Salvatore "Bill" Arena was born in 1893 in Messina Sicily.

At age 10, he came to the United States with his father (Angelo Arena) in 1903.  They settled in Hammonton NJ.  Together they earned enough money to bring the rest of their family to America.

In his early life, Bill Arena tried his hand at many jobs.  He did farm work, brick yard work, glass work, spent time working in a shoe factory and for a short time he brokered produce.

Bill was very mechanically inclined.  He began repairing and selling automobiles.  This eventually became his life long career.

He opened Arena Auto Service on the White Horse Pike in 1920.

In 1922 he became a dealer for Dort and El Car.  The Dort was produced in Flint Michigan and the El Car was built in Elkhart Indiana.

In 1925 the Nash automobile franchise was added.

Then in 1936 he was awarded franchises for International Harvester truck, Oldsmobile Motor car and International Harvester agriculture tractors and equipment.

His family grew during this time as well.  He and his wife, Millie, had 6 children.  His three sons and three daughters each played a role in the family business.

1981 saw the addition of Pontiac Motor Division to the company.

Mr. Arena passed away at 92 years of age in May 1986.  The business he started, continues today with second and third generations of family members.

Today, Arena Buick GMC Cub Cadet is owned and operated by his son, Joseph J Arena and his grandson Joseph J Arena Jr.

Together they added the GMC truck and Buick franchises in 2000 and 2003 to the company.

In 2014, the Arena family is celebrating 94 years of service to the greater Atlantic county community.

The company was founded on a personal one to one basis.  That personal relationship experience continues today.  Whether it be a major vehicle purchase, a parts transaction, good quality service or even great advise on your lawn and garden equipment needs, the company has not lost sight of it's original roots.