Dale Willey Automotive will be able to enter its fifth decade of selling Cadillacs in Lawrence, a prospect that had been less-than-certain until he received the good news by FedEx last week.

The dealership, 2840 Iowa, had been among 950 dealers told by General Motors this past fall that they would no longer be able to sell the Cadillac brand, said Dale Willey, the dealership’s president.

Now he’s learned that he can keep on selling and servicing, just as he has since he started in September 1970 at 1040 Vt.

“It’s like before,” Willey said. “We went into arbitration. I think they recognized the value of when sales are down a little bit, they need more sales people. We’re thrilled and excited about that.”

Last year, as GM entered bankruptcy, the automaker moved to close hundreds of dealerships nationwide. Mile Schnaer, president of Crown Chevrolet in Lawrence, said last week that he was in negotiations with GM to retain his Chevrolet dealership.