Petersens acquire Neuville Chrysler

By Robert Cloud

After more than eight years at Neuville Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram, Todd Petersen will be taking the dealership over from Tim Neuville.

Todd and his brother Mark Petersen will be partners in the business beginning Jan. 3, 2017.

Together, they bring more than two decades of experience in automotive retail management.

“We’ve been talking about owning a dealership together since college,” Todd said.

“I learned everything I could at a large dealership in the Chicago suburbs and Todd did what he could here in Waupaca to get his foot in the door and get things started,” Mark said.

Todd Petersen first started washing cars for the Chrysler dealer in 1996. He was 16 years old.

He is a 1998 graduate of Waupaca High School and a 2002 graduate of Northwood University in Midland, Michigan.

In 2005, Todd began working as the finance manager for Waupaca Motor Sales, which was owned by John and Eric Sprindt.

In April 2008, Neuville acquired the dealership from the Sprindts and Petersen remained the finance manager at the Royalton Street auto business.

Petersen became the general manager in January 2013.

Mark Petersen graduated from Waupaca High School in 1996 and from Northwood University in 2000.

For the past 16 years, Mark has been working at a Honda dealership in the west suburbs of Chicago, first in sales, then as a manager.

“We are very fortunate and very excited for this opportunity to work in our hometown,” Todd said.

“My dad was the third generation in real estate. We’re the first generation in auto sales,” Mark said.

The dealership has 23 full-time employees and seven part-time employees. It also offers a full-service repair and maintenance shop with ASE and Chrysler certified technicians.