Celozzi-Ettleson Chevrolet was a

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...

dealership located in

Elmhurst, Illinois Elmhurst is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage and Cook County, Illinois, Cook counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is a western suburb of Chicago. The population was 45,786 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History M ...

. Advertised that it was the "#1 Chevy dealer in the nation", it was owned by Nick Celozzi and Maury Ettleson and operated at the corner of York and

Roosevelt Roosevelt most often refers to two American presidents: * Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919, president 1901–1909), 26th president of the United States * Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945, president 1933–death), 32nd president of the United State ...

roads from February 1968 to October 2000. Well known for its local TV commercials featuring the owners displaying a large amount of cash in hand and advertising the dealership as the place "Where you always save more money," the dealership was originally Zepalack Chevrolet, and the actual address was 155 E. Roosevelt Road, although there was no direct access to the dealership from

Roosevelt Road Roosevelt Road (originally named 12th Street) is a major east-west street in the city of Chicago, Illinois, and its western suburbs. It is 1200 South in the city's street numbering system, but only south of Madison Street. It runs under t ...

. In its heyday, the dealership spent $1 million a year on television ads. Its

commercials A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...

have been noted by the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' as memorable for all who grew up with them. The duo became so famous that they even starred in commercials advertising other products, including

Bud Light Anheuser-Busch, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, is the largest brewing company in the United States, with a market share of 45 percent in 2016. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and nearly 20 in oth ...

and

Pizza Hut Pizza Hut, LLC is an American multinational pizza restaurant chain and international franchise founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas, by brothers Dan and Frank Carney. The chain, headquartered in Plano, Texas, operates 19,866 restaurants worldw ...

(revising their tagline to say "Where you always get great

pepperoni Pepperoni is an American variety of spicy salami made from cured pork and beef seasoned with paprika and chili peppers. Before cooking, pepperoni is characteristically soft, slightly smoky, and bright red. Sliced pepperoni is one of the ...

!") Celozzi and Ettleson sold the dealership and parted ways in 2000. Gabor Bushy, who was the owner of Suburban

Buick Buick () is a division (business), division of the Automotive industry in the United States, American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American automobil ...

in nearby

Wheaton, Illinois Wheaton is a city in and the county seat of DuPage County, Illinois, United States. It is located in Milton and Winfield Townships, approximately west of Chicago. As of the 2020 census, Wheaton's population was 53,970, making it the 27th-mos ...

, purchased the dealership and renamed it Elmhurst Chevrolet. Several years later, the dealership relocated farther west on Roosevelt Road and became Villa Park Chevrolet (currently Castle Chevrolet of Villa Park). The building that was "Hard to find, but tough to beat" has since been demolished. Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare has built a major medical center there to replace the current Elmhurst Memorial Hospital. The site was annexed into Elmhurst, Illinois on March 3, 2008. Ettleson currently owns Ettleson Cadillac-Buick-GMC and Ettleson Hyundai in Hodgkins with his son Michael Ettleson. Celozzi owned Celozzi Ford and Celozzi Chrysler in

Waukegan Waukegan ( ) is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located north of Chicago, Waukegan is a satellite city within the greater Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its popu ...

until 2003, when he was forced to declare

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

and shutter the dealerships after one of his former business partners was indicted on fraud charges. Maury Ettleson passed away on July 16, 2025.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite web , url = http://www.emhc.org/about/newcampus/index.cfm , title = New Campus at Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare , website = Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20090731112716/http://www.emhc.org/about/newcampus/index.cfm , archivedate = July 31, 2009 {{cite news , first = Kevin , last = Davis , title = Death of a sales pitch , website =

Crain's Chicago Business ''Crain's Chicago Business'' is a weekly business newspaper in Chicago, IL. It is owned by Detroit-based Crain Communications. History The first issue of ''Crain's Chicago Business'' is dated April 17, 1978. In 1977, when Crain Communicati ...

, url = http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20030830/NEWS01/20009924/death-of-a-sales-pitch , date = Aug 30, 2003 , accessdate = Jan 4, 2017 {{cite news , first = Dave , last = Savini , title = Car Dealer Celozzi Explains Financial Losses , website =

NBC 5 Chicago WMAQ-TV (channel 5) is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, serving as the market's NBC outlet. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Telemundo station WSNS-TV (channel 4 ...

, url = http://www.nbc5.com/unit5investigates/1280611/detail.html , date = Feb 28, 2002 , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20020804030709/http://www.nbc5.com/unit5investigates/1280611/detail.html , archivedate = August 4, 2002

External links

Sherman Dodge WebsiteArticle on the Celozzi-Ettleson Commercials

Celozzi-Ettleson Commercial From 1984
on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

Elmhurst, Illinois Culture of Chicago Auto dealerships of the United States Former auto dealerships Chevrolet American companies established in 1968 1968 establishments in Illinois American companies disestablished in 2000 2000 disestablishments in Illinois

See also

References

External links