The Don Johnson Motors Story

Welcome to the Don Johnson Auto Group located in Rice Lake, WI and Hayward, WI. We are a fourth generation family owned, GM certified dealership. With three different makes, we are bound to have a new 2010 or used car for you. Do you pack up the vehicle to go on a Muskie fishing trip every year? Then check out one of our SUVs or trucks so you can make next year’s trip more comfortable. We have the Avalanche, Colorado, Enclave, Silverado, and Sierra models in stock. Other cars we have in stock are the Lucerne, Malibu, Acadia. Visit Don Johnson Auto Group today so we can help you with all your car needs.

Celebrating our 75th Anniversary

In the late summer of 1935 Oliver Johnson relocated his family from Star Prairie, Wisconsin east to Rice Lake where he hoped to purchase the town’s fledgling Chevrolet dealership, Johnson Chevrolet Co. After several months, on December 14th of that year Oliver realized his dream, acquiring the business and renaming it Oliver Chevrolet, a moniker which it retained for the next 40 years.

Oliver acquired the Buick franchise in 1936 and successfully operated the Chevrolet, Buick dealership through the Great Depression until the end of World War II, when his sons returned from serving overseas. Following the war, two of Oliver’s sons, Harold and John, took over the family business while a third, Dwight, went to work directly for General Motors. Harold and John operated the dealership until 1977 when they sold it to Harold’s son, Don, and John’s son-in-law, John Gerber, who renamed the business Johnson & Gerber Motors.

Later that year Don and John built a new facility, moving the dealership from its initial location across from the Post Office to its present site at the intersection of Highways 48 and 53. The Oldsmobile and Cadillac franchises were added to the new location following the acquisition of Skrupky Olds Cadillac in 1982.

After 15 years in the business (1992) John decided to pursue other ventures and sold his shares in Johnson & Gerber Motors back to Don who renamed the dealership Don Johnson Motors. Four years later, in 1996, Don Johnson Motors expanded into Hayward, Wisconsin with the acquisition of Hayward Motors (Chevrolet, Buick, Oldsmobile), now Don Johnson’s Hayward Motors.

Oliver’s great grandson Josh joined the family business full time in 2003 working at Don Johnson Motors in Rice Lake. In 2005, the Rice Lake dealership acquired the Pontiac and GMC franchises from Swant Motors adding them to the store’s growing vehicle portfolio. The next year (2006), having recently graduated from the National Automobile Dealers Association Dealer Academy Josh acquired Don Johnson’s Hayward Motors, becoming one of the youngest automobile dealers in the country.

2008 brought the acquisition of William G Talbot & Sons in Cumberland, Wisconsin. Don Johnson Motors chose to consolidate Talbot’s Chevrolet and Buick operations into the Rice Lake dealership, creating Don Johnson Motors Cumberland, a stand alone service center and preowned vehicle outlet.

Today the Don Johnson Auto Group is proud to celebrate four generations and 75 years of serving you. Over the years we’ve experienced everything from oil embargos to economic depressions to world wars and we recognize that the only reason we’ve survived those challenging times is because of our loyal customers. As we celebrate our 75th anniversary it’s important that we say thank you. We’re grateful for the opportunity to earn your business and are committed to earning it every time.