statement to Automotive News.

Nissan Group and Nissan Motor Acceptance Corp. declined to comment on how the purchase of the All Pro dealerships, including land and vehicle inventory, will impact the lawsuits Nissan Motor Acceptance Corp. filed against the stores' former owners in Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Saporito and lawyers representing the former All Pro ownership group did not respond to email messages.

The All Pro ownership trio also faces a lawsuit by Hyundai Capital America in Pennsylvania over allegations of selling vehicles without repaying floorplan loans, which are used to finance dealerships' inventory.

The ownership group has denied the allegations in the lawsuits. Kia and Nissan terminated franchises for Hazleton Nissan and Hazleton Kia in Hazle Township, Pa., and Hazleton Hyundai in Hazle Township also closed.

Hyundai Capital seeks to foreclose on Hazleton Kia and Hazleton Hyundai, though the ownership group in court filings Jan. 4 said it has a prospective buyer for the two dealerships and is asking the court to allow the sale to proceed, as it would include payment of outstanding funds on its mortgages.

Motors Holding Group, a company that formed last year and comprises seven domestic and Japanese automaker dealerships in the southeastern U.S., signed asset purchase agreements on Dec. 6 for Hazelton Hyundai and Hazelton Kia, according to court records.

In a letter submitted Jan. 4 as part of the foreclosure case, Gene Smith, managing director of Motors Holding Group, wrote that the company is aware of the dealerships' deficiencies and lawsuits.

"The dealerships that MHG has entered into APAs on have been researched thoroughly and we are fully aware of the status of each of the stores as well as the remedies available under state franchise law," Smith wrote.