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Article: Rural dealers stand tall amid downturn.(NEWS)
- Article from:
- Automotive News
- Article date:
- March 9, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 Crain Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Robert Sherefkin
Steve Henderson's small dealership amid the grasslands of Nebraska should be struggling. Alexander Motors Inc. sits in Superior as the only Chevrolet outlet within 200 square miles in south-central Nebraska. The area is so lightly populated that today it meets the 19th century definition of a frontier territory: an area with six or fewer people per square mile.
From Henderson's south-facing showroom window, a visitor can see the rolling hills of Kansas, a mile down the road. Every direction here points to an ebbing population.
Yet Henderson, who also handles Buick and Pontiac, operates in a pocket of prosperity. ...