By Roberto Hugo Gonzalez
As originally published by Texas Border Business newsprint edition March 2017.
Robert “Bob” Vackar is the president of Bert Ogden Auto Group in the Rio Grande Valley. He led the grand opening and ribbon cutting celebration together with his loyal team; Natasha del Barrio, Chief Administrative Officer, and Marsha Green, Marketing Director took part in the celebration. Agustin “Augie” Lozano, President of Public Relations, Bert Ogden Auto Group; and Johnny Rodriguez, Public Relations also helped to organize different activities in preparation and during the event.
An impressive crowd of excited customers and friends were present and participated in this grandiose celebration for Fiesta Nissan. Bob, welcomed everyone to the celebration; an occasion he had been looking forward to taking place. He said, “Janet couldn’t be here tonight; our grandchildren demanded it, and so that came first.” He conveyed Janet’s message and stated, “Tell everyone I wished I could be here and I wish them all the best.”
Bob pointed out that it was an excellent opportunity to be here in the City of Edinburg, thanking everyone present again. “I’ve been here since 2 o’clock, and I saw people come and go.” He said, “I am very proud of this building as well as thankful to everyone that helped to put it together like Green and Del Barrio; very influential people.”
In the meantime, guests were still coming into the building with a smile on their face; a sign that they were having fun. Food and refreshments were available to all to celebrate this grand occasion. Music in the parking lot and inside the building added the spark that complemented the celebration.
Food was served by professional vendors like Natural Born Grillers by Sergio Alvarado and Pronto Insurance Co., The music by Grupo Pelufo, Fuga Norteña, Nuevo Legado Serraño with Teresa Nieto, Grupo Nitro; Arrazadora Sonora, and the magnificent UTRGV Mariachi and Folklorico group.
But that is not all, this was such a special time, that Nissan corporate officers came to visit and be with Bob and Janet. They recognized the value of Bert Ogden Auto Group. Their brand has been a success in the hands of the Rio Grande Valley dealer. Bob said, “Nissan people are here tonight. Be nice to them.”
Fred DePerez, the Regional Vice President of the Central Region for Nissan said, “We are very excited to be here. We’ve had a relationship with Bert Ogden and Nissan since 1983. We’ve had a partnership with you Bob since 1990. Bob has sold more than 39,000 Nissans since 1990, a magnificent achievement.” He continued, “We’re proud of him not just for selling the cars but for what he does with the business school and everything that you do for the community is outstanding. We are honored to be your partners,” he stated in front a packed room of attendees. His comments were received with a big round of applause.
At the same time, members of three chambers of commerce were present. Waiting in line to hold their ribbon cutting ceremony; they were Edinburg Chamber, Hispanic Chamber, and the McAllen Chamber.
Before that ceremony could take place, the Nissan rep announced that he brought a gift for Bob and Janet, he called it “a token of appreciation” as he lifted the red cloth covering the surprise gift. He said that on behalf of Nissan, he was delivering a set of Samurai swords. He cautioned everyone by asking them to be careful, “These are real Samurai swords.”
He explained that the code of the Samurai is called the Bushido and a key element of the Bushido, is called Daisho, meaning ‘big and small’, a term referring to the matched pair of swords. The big sword is the Katana; (Wakizashi is the small one). “On behalf of Nissan we want to present you with your fighting sword… Thank you for all you do,” DePerez finalized.
The Bert Ogden Auto Group opened their largest facility to house their new Nissan dealership in Edinburg. More space enables the consolidation of accounting personnel of seven dealerships in one city. The facility is about 60,000 square feet of contemporary design and houses approximately 200 employees.
The new Fiesta Nissan dealership sits on a nine-acre tract of land that was once a cotton field. Fiesta Nissan dealership is now open at 5001 South Interstate 69C in Edinburg, Texas. TBB
