DEARBORN — A new flagship Nissan dealership had its grand opening ceremony last Wednesday, celebrating both instant and forthcoming success in a tough car sales market. A DJ, cigar rollers and sushi stations were among the festivities at the new location on 24501 Michigan Ave.

Mayor Jack O’Reilly cut the ribbon alongside co-owners Jessie Armstead, Antonio Pierce and Mike Saporito and COO John Chatzopoulos, to mark the business’s opening.

Armstead and Pierce are former NFL linebackers and Super Bowl winners.

Chatzopoulos said the partners saw an enormous opportunity in the Dearborn area for a Nissan dealership, despite some peers saying it could not be done.

“There’s a lot of opportunity in this area, but they needed the right dealer group to come in and execute it,” Chatzopoulos said.

With the Big Three car manufacturers dominating the Metro Detroit market at 75 percent penetration, imports are a tough sell, Chatzopoulos added.

“The reason we’re successful is that we’re very process driven,” he said. “We have process maps for every single step in the dealership, from the way phones are answered, to the way the car is delivered.”

After two months of business, the dealership is the leader in the state in new Nissan car sales.

“In order to come in this market and really penetrate it, you need a selling proposition,” Chatzopoulos said. “You gotta be different and separate yourself from everybody else; and that’s what we’re good at.”

One way All Pro Nissan differentiates itself is by staying open more days and longer hours than other car dealerships in the area. According to Chatzopoulos, Pro Nissan is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. for car service. It’s open for service on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 9 to 4.

The dealership also offers free complementary oil changes for life with every purchase of a certified per-owned or new vehicle.

“You’d be surprised on a Tuesday at 8:00 how many people come in and say thank you for being open,” Chatzopoulos said.

Chatzopoulos, who manages the Dearborn location and future locations in Michigan, said more locations— up to 12— are on the way, including one coming soon in Macomb.

He also said the new dealership is the first of the new build Nissan is rolling out for all their dealerships.

The entire building includes LED lighting, a Nissan personalization studio that lets you customize your car with a touch screen TV, four electric car charging stations, as well as a customer lounge and free Wi-Fi.

Forty people are currently employed at the Dearborn location. Chatzopoulos said that a New York store he managed started in same way and now has 200 employees.

Chatzopoulos said the dealership is involved in community fairs, partnering with the Dearborn Police Department and contributing to MI wounded warriors.

“We’re pissing off a lot of car dealerships,” Chatzopoulos said “But we’re making a lot of customers happy and changing the way cars are sold in Michigan.”