Carl Smith Chevrolet finalized an agreement Tuesday, officially transferring ownership of the dealership to Stephen M. Olave, who currently owns a Chevrolet dealership in Hammond, La.

Jim Staff, with the dealership, said he is excited about the new ownership and is glad to see its presence in Atmore is safe.

“We’re glad to see the dealership is going to stay open,” Staff said. “It’s important to all of the dealerships in town to have it. It also means more revenue for Atmore and if people need to have a General Motors vehicle worked on, they don’t have to go to Mobile or Pensacola to get it done.”

Staff said, under the new ownership, the dealership’s current staff would remain in tact.

“That’s very important too,” he said. “The new owners want to employee locals and when things are running well, we employee up to thirty people.”