Tony Petro always had an affinity for the car business, an industry that his father, Eddie, who started selling cars in 1968, also loved. On Sept. 14, 1990, Eddie took over the Nissan store on North Main Street in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and Petro Nissan was founded. Back then, the most popular and successful dealerships were situated on the three-block stretch known as Automotive Row. The Petro Nissan store was located just outside of that area, so Eddie ended up acquiring an Oldsmobile store so he could make the move to Automotive Row. 

In the 1960s, Jerome Ryan of Ryan Chevrolet was the first dealer to open shop on Automotive Row and subsequently enticed other dealers to follow suit. Eddie wanted to have the same influence, and in 1996, he decided to relocate his dealership and create a new Automotive Row in West Hattiesburg on Highway 98. “We moved out there on Labor Day of 1996, and we were the only game in town,” Tony said. “You could look in any direction and there was nothing but pine trees. The cars would come by at speeds of 70 to 80 miles per hour, so we built a large storefront to attract the attention of passersby.” Now, 35 years later, Petro Nissan is as prosperous as ever, and all but two dealerships have moved to the new Automobile Row. Eddie definitely achieved what he set out to do. 

Over the years, Petro Nissan has retailed over 60,000 new and pre-owned vehicles. Eddie had started from nothing and made the dealership the success it is through hard work and dedication to his employees and customers. Tony took over the store in the early 2000s and has carried on his father’s legacy.

“It’s all about the employees. If you take care of them, they will take care of the customers,” Tony said. “And when we don’t get things right, we step up to the plate, take responsibility for our shortcomings and make it right.” That kind of thinking has empowered employees and created loyalty and trust with customers, many of whom are repeat customers who continue to buy their next new car from Petro Nissan. 

Other dealerships may have been around for as long as Petro Nissan, but Petro Nissan is one of only two that have remained in operation for over 20 years with the same ownership. Tony is now semi-retired and is training his nephew, Logan Dukette, as the general manager and one day to be the new owner of Petro Nissan. The dealership will continue its legacy of being family-run for years to come. 

With their name on the front of the store, the Petro family strives to maintain the positive reputation that they have cultivated over the many years in business. The family lives down the street from the dealership, and all of them have helped run it — from Tony’s children to Logan’s sisters. 

The secret to success has been to strengthen their one, single-point store. They are not part of a larger auto group, so they can put all of their focus into making sure the one store is running smoothly. “Nothing is being overlooked or shoved to the side as ‘not a big deal.’ Any problem that we have when it comes to our customers or employees, we don’t take lightly,” Logan said. “With these bigger dealer groups, you can become just a number to them. The executives and CEOs may walk through and not know anybody at the dealership. But Tony or I could walk through our store and know every employee by first and last name. We probably know their wife and kids. A lot of other places lose that aspect, and to me, that’s a big deal.”

The outstanding sales of new and certified pre-owned vehicles, along with their customer satisfaction and retention, are just a few of the reasons why Petro Nissan received the Nissan Award of Excellence during their 35-year anniversary celebration.

As part of the 35-year celebration, they had t-shirts custom made to hand out. Needless to say, they were a big hit and were gone so fast that one had to be hidden for Tony to keep. A repeat customer, who had purchased 13 cars from Petro Nissan over the years, called Tony on his cell phone and said he was disappointed that he didn’t get one of the shirts. Tony said, “Well, I got one left. It was hidden for me, but you’re the kind of customer who has kept us in business for all these years. You can have my shirt.”

When asked about their plans for the future, Tony responded, “We’re just going to keep doing what we’ve been doing. At the celebration, we thanked all our employees who have come and gone and thanked our customers because they all had a hand in our success over these 35 years.”

Tony and Logan both emphasized that they will not be selling the dealership anytime soon. Logan said, “This defines the Petro family. I’ll be doing this until I’m 65 years old.” They see many generations down the line continuing to uphold the values that Petro Nissan has fostered with their employees, customers and community.

Congratulations, Petro Nissan, on this incredible milestone, and we wish you many more years of continued success!