THE Rosconi family name will disappear from the Bathurst business community when their William Street car yard changes hands on Friday.
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Rosconi Mazda – a local family business dating back more than 70 years – will be rebranded Bathurst Mazda after the business was sold to the Orange-based John Davis group.
Mr Davis will take over the running of the business as dealer principal with his daughter Cassandra Perkins to be general manager, putting her in direct competition with her brother Ben who runs John Davis Mazda in Orange.
Mr Davis said most existing Rosconi staff would keep their jobs under the new ownership and the business sale had been settled after four months of negotiations.
“John Davis Mazda hasn’t been in business as long as Rosconi but we have always loved this area and have long been aware that the Bathurst, Oberon, Mudgee and Lithgow areas are very complementary to our Orange dealership and there is a lot of commonality between Bathurst and Orange, but they will be two totally different dealerships,” he said.
“We have always had a good relationship with Rosconi Mazda over the years and [former principals] Heather and David have put their life and soul into the motor industry, and the Bathurst community. I would hope that we could continue to grow this business.”
Mr Davis said the Rosconis were leaving behind a legacy of trust and respect in the business community but he was looking forward to new owners bringing new ideas to the business.
“With every business you need to have a program of renewal and we are hoping we can bring in some younger people and some new ideas,” he said.
“The fact is, you can become too embedded in a business but this is a young person’s game at the present time.”
Mr Davis, who also serves as mayor on Orange City Council, said he planned for Ms Perkins to take over from him as the Bathurst dealer principal within 12 months as he looked to leave the business altogether.
“I would love to be in a position in 12 months for someone to come along to me and say, ‘You’ve done a good job, it’s time to stay at home’,” he said.
Heather Rosconi said her husband David had been in the family business for 54 years and was looking forward to retirement.
“In the end, it was not a difficult decision,” Mrs Rosconi said.
“It was quite serendipitous – we went overseas last year and were thinking about it and when we got back there were a few offers waiting for us.”
Mrs Rosconi said the family had been proud to serve the Bathurst community for more than 70 years and was sure that service would continue.
