PANAMA CITY, Fla. – Today, John Lee Nissan is hosting the grand opening of its rebuilt dealership in Panama City.
From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., John Lee Nissan, located at 120 East 23rd Street, will have a re-opening celebration and ribbon-cutting ceremony in conjunction with the Bay County Chamber of Commerce and Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours.
The Lee family has been in the automotive business in Northwest Florida since 1949 and has strong, long-standing ties to Bay County and the Panama City Beach community.
John Lee Nissan first opened in Panama City in 2010 but was left decimated by Hurricane Michael in 2018. The storm left many of their customers, employees, and fellow community members without homes or with significant damage. To provide support and stability, John Lee made the decision to rebuild his dealerships with a new outlook and design for the future growth of Bay County.
“Instead of building back what we had, we took the long road and built back much larger with our sights on the future,” said Erasmo Rebolledo, executive manager of John Lee Nissan.
Over the last four years during construction, buildings were designed and built to maximize the 12-acre site, located on the corner of 23rd Street and Harrison Boulevard, to provide for the needs and comfort of the company’s customers and employees, John Lee Nissan said.
According to the dealership, this year, John Lee Nissan completed construction on a new 10,000-square-foot pre-owned vehicle building, additional service buildings, a completely renovated and enlarged sales and administrative showroom, along with an expanded Nissan service facility.
“We’re excited to welcome everyone to the new John Lee Nissan to see what we have been working so hard on for the last four years,” Lee said.
“This is also a time to honor our employees and their hard work throughout the years with the company, making it the family-owned and operated business it is today.”
The celebration will kick off at 4 p.m. with a dual ribbon cutting with the company’s founders, longtime employees, community leaders, chamber members, and close friends.
Guests will then be ushered into the new, renovated dealership to explore the upgrades and enjoy the rest of the evening indulging in Japanese-inspired hors d’oeuvres by Signature Catering of 30A, wine, beer, and live music. This event is free to attend and open to the public.
