I will be the first to venture on this blog. My name is Kristen Napleton. I am new to the Napleton Fleet Group, but I have been in the auto business my whole life. My family's story is something we are all very proud of and I wanted to share a quick snapshot of that story. This picture is where much of our family's story came from, 119th and Vincennes in Chicago.
My Great-Grandfather, Edward W. Napleton, entered into the auto business in the 1930s. He had a gas station on Chicago's south side that he turned into a Buick Service Center. De Soto was the first franchise he had where he could sell cars, not just service them. When De Soto announced they were going out of business, Edward and, my grandfather, Fran quickly turned to Chrysler Plymouth as their successor franchises. Fran worked very hard at building his clientele and reputation. Fran's 8 children all worked at the store. Eventually 6 of the 8 went into the auto business. My Great-grandfather could have never imagined that his small gas station would have turned into a national group with 54 stores amongst his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. (I'll quit now....I won't bore you with every detail right from the start, even though I could :))
I have worked full time on the retail side of the car business for the past 10 years. South Florida was where I spent a lot of those years. After having 2 kids, my husband and I decided to move back north to the Chicago area to be closer to family. And that is when I joined Rick Nicoletti and his incredible team at the Napleton Fleet Group. So for me, all of this is a new experience, not just the blog! It has been great so far and I am learning EVERY day!
All of us here will keep you posted as we go! Feel free to let us know what you think!
