Courtesy Chevrolet--last GM dealer in Ontonagon County

ONTONAGON -- They've been fixing and selling cars in Ontonagon for the past 75 years.  In the past five years, they've done five million dollars worth of business.  And most residents in the town of nearly 2,000 consider Courtesy Chevrolet a mainstay.  So, losing the GM franchise, which averages 15 cars on the lot, could affect more than just their customers.

The Chevy, Buick, Pontiac dealer donates thousands of dollars every year to community events.

"We do donations to different causes," said General Manager, Scott Roehm.  "A lot of that will go away.  We do support different events in the community."

Plus the company spends money at parts stores, downtown restaurants and shops, and uses the local banks to finance used car loans.  They service half of the patrol vehicles at the Ontonagon County Sherriff's Department, which were also purchased through the dealer.

"We like to take and purchase locally," said Ontonagon County Sheriff John Gravier.  "We have two dealerships in the county; one is at Big Valley Ford in Ewen and the other is Courtesy.

Owner Jim Brogan said he and his wife plan to keep the car company open in Ontonagon as long as they can, even if they aren't a GM dealer.

According to Brogan, GM  might stop honoring warranties and rebates given by Courtesy as part of a new agreement with dealers they plan to cut off.  And that would mean Courtesy would be out half a million dollars by December.  They're still being forced to pay for new vehicles, like a Chevy Equinox, which was delivered last Friday.

"We have two more that are coming that we have to pay for," Brogan said.  'But we will probably no longer be a GM dealer, so it's confusing to all of us."

Still, even when GM does cut ties with Courtesy, they hope to remain open, maybe as a used car dealer.