Desert 215 Superstore celebrates grand opening

Desert 215 Superstore Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram — Southern Nevada’s newest automobile dealership — celebrated its grand opening March 31 in the southwest valley.

Situated off of the 215 Beltway between Buffalo and Durango drives, the impressive layout encompasses 15 acres. The grand opening attracted hundreds of people, including entertainer Wayne Newton, County Commissioner Steve Sisolak, State Sen. Michael Roberson, Opportunity Village President and CEO Bob Brown, UNLV football coach Tony Sanchez and several Chrysler Corp. executives.

The throng of visitors all agreed that the dealership was perfectly situated in the fastest-growing segment of Southern Nevada. It is yet another example that the economy has officially recovered from its downturn that started in 2008-09.

Sisolak praised the new dealership along with its principal, John Grant.

“John is an excellent addition to this community,” said Sisolak, who chairs the Clark County Commission. “We can’t say enough about him and what he has done here.”

Sisolak said Grant’s efforts have led to additional jobs. Grant also committed to helping Opportunity Village.

“He jumped in head-first,” Sisolak said. “He didn’t just put his toe in the water.”

According to the country commissioner, the dealership is yet another example of how the economy has turned around here.

“To build this one from the ground up has been great,” Sisolak said of the $20 million facility. “I have had three brand-new dealerships open up in the last 12 months. Rather than keeping cars longer nowadays, people are buying new ones — and that’s a great thing.”

With the University of Nevada, Las Vegas cheerleaders and Sanchez in the audience, Grant also said the company would be helping the UNLV athletic program.

Grant was praised by Brown, who said the man is one of Opportunity Village’s biggest supporters.

“I have known John since he came to town and opened his first dealership on West Sahara,” said Brown. “He’s absolutely 100 percent sincere, and we really appreciate him. He helps us financially, brings donors to us and sells our products in his dealerships.

“He’s the real deal.”

In its first month of operations, Desert 215 Superstore recorded strong figures in sales, service and parts, according to dealership General Manager Kevin Grant.

“We sold 200-plus vehicles the first month without the reader board sign out front and without about half of our inventory that we should be carrying,” Grant said. “Our goal is to be in the top five Dodge Chrysler Ram Jeep dealers in the country in 36 months.

“We found the property and the dealership was concluded in 5½ months. Boyd Martin Construction was unbelievable and they got us in ahead of schedule.”

An additional five acres adjacent to the dealership will be utilized for a state-of-the-art body shop and a parking garage.

The dealership’s sales staff includes Scott Reber, a former Brigham Young University fullback who rose to become one of the top-producing Chrysler sales consultants in the country.

In fact, Reber is so enthusiastic about the new dealership that he returned from Southern California to join the staff.

“Everything here is state-of-the-art,” said Reber, a 40-year veteran of the car business. “The real key to this dealership is it’s owned and operated by John Grant and family, who are all involved. They all have one thing in mind and that would be customer service, no-hassle pricing and no commissioned sales people.

“This is a relatively new sales concept for Southern Nevada. The vehicles are priced so well that there really is no haggling. People really should visit this dealership for themselves.”

Reber owns a ranch in Southern Utah and flies back and forth to work several times each week.

“I wouldn’t work anywhere else,” he said. “I get to fly and sell cars every day, and it doesn’t’ get any better than that. A person can actually come to work here and make a decent living while also providing an excellent car deal.”

Further information regarding the dealership can be found by calling 702-963-8000 or by visiting www.desert215.com.