LaGrange’s Nissan dealership on New Franklin Road has new owners.
Paul Buch and Charles Oglesby bought the former Stogner Nissan on Friday and opened Monday as Nissan of LaGrange.
The two men are from Alabama and Georgia and jumped at the chance when the dealership became available.
“We’re right here on the Georgia-Alabama line and we like having a smaller store and the people that work here,” Buch said. “This is home for me and Charles.”
The two men have a combined 73 years in the auto sales business and Charles Oglesby was president and CEO of Asbury Automotive. Buch worked for Asbury Automotive for 11 years.
Michael Stogner, who owns LaGrange Toyota, had bought the dealership five months ago from Larry Rich, who retired from the auto sales business. It’s not known why the Nissan dealership was put up for sale and Stogner didn’t return a phone call from the Daily News.
Buch said the dealership will move within the month to the former Bill Johnson Motors building on Commerce Avenue. Eventually, the dealership will move to Lafayette Parkway, near where LaGrange Toyota, Mike Patton Auto and other dealerships now do business. Buch said they still are looking at potential properties to buy.
In the meantime, he plans to expand Nissan of LaGrange, and already has expanded the service department on the New Franklin Road site. The dealership has about 26 employees now and eventually will have 35 to 40 total employees. Everyone who worked at Stogner Nissan kept their job with Nissan of LaGrange.
“The new service department is three times as big,” said Jon Oglesby, Charles Oglesby’s son, who will serve as IT director and work on other projects for the dealership. “We will work on any model car and offer fair market pricing.”







GOOD LUCK
Andrea