Chignoli Auto: A family-owned Joliet business thrives for 50 years

The staff of Chignoli Auto Sales gathered after work Oct. 2 and raised a glass to the business’s founder on his birthday while simultaneously kicking off the dealer’s 50th anniversary celebration.

Back in 1974 at the age of 59, Bob Chignoli started Chignoli Auto Sales along with his wife, Eva.

Bob left Vidmar Buick in Joliet and set off to create his own family business.

“He began with a $7,500 loan from First National Bank of Joliet,” said Rick Chignoli, Bob’s son who serves as a co-owner of the family business.

Along with the good times, Rick Chignoli said, “We also have had some difficult moments.”

“There were times at the beginning where we sat and talked about whether we were going to open the next week,” he said.

With nine children to lend a hand, the family business was able to truly become a family affair.

“As the business became busier, more family members came to work,” Rick Chignoli said.

The Chignoli family lost its leader when Bob died April 27, 1985. Their mother, Eva, died not quite two years later on Feb. 16, 1987.

Over the years, Rick and his siblings learned the car business along the way, whether it be detailing, painting, body work or sales.

“We all had different jobs,” he said. “But we knew what we had to do when we came in in the morning, and we did it.”

The business moved several times in the Joliet area before landing in its current location at 1850 Essington Road, Joliet, where it has remained for the past couple of decades.

“We battled through,” Chignoli said. “The most important thing that we learned from our father is to take care of people. With the many changes we have seen in our business, the one thing that we do know that hasn’t changed is to take care of people if you want to survive.”

Over those 50 years in business, factors such as gas prices, the economic downturn of 2008 and the COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected the car market, Chignoli said.

At one time, Chignoli Auto was one of the largest car wholesalers in the Midwest, wholesaling about 150 vehicles a month, and it had a large reconditioning shop.

“The internet has changed our business tremendously,” he said. “There is so much information out there about cars and so many ways to shop. To survive, you must stand out and be customer-oriented.”

Today, Chignoli Auto both buys and sells cars, sometimes without meeting its customers in person.

Car sellers can complete an online form to get a value for the vehicle they are interested in selling.

In addition, Chignoli sells vehicles in its showroom and online.

“We ship cars all over,” he said. “The advantage we have is our people know cars. We know good cars, and we know bad cars.”

“We just delivered a Camero and a Corvette that were purchased over the phone,” Chignoli said.

Third generation

Currently, five of the nine siblings are partners in the business, along with an assortment of nieces, nephews and long-term employees.

Most of the family still lives in the Joliet and Shorewood area.

Evie Cora, title clerk and marketing manager with Chignoli Auto Sales, is one of the third generation of Chignoli family members who work at the auto sales store.

Reflecting on her family’s business longevity, she said: “We have customers who bought their first car with us and are now bringing in their kids to buy their first car. In addition to being great customers, they are great friends to our family.”

Some of the younger members of her extended family spent a summer or two washing cars or “doing what needs to be done,” she said.

Cora said many of the current employees are family members, and other employees have been working there so long “they are like family to us.”

Cora began working at the business in 2020, when she graduated from college. She followed her mom, Lori Chignoli-Cora – the only female co-owner – into the family business.

“I have been very honored to be a part of the business,” Cora said.

In addition to their close working relationship, the Chignoli family still gathers for holidays and other events, sometimes using the showroom for large family gatherings.

“I believe running the business together actually brings our family closer,” Cora said. “It has been a great experience for me to learn about the car business from the inside. Growing up, I thought the car-buying process was simple, but there actually is a lot that goes into it.”