Mr. October plans to be actively involved in the dealership’s operation — so much so that he intends to buy a home nearby and live there part time.
“I’ll have a place here probably within 12 months,” Jackson, 75, told The News & Observer at the grand opening of Reggie Jackson Airport Honda in Raleigh at the end of April. “I’ll purchase a condo or get an apartment or something. Rick had a conversation with me and said, ‘Reggie, you can do what you want … but you should consider sticking to it. Stay in the deal.’ I said, ‘I’m going to take your advice. You can count on me to stick to it and to be a person that’ll be part of the community.’ ”
Jackson, a five-time World Series champion with the Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees, has owned a stake in a Hendrick Chevrolet dealership in Naples, Fla., since 2015. He now plans to make a full leap into auto retailing with the 75,000-square-foot Honda store that bears his name.
“I think Rick and I talked about it for probably the last 20 years,” Jackson said.
Among the guests at his store’s grand opening was Julius Erving, the NBA Hall of Famer better known as Dr. J.
Jackson said he chose Raleigh because it’s a growing, diverse market. He plans to use his charity, the Mr. October Foundation, to help children in the area get into STEM careers.