Hawk becomes biggest car dealer in Joliet

JOLIET – Hawk Auto Group has become the biggest car dealership in Joliet.

The Hawk acquisition of four Bill Jacobs new car franchises was completed Friday, giving the auto group five car brands and three locations, all on Jefferson Street.

The acquisition marks the end of an era, with the Bill Jacobs name disappearing from the Joliet landscape after more than a half-century of new car dealerships. And it marks the beginning of a new one.

Hawk Auto Group arrived in Joliet in December with the acquisition of the former D'Arcy Volkswagen dealership on Jefferson Street. It also now has Chevrolet, Cadillac, Mazda and Subaru following the Bill Jacobs deal.

John Crane, president and part owner of Hawk, said the company's move into Joliet was "by design. This is a great market. Joliet is a big small town in some ways. In another way, it's a big city and the center of Will County."

The sale of Bill Jacobs dealerships included the Kia brand going to Scott Falcone, owner of New World Hyundai in Matteson. The Joliet dealership now is New World Kia.

Hawk has moved Subaru away from the Jefferson Street location it formerly shared with Kia under Bill Jacobs ownership. Subaru now is located at 2200 W. Jefferson St., where a former auto parts store was remodeled for the showroom.

Crane said the company plans to build new facilities for Subaru and Mazda.

Mazda will eventually move to 2200 W. Jefferson St., which Hawk plans to expand with the acquisition of neighboring property to the west.

Hawk not only is making a big investment in Joliet, but in Jefferson Street, the traditional car row that Bill Jacobs pioneered when he moved the Chevrolet dealership to the current location from downtown.

Crane said Subaru encouraged him to move that dealership to Route 59. But he preferred staying on Jefferson Street because of its proximity to Interstate 80 and accessibility to customers farther east.

"The traffic count is very stable on Jefferson Street," he said.

Jefferson Street in Joliet is not the car row it once was, with the splintering of dealerships to other locations. But even when Tirapelli Ford and Tyson Motors moved west to Shorewood, they stayed on Jefferson Street.

"Jefferson Street keeps rebuilding itself," said James Haller, community and economic development director for the City of Joliet. "It keeps adapting to market conditions."

Haller said the car dealerships provide stability to Jefferson Street.

While Terry D'Arcy sold the Volkswagen dealership, he still has a Hyundai dealership on Jefferson Street. D'Arcy's Buick-GMC dealership is on Essington Road.