Max Jacobs is the third generation of his family to work at his family business. He is the creative marketing/ social media administrator for the group of car dealerships that carry the Bill Jacobs name, including Bill Jacobs Chevrolet. He and his three brothers all work for the family business in some capacity. But it is his mother, Linda Jacobs, who is at the helm of the family business and her lifetime friend Cynthia Thrall serves as the president.
The women who are at the helm at Bill Jacobs have an entire Women of Bill Jacobs section on the Bill Jacobs Web site.
Dennis Wolff is a Joliet resident who has worked at Bill Jacobs since 1982. He has seen the business change over the years in every way, from the "technology of the automobile to the strategy of selling."
"They want to do everything the right way," Wolff said of the woman who are running the business. "It's about being ethical and serving the community."
Linda Jacobs took over the business in 2010 when her husband, Bill Jacobs, Jr. passed away.
"When dad passed away, a lot of people were not sure what was going to happen," Max Jacobs said.
The first Bill Jacobs dealer opened in 1955 on Chicago Street.
"In those days, it was like a destination to buy all your cars," Max Jacobs said.
Back then, it was Bill Jacobs Chevrolet. In 1967, the dealership moved to its current Jefferson Street location.
In the next few years, they plan to honor Bill Jacobs Jr. in a very car-related way.
"We're one of the biggest Corvette dealers in the midwest," Jacobs said.
They plan to renovate the back of the location that faces Jefferson Street and make it into a Corvette-themed showroom that can house community functions. They plan to call it Bill's Garage.
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