Luther Automotive (DEV)

Blog

  • New Brookdale Chevrolet General Manager Tony Stark

    After 26 years, Curt Johnson is retiring as General Manager of Brookdale Chevrolet and we are proud to announce that Tony Stark has been named as the new General Manager. “Curt’s contributions have made Luther Brookdale Chevrolet one of the most highly successful dealership,” said David Luther. “Curt will be leaving behind an impressive legacy and a positive lasting impact on many.” We wish Curt all the best.

    Tony Stark has worked at Luther for 16 years, serving as Sales Manager, Finance Manager, Used Car Manager, General Sales Manager and now General Manager. He worked at Hudson Chevrolet and as of 2020, Brookdale Chevrolet. “We are very confident that he will be a great leader for the team at the dealership and are grateful that he was willing to accept the challenge,” Andy Gadient said.

    Before joining Luther, Stark worked at a Cadillac dealership in Stillwater and Kia dealership in St. Cloud. “When I got my first manager role, I’d ask whoever was in charge who was the best at doing certain task, and then I would go see them on my day off and ask to see how they do it,” Stark said. After getting stuck in a snowstorm on his commute from Hudson to St. Cloud, he got a call asking him to come work for him at Hudson Chevrolet. 

    Stark spent over 10 years at Hudson Chevrolet and says General Manager Tim Jubie was a huge influence in his career, along with Andy Gadient and Tim Johnson, who worked for Luther for 18 years. “If I had to give recognition to an individual or individuals, it would be to Tim Jubie and Tim Johnson. I owe it to them, I really do,” Stark said. “Tim Jubie was a huge part, one of the major influences in my career.” 

    Tony StarkStark and Johnson started the transition in June with an officially start date of of July 1st. “I am looking forward to the part of the business that I have never focused on. New role, new challenges,” Stark said. 

  • Luther Dealerships Receive National Ranks

    Brookdale Toyota Team

    Luther Brookdale Toyota and Rudy Luther Toyota

    Both were a part of the Top 50 dealers who have made Toyota the highest-sales-volume Certified Used vehicle program.

    “Each member plays a crucial role in building a robust certified pre-owned inventory. Together, we expedite the process of making our inventory available to deserving customers.” – Tony Arens, Sales Manager at Brookdale Toyota

     

    Luther Brookdale Chevrolet

    They ranked in the top 10 for highest CPO sales in 2023.

    “We all see the value that certified brings to the guest. The additional sense of security in ownershipcreates an experience like no other through ownership!” – Tony Stark, General Manager at Brookdale Chevrolet

     

    Luther Kia of Bloomington

    They were one of the 25 Kia dealerships named for being a top performing store. 

     

    Luther Nissan of Inver Grove Heights

    They were one of the Top 50 CPO dealers of the year for Nissan. 

    Luther St. Cloud Subaru

    They were the 7th dealership in 2023 for highest CPO sales. 

     

    Luther Westside Volkswagen

    They ranked second in the nation for CPO Volkswagen sales. 

     

    Honda Certified Pre-Owned

    Hopkins Honda became one of the Top 25 Certified Pre-Owned Honda dealers in 2023. 

    “This recognition reinforces our commitment to excellence and assures us of the continued satisfaction and loyalty of our customers in the future. We are dedicated to ensuring that each of our customers has the opportunity to purchase/own a certified vehicle across various price ranges.” – Slavik Miro, General Sales Manger at Hopkins Honda

  • Hudson Hockey Association Civic Center Remodel

    The Hudson Sports and Civic Center reconstruction was completed in September 2023. The project was led by the Hudson Hockey association, a non-profit organization, founded in 1972, to provide and promote equal opportunities and positive experiences for all Hudson area youth in skating. Since its inception, it has helped 13,000 kids in the Hudson community, providing accountability, mentoring and friendship for all youth, which leads to critical life and leadership skills. 

    The old civic center had two sheets of ice in separate buildings, Gornick Arena was built in 1989 and Drewiske Arena in 2005. The HHA had always planned to expand and connect the two, but they never had the funds to do so. 

    David and Lynn Robson, both former Luther employees, led the Excellence at Every Level campaign that was launched in December 2020 to raise funds for this project. There were many things that needed updating, including modern technology, more seats, community spaces and locker rooms, and making the facility ADA compliant. 

    “Without the project, we stunt the opportunity to serve more youth and develop them into leaders of character, giving them a healthy outlet and a safe place to build trusted, accountable relationships with adults and their peers,” Lynn Robson said.

    Lynn Robson worked at Luther for 17 years at a variety of Luther locations as a controller, group controller, and in corporate real estate, working on mergers and acquisitions. Her daughters played Hudson hockey throughout their childhoods, and she coached her daughter’s U15 team and played herself, which is how she got involved in the HHA and how she eventually got Luther involved in the project.   

    “I approached David Luther because I knew his passion for hockey and youth in the communities he does business in. I knew he would understand that the partnership went beyond brink and mortar. It is about teaching and mentoring our youth to stay active and involved,” Lynn Robson said. Luther’s involvement and donation brought this dream to life 

    The civic center was located a few blocks away from both Hudson dealerships. Hudson Chevrolet GMC became involved with Hudson Hockey because of General Motors Youth Sports programs. “These programs are designed to have youth and high school age students involved in extracurricular programs which help with development into adulthood,” Hudson Chevrolet GMC General Manager Tim Jubie said. “We follow David Luther’s vision of Drive to Serve and it is the right thing to do as a business.” Hudson Chevrolet GMC has been a youth sports sponsor and community sponsor since 2009. Tim Jubie and Hudson Chevrolet GMC, like all Luther dealerships, is committed to giving back to the communities they serve. This level of commitment and passion helped bring Hudson Hockey Association’s plan to life 

    “Thank you Luther Automotive for your support. You helped to make Hudson Hockey’s dream come true!” Lynn Robson concluded. Full Remodel of Exterior

  • Southern Hospitality at NWA Toyota

    Nigel Treat, a sales associate at Landers Northwest Arkansas Toyota, is known at his dealership for going above and beyond with his guests. From delivering cars to guests to bringing cars inside in bad weather, Treat always ensures his guests are taken care of.

    “In my eyes, I don’t consider what I do going ‘above and beyond.’ It’s what should be expected of me as a professional customer service person,” Treat said. “However, I am grateful that I have good clients who refer their loved ones and friends to me.” 

    Before any appointment, Nigel contacts his guests and asks what options they like, then ensures those vehicles are clean and in one central location for the guests to view. He also will start the cars in the summer and winter to make them the perfect temperature for when his guests arrive. “If need be, I’ll even show my guests specific cars in the service drive if it’s raining and wet outside, so they don’t get wet,” Treat said. 

    On his days off, you might also find Treat delivering vehicles that have finished their inspections to his customers. “I like driving to them. It lets them know that I will genuinely do anything to make their experience here better.”

    To make his clients feel special, oftentimes you’ll see Nigel send his guests thank you and birthday cards on their special day. “I try to make every client a friend of mine, and truly care about their life events as if they are my family,” Treat said. “I’m honored and blessed to be able to provide my service and have an amazing store to work at. I love this job and I come in every day to be the absolute best version of what you expect from a sales professional.” Nigel Treat washing a car before a guest's appointment

  • Q3 GRAD School Offerings at LDC

    GRAD School is launching new training courses for Service Advisors. The Luther Training Team has developed two new classes starting in July: “Building Guest Relationships – From Drop Off to Delivery” and “Building & Presenting Estimates – Increasing your average R.O.”  These courses are now available online in G.R.A.D School. DriveCentric will provide a review and/or next level of training for new and experienced sales consultants who want to refine their skills. Review the course descriptions below and sign up here.

    Grad School Logo

    Building Guest Relationships in the Service Drive

    Offered July 23rd, August 21st, and September 26th

    This course will offer an enhanced focus on the complete reception process, how to build guest loyalty, and maintain guest loyalty, while being efficient in your process. The goal of this class is to define and refine your process to be more effective in your initial greeting.

     

    Leasing vs. Financing

    Offered July 23rd, August 21st, and September 26th

    This course focuses on the different ways to finance a vehicle and digs into the benefits of financing and leasing in a comparative way. It conducts a deep-dive into all the ins and outs of a new car lease including, how lease payments are calculated, the one-pay lease, leasing for high-mileage drivers, how equity plays a part, and potential lease-end charges.

     

    Effective Communication/Drive Centric

    Offered July 23rd, August 21st, and September 26th

    This course focuses on effective communication skills and how to build your business through the use of prospecting, gaining referrals, and maintaining your relationships with your guest to encourage continued business for the life of the guest. The Drive Centric portion of the class will focus on all the communication options within the CRM and how to effectively use each one to make the biggest impact on your guest. It will help you drive better engagement at every step of their buying journey.

  • Luther Partners with Minnetonka Momentum Program

    Luther Automotive was recognized with a Momentum Gold Partner Award at Minnetonka’s annual Celebration of Excellence in May. This award is for Luther’s continued support of the Momentum Program and its students. The Momentum program offers students hands-on, real-world learning in the trades.

    Luther Automotive partnered with the Momentum Program on a year-long project for students to solve a project in the industry. They challenged the students to find better ways to recruit younger employees in technician roles. Carleen Shimanski, Service Recruitment Specialist, partnered with Blake Sorem, General Sales and Operations Manager at the Automotive Performance Studio, on the project and met with the students throughout.    

    “We quickly started to see how social media could assist us in attracting new employees in the future,” Sorem said. “So, we drew Jalen in to get his experience.” Jalen Logan-Redding has been the social media manager at APS since graduating from the University of Minnesota this past May. You can read more about Logan Redding’s internship with Luther in Volume 1 of the Luther News.    

    The students conducted a survey in the high school asking various questions about what students look for in an employer and what social media they use the most to determine how Luther could better target this group of potential employees. Survey results found that students are mainly on TikTok and Instagram and don’t care about Facebook.    

    APS took what the students recommended and have already   implemented some of their suggestions. They found that younger generations want to see the exciting work they would be doing, especially at APS. They revamped their website to include videos that demonstrate their technical and creative work and leverage this content on their social media platform as well.   

    Luther provided equipment, like a break micrometer or a car for them to work on. They also gave tours of the Technical Training Center, APS and a dealership tour of Hopkins Honda. Service Manager Justin Nickel and Shop Manager Derek Ausman helped students prepare for their final presentation with industry knowledge and feedback.

    Hopkins Honda also gained a new staff member through the program. Daniel is a junior at Minnetonka and is a new runner at Hopkins Honda. They met him through the Minnetonka Momentum Program and he now wants to go to the Luther Technical Training Center after he graduates. “He’s got in on the ground level and he can create an amazing career for himself because of Momentum.” said Caroline Gates, Hopkins Honda Service Manager.

    Despite Sorem being an Eden Prairie Graduate, a long-time rival of Minnetonka in sports, he was impressed with what Minnetonka had set up for a trades program. “We give kids other avenues besides four-year college programs and get our name out there.” Sorem said. “I think it’s our job to make sure they know there’s other options for their futures.”   

    “Seeing them invest not only their time but also having many intentions and ambitions was cool. I think they’re on the right path,” Logan-Redding added. Gates and Osman Accepting Luther's Gold Partner Award

  • Bloomington Acura TikTok Influencers

    Allison Gast and Ilenna Garcia, two sales associates from Bloomington Acura, have found a new way to reach guests. The two have created a TikTok account, @JaminLuxe, and creates trending videos about the car business. “I started seeing funny videos from businesses and I immediately wanted to buy from them. It’s like I knew and trusted them already because I saw their personality online and I thought ‘why don’t I start something like that?” Gast said. 

    They currently have around 360 followers but are continually growing. They had one video that got more than 400,000 views. It was based on a trend dealerships across the U.S. are using. It asks staff what kind of car they drive and what their car payment is.

    “When I see sounds and trends on my For You Page, I ask myself ‘how can I relate that to the car business?’ Gast said. She will even ask herself that question when looking at trends or sounds you wouldn’t think could be applied to the car business, like cat videos.

    Gast and Garcia created their account at the beginning of 2024 and have already drawn in a few clients because of it. “You need to be on social media. You need to be online,” Gast said. Drawing in just two guests in a few months shows that social media could be the next way to sell cars, even if it is just having guests know more about you before they decide to buy a car from you in store.

    For people wanting to start posting on TikTok or social media in general, she shared some tips:

    • Use popular trends, sounds and hashtags
    • Post at least every day when you first start
    • Provide information quickly. “If you don’t get the person’sattention in five seconds, they’re going to scroll away.”
    • Have a good camera person to help you that understands your vision and knows your preferences and best angles
    • “Be genuine, people can read fake energy through a screen.”Allison Gast of Bloomington Acura

     Click here to see Gast and Garcia’s recent videos.

  • Road Scholar : The Two Lumberjacks

    It was the annual lumberjack competition. Out of the two finalists, one was an older, experienced man, and the other a younger, stronger lumberjack. The rule of the competition was quite simple, whoever cut down the most trees in a day would be the winner. 

     The younger lumberjack was full of enthusiasm. He went off into the woods and set to work straight away. He worked all day and throughout the night. As he worked, he could hear the older lumberjack further away, and he felt more confident that with every swing that he would win.  

     Throughout the day, the younger lumberjack would listen to the sound of the falling trees in the distance. However, he noticed that as the day went on, the noises in the forest would come and go. The younger lumberjack took heart from this, knowing that this meant the older lumberjack was taking a rest, whereas he could use his superior youth, strength and stamina to keep going. 

    At the end of the competition, the younger lumberjack felt confident he had won. He looked in front of him at the piles of trees he had cut down as the result of his extraordinary effort. 

    At the medal ceremony, he stood on the stage confident and expecting to be awarded the prize of champion lumberjack. Next to him stood the older lumberjack who looked surprisingly less exhausted than he felt.  When the results were read out, he was devastated to hear that the older lumberjack had chopped down significantly more trees than he had and was declared the winner. 

     The younger man turned to the winner and asked, “How can this be? I heard you taking breaks every hour while I worked continuously. I am younger, stronger and worked harder than you. How could you possibly have beat me?” 

    The older man smiled and said, “It is true, I did take a break every hour to rest, but more importantly, I used this time to sharpen my saw.”  

    Take the time to sharpen your skills, your tools, and your resources, and you will be more productive. 

  • DocuPad Up and Coming

    Welcome to the next generation of F&I experience 

    DocuPad is coming to all Luther and Lander’s Automotive dealerships. Reynolds’ docuPad system is an interactive finance and insurance (F&I) tool that features a personalized menu presentation and presents product media and forms in an electronic format. It can also disclose necessary contract and lease information, and capture signatures digitally. 

    With the new docuPad system, sales associates will be able to better engage with their customers and sell more products through a seamless, quick, and personalized selling experience. Here are some of the benefits of the new system: 

    • It shortens the biggest pain problem for customers – sitting around and waiting!
    • It’s more transparent for customers, leading to higher sales and more trust. 
    • It creates greater profits since the docuPAD comes loaded with sales tools to help educate your guests about your products.
    • It eliminates lost paperwork since everything will move from paper to electronic. 
    • It’s easy to learn!

    Be ready! The F&I team started the rollout at the beginning of March and is expected to complete the rollout in April 2025. 

    As always, please reach out to FI@lutherauto.com if you have any questions or concerns about safety situations. 

  • Congratulations Q4 Employees!

    Thank you for your years of dedication and commitment to the Luther Automotive Group. We greatly appreciate you and everything you do to make Luther Automotive what it is today.  

    40 Years 

    Mary Haberman, FCG 

    “I feel proud to be a Luther employee, for I truly feel they care about their employees, customers, and communities.” – Mary Haberman on her 40 years 

    Ricky Anderson, LFB 

    I love the relationships I have with customers and being able to put them first. Plus, every day at my job is different, it keeps things exciting.”  – Ricky Anderson on his 40 years 

    35 Years  

    Brett Davis, LFF 

    30 Years  

    Mauricio Decaroli, MMC 

    25 Years  

    James Olin, BAS 

    Keven Groettum, HH   

    Matt Ehde, HCV  

    Ralph Nash, WBA 

    20 Years  

    Bradley Moe, CAD 

    Chad Walczak, LBM 

    Donjere Ankeny, SLT 

    Javier Delgadillo Blancas, WVW 

    Joesph Portillo, MMC 

    15 Years  

    Benjamin Zrucky, LMH 

    Brian Jirak, LMH 

    David Blom, LMH  

    Demetrio Halphen, BLC 

    James Abel, LMH  

    Mitchell Steen, HCJ 

    Richard Wall, NCF 

    William Hickok, LMH 

    10 Years  

    Anthony Emmerich, LFB 

    Barry Miller, NCF  

    Cleon Bennett, WVW 

    David Ricker, TOY   

    Donna Anderson-Ferguson, WBA  

    Erik Stradtmann, SCS  

    Jason Wiese, BCJ 

    Jeremy Van Keulen, NCF 

    John Delander, RLT 

    Kyle Humphries, BAS  

    Landon Medvec, WBA 

    Matthew Crandall, JHCM 

    Mendy Shannon-Rothlisberger,KCM 

    Nicholas Sand, NCF 

    Peter Bass, SLT 

    Stephen Davis, WVW 

    Terri Anderson, LBC 

    Thomas Mountain, LMH 

    Thomas Sweany Jr., TOY 

    Zachary Ward Jr., SLT 

    5 Years  

    Aaron Stephens, BVW 

    Adam Henderson, SLC 

    Alexander Bartemio, LAS 

    Andrew King, HCV 

    Christine Stanfield, LBK 

    Connie Nelson, LAS 

    Connor Lehman, LAS  

    Corey Pritchard, BVH 

    Daniel Howell, SLN 

    Daniel Miner, HCV 

    David Moe, TOY 

    David Ringsred, WBA 

    Dung Le, LAS 

    Gloria Perez, NCF 

    Graciano Garrido Mejia, TOY 

    Hayes Thomas, WVW 

    Herberth Osorio-Ventura, SLN 

    Jamie Swanson, LAS 

    Jason Perez Jr., TOY 

    Jeannine Stripling, LNK 

    Jeffery Ogden, LFF 

    Jennifer DeMarre, LNK 

    Jerald Philo, PPM 

    John Ochocki, CAD 

    Jordan Lorence, BCJ 

    Joshua Hartigan, RLT 

    Joshua Jerome, BLC 

    Joshua Somaiah, RLT 

    Juan Valdez, SLN 

    Kallee Graham, LBC 

    Keenan Macek, MMC 

    Keiko Meeks, SLT 

    Kenneth Aas, JHCM 

    Kevin Kwan, RLT 

    K-Sandra Martin, LBC 

    Mark Spurbeck, LFB 

    Matthew Plan, BAS 

    Pang Hang, LBM 

    Raymond Miller, BDH 

    Reginald Thomas, LBM 

    Robert Hammermeister, LBC 

    SachiAna Johnson, MMC  

    Shawn Cain, BAS 

    Shawn Jones, SLC 

    Stephen Hlavka, PPM 

    Steven Jones-Greschner, BLC 

    Trong Ly, BDH 

    Vongpany Sarivannara, BAS 

    William Rosas, LBC 

    3 Years  

    Allan Kluever, LMH 

    Anel Sejdic, LBK 

    Austin Ward, SLC 

    Brandon Schliinz, LBK 

    Brian Johnson, WVW 

    Briggs Thompson, LFT 

    Bryan Murray, HCV 

    Calvin Strelau, LAS 

    Camrin Nestell, LMH 

    Catherine Nebel, LAS 

    Courtney White, KCM 

    Daniel Szymanski, JHCM 

    David Fry, SLK 

    David Goldstein, LAS 

    Dawson Eckman, CAD 

    Diamond Yang, WBA 

    Emil Pritchett Jr., SLC 

    Eric Severson, LFB 

    Evan Smebak, HCR 

    Francisco Gutierrez, BVH 

    Grace Johnson, WBA 

    Harry Smith II, SLC 

    Hunter Hogue, SLT 

    Jacqueline Thies, LAS 

    Jaeger Hoog, BAS 

    James Sills, OCR 

    Jarrod Johnson, SLC 

    Jason Reil, NCF 

    Jerry Moore, JLR 

    Joel Ramlakhan, SCS 

    Jonathan Duch, MMC 

    Jonathan Santos, SLC 

    Jose Rodriguez Ojeda, LNK 

    Josef Jorde, BVH 

    Juan Klassen De Valle, BAS 

    Justin Nielsen, LBK 

    Kevin Stimple, RLT 

    Lawrence Shavis, SLK 

    Lee Overmoen, LMH 

    Lloyd Lantz III, KCM 

    Logan Noll, HSC 

    Logan Primeaux, SLT 

    Madison Walker, SLC 

    Mark Oas, Luther BLH 

    Mark Hagman, LBM 

    Matthew Schmidt, JHCM 

    Melissa Schlemmer, RLT 

    Nicholas Wieser, LAS 

    Nigel Treat, SLN 

    Ralph Osborne IV, AC1 

    Ricky Hall Jr., SLT 

    Robert Eyerly, LAS 

    Sean McPhillips, LFB 

    Shawn Wells, SLN 

    Stephen Kollar, HSC 

    Theodore Blasko, HH 

    Thomas Baddeley, BAS 

    Thomas Pogodzinski, LBC 

    Thomas Zopfi, FCG 

    Todd Junior, HSC 

    Trevor Kitzerow, PPM 

    Trevor Mell, LFF 

    Zachary Shannon, JLR