DeCosky sells family dealership supported by Tim Lamb Group

DeCosky GM to change hands

By Allison Glass Mount Vernon News December 5, 2018

A Mount Vernon institution will change over to new management Dec. 10, when John DeCosky officially enters retirement. The new owners will not be released until Dec. 10, according to son and sales manager, Michael DeCosky.

The DeCoskys have been in the automobile business since 1984, according to Michael, when John opened up his Pontiac and Buick dealership in downtown Mount Vernon.

Six years later, in 1990, the family moved to their current location at 510 Harcourt Road, which saw them acquire selling capabilities for Cadillac, GMC, Chevrolet and Oldsmobile, in addition to Pontiac and Buick.

“It’s absolutely a family business,” Michael said. “The employees were my mom [Jane], my sister Courtney, my brother Jason. And even the current employees, they have all been with us for over 20 years.”

The extended family atmosphere that has been carefully cultivated at DeCosky GM will continue after the dealership changes hands, Michael said, who will be staying on in his father’s absence at the dealership.

“Everybody will try to stay on,” Michael said. “I can’t speak for everyone, but the change won’t change that.”

The biggest driving force behind the sale of the dealership was John’s advancing age, Michael explained.

“My dad’s getting older, he always knew at some point he would have to get out and now he’s ready to retire,” Michael said. “He’ll be 69 in February. And he’s the type of guy, he definitely wasn’t an absentee owner, he was here every day. He couldn’t go off and play golf for a couple of weeks and check in, he had to be here.”

John has been working on his retirement plan from the dealership for a few years, Michael said, and knew at some point it would be a good time.

This decision was made easier by the new owner’s customer and community friendly record, Michael said.

“I think it’ll be a great fit for us,” Michael said. “Good for the employees and good for the community, because they will invest back in the community, which is what they have done in every other community they are a part of. They are customer satisfaction driven with a customer first mentality. I think it will be great.”

The name of the new owners will not be released by DeCosky until Dec. 10, he said, and he could not provide the amount the dealership was sold for. The Knox County Recorder’s Office did not have records as of press time.

As of yet, the DeCoskys have no big retirement plans, but Michael explained that he hopes that it includes some traveling for his parents, John and Jane.

“I think he preached and lived by honesty and hard work,” Michael said. “He preached to shop local and he lived by it, and to give back to the community, and he definitely practiced what he preached.”