Pub. 2 2024 Issue 1

On Friday, Jan. 19., Kia of McComb celebrated the grand opening of its newly built store. Conveniently located just off U.S. Highway 98, Owner Lock McNatt, General Manager Tony Lamoureux and the entire Kia team welcomed community leaders and longtime customers to help celebrate the much-anticipated occasion. Since March 2003, Kia of McComb has worked hard and built a loyal customer base from a 10,000-square-foot store that was built in the 1960s. But the business had outgrown the location, and when the Kia 2.0 Gallery design was introduced, Lock, with the help of Tony, decided that it was time to build a new store. Tony took the reins, and in addition to managing the old store, he met with the developer and contractor on a daily basis to get the new store up and running. “This is a store that we can be really proud of and something that Tony and I can both be involved in for the next 20-plus years,” said Lock. Kia of McComb is the fourth dealership in the country to be built under the new Kia 2.0 Gallery design. The new 20,000-square-foot dealership incorporates all elements of Kia’s rebranding overhaul that began in 2021. From the open, airy showroom and thoughtful amenities to the 12-bay service department to the friendly and knowledgeable staff, Kia of McComb truly embodies the new Kia slogan: Movement that inspires. “The service department has always been one of our strong points and has a long track record of customer satisfaction scores,” Tony said. The new facility is fully equipped and ready for the customer of tomorrow. Whether it be a traditional ICE vehicle or an EV, Kia of McComb is ready to handle any service needs that might come up — from routine to the unexpected. In fact, Kia of McComb has three master Kia technicians, which is a lot compared to other stores. If you ask Lock or Tony about their employees, they are eager to talk about the great team that they have. “We have salespeople, some of our sales managers, a service manager, warranty administrator and three technicians that have been here for 15‑20 years and our Comptroller, Ann Burr, has also been with the company since the purchase of the original the store in 2003,” Tony said. “Everybody wants to say they have a family environment, but when you have employees stick around for that length of time and you’ve gotten to know them, it really becomes a family atmosphere.” In appreciation of the loyal employees, Lock made sure working conditions in the new facility would be well above industry standards. “We decided to air condition and heat the shop. Summers get pretty hot here in Mississippi and I think that air conditioning is going to be nice come summer,” Lock said. With the opening of the new store, more employees were needed. The team has grown from 30 employees to 35, and in the near future, with a fully staffed team, Kia of McComb will employ 40 people. Kia of McComb is looking forward to serving Pike County and its neighboring communities from the new state-of-the-art facility. Their commitment to providing a family-oriented and professional experience to customers is second to none. Congratulations to Kia of McComb! Here’s to many more years of excellence and success. 15

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