TIFTON – This Saturday, the new Honda of South Georgia will celebrate its grand opening in Tifton with a day full of activities, giveaways and music. The day also officially marks a homecoming for West and Patricia Holtzclaw, the owners of the dealership, who are realizing the dream of returning to their hometown to open the business.

“It’s been exciting for both of us,” West said. “It’s something that we talked about for a long time and were looking for the right opportunity and there’s no doubt that this was it. We’ve put together a great team and we’ve already seen a lot of people who are also excited we’re here. We’re looking forward to seeing a lot more on Saturday.”

Saturday’s event will be held at the dealership, located at 1025 Camden Way, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be food, a bounce house, T-shirts, music from the Todd Williams Band and lots of giveaways including a set of tires for either a dirt bike or ATV, a helmet, a Speed and Strength jacket and a gift certificate for 25 percent off on parts and accessories up to $500. Also, the first 100 people to register will have the chance to win a Honda Recon 250 ATV which will be given away at 3 p.m. All who register must be 18 or older.

The dealership is unique in the state as it is the only Honda Powerhouse in Georgia, meaning that it carries all Honda merchandise with the exception of automobiles. As well as ATVs and motorcycles, the Tifton dealership features lawnmowers and other types of power equipment.

“This is a big deal for us,” said Robin Fiore, District Sales manager for Honda, whose area includes South Georgia. “This is a premier dealership and it’s been a good match because West has a very good sense about what it means to be a successful business partner. He knows what it takes for the customer to have a good experience and that’s what we were looking for. He holds himself up to a higher standard and that is reflected in the dealership.”

Before Honda of South Georgia opened on March 2, the area was without a Honda dealership for the last couple of years. The excitement of the new store has been reflected in its early success, Fiore said.

“I can tell you that in its first month of operation, they were one unit away from being the top seller in their district,” Fiore said. “I’m sure some of that is because there hasn’t been a dealership there for a while and when people heard that one was coming, they were waiting to buy once it got here. But that’s a positive thing and they’re obviously off to a great start.”

Holtzclaw was working in the heavy equipment industry in Texas when he and his wife began looking at options to return to Tifton to begin to start a family. They looked at and researched several ideas before they started talking to officials from Honda. Once that relationship began, Holtzclaw said that he knew he was on the right track.

“Coming home and opening a business here where we both grew up was what we talked about for a long time,” he said. “We love it here and our families are here and this is where we wanted to raise our children and be involved. We didn’t want to rush into anything but it started to become obvious to us that this was what we were looking for. I think it makes a difference because a lot of our customers are people we know and grew up with and you definitely want them to feel that they received the best service possible. That’s what we’re striving to do and our team feels that way as well.

“We’ve both worked and lived in large markets and there’s nothing wrong with that,” he added. “But this is our home and to have the opportunity for our children to grow up here and love Tift County as much as we did growing up is special. We’re excited to see what the future has in store for us.”

While there have been many Tifton customers who have gotten the dealership off to a strong start, he added that they are drawing customers from all across South Georgia and all across North America due to their visibility from Interstate 75.

“Because we’re the only Powerhouse dealership in the state, we have more to offer and those customers are loyal and they know that,” he said. “We’ve had people from Canada and Key West and everywhere in between stop in when they’re traveling down the interstate. We love that.”