There was a certain amount of money promised by GM to assist dealers to close (wind down assistance). GM decided on the amount and let me tell you, it was a fraction of what was actually required. Closing a business is not as easy as locking the door and walking away. This money was not compensation and it was just a p.r. ploy to make GM look like "good guys". Another ploy was to state in the press that they, GM, would consider letting terminated dealers open and purchase a new location. That would be like someone seizing your home(that was paid for in full)without paying you for it and then telling you that they will allow you to buy a new home somewhere else. With what? They used the press to cover their ass with this stuff and the press did not report the other side.
We were closing. That was it. What happens then? Should they try to keep the service department and used cars going? Our building was about 120,000 square feet with four floors. It was too big for that, especially when the economy was so depressed.
The charter school across Cass Ave., University Prep Elementary, had expressed interest at one time in purchasing our building but in 2009 said that they were not in a position to do so at the time. This was a charter school that Robert Thompson founded. He is the man who offered $200 Million to the city of Detroit to build charter schools and they didn't want it so he went ahead and built it all on his own. Kwame Kilpatrick could be seen picking up his children and sometimes strolled through the dealership before school got out. This was shortly before his family moved to Texas.
In past years, Wayne State University had voiced interest in buying our property. They owned the adjoining property to the south... an old abandoned building that is so environmentally contaminated, nothing has ever been able to be done with it. Randal Charlton, the director of Wayne State's Tech Town (technology research) project, was a familiar face at the dealership. He knew the situation and was interested in the building as the Tech Town building was running out of space. He approached Wayne State about the possibility of purchasing it.
Arbitration for terminated dealers was being talked about during the fall (President Obama signed the legislation December 16th, 2009). This would allow terminated dealers to make a case for reinstatement with GM or Chrysler. I have stated in an earlier blog that GM had cut of all communications with our dealership. We got much news about the situation in the same way the general public did... through the media. GM held a webinar(seminar) to tell terminated dealers some of the details of the process but there was one minor detail overlooked... GM didn't communicate to those dealers that there would be a webinar. We found out, after the fact, through our attorney and he heard about it through word of mouth.
Probably no conspiracy here... just incompetence on the part of GM.
So, GM would be required to give their reason for termination and the dealers could plead their case.
Dealers that were terminated after GM's bankruptcy filing were given no explanations for termination.
Now,once the dealer was notified, there was a 10 day window to file for arbitration. A requirement for the dealer was that it had to reopen in the same facility and not in a new location.
The National Automotive Dealers Association (NADA) had given us some information and they provided contact information where we could get questions answered by GM people.
There was VITAL MISINFORMATION given to us from GM themselves that led our family to not proceed with arbitration. Have you ever heard of financial intimidation?
Within weeks of the arbitration deadline passing, a GM employee emailed to say that the VITAL MISINFORMATION previously given was incorrect.
So sorry... so sad... too late... oh well.
Long pause to allow for remembering the disbelief, anger and frustration... Relying on this misinformation, signatures were written saying no to arbitration and by the time the misinformation was cleared up, the building had been sold, so there was no way to open up in the same location, stipulated as a requirement for reinstatement.
This seems a little back and forth and I apologize. I laid the background for the situation going on at the time of the closing.
The inventory was almost gone and in October, a date was decided on - Friday, November 20th. The employees were told right away. Blue Cross people came to answer questions about health care and the 401K people came to answer any questions. All employees stayed until the end.
Wayne State came through with an offer to buy the building. They were very gracious and said that we could stay in the building as long as we needed.
November 20th was a very gray and cloudy day.
Keith remembers getting dressed that morning and putting on his suit and he said that it felt like he was dressing for a funeral. It was like GM killed the dealership and what it meant for us... and we have to watch the killer go free... to move about freely and be applauded for its success while it tells everyone how great it is. Justice is never served for us.
Wouldn't we all be in good shape if someone wiped away our debts and gave us billions of dollars?
Keith said the day went by quickly with the focus being the "wake" at the end of the day. Former employees and some of their families, our family members who did not work at the dealership and many former customers and friends came by to say goodbye. It was all very emotional.Employees cleared out their belongings and put them in their vehicles. Several media outlets were present - tv, radio and newspaper people reporting ...
Keith spoke. Uncle Chuck spoke. They thanked everyone. They wished everyone well. There were tears and hugs as people said goodbye to each other. That part of the process was over.
I walked around the building with Jack as he took pictures. We walked all the floors, the ramps, the old-fashioned elevator and up to the rooftop. I was saying goodbye, I guess. This was the last time I was in the dealership.
On the rooftop, I looked in every direction, taking in the buildings that were so familiar like the Fisher Building, trying to commit it all to memory.
I could see where the Cadillac name had been painted over and only our name... Dalgleish, remained on the sign that was on the brick building facing the used car lot. That was one of GM's conditions for terminated dealers - any sign containing the name and the brand together had to be destroyed or painted over. All letterhead, envelopes, etc. with the words Dalgleish and Cadillac were to be destroyed.How could they! That was really hard on us.
I'd never been on the rooftop before. My boys used to enjoy going up there and throwing blocks through the windows of the abandoned building that adjoined ours. That sounds bad but boys like to do that sort of thing and what's the difference now anyway?
Our memories will always be complicated by a certain sadness. Even a happy memory... you may laugh as you retell it but it will always end the same way - with a tinge of sadness.
That building was as much a part of our lives as our home and the home I grew up in... the farm where my parents still live. I walk around our property, exploring it and visiting my favorite spots and there is just a feeling that goes along with ownership . It belongs to you. You have a right to be there, to walk around it... anywhere and at anytime. Not everyone has that right, but you do...
You have a connection with everything you see - this is where... and this was always here... this is where this happened. I will miss it so very much!
"How very lucky I am to have something that makes saying good-bye so hard."
