William Frede 1922
Bill Burns 1948
El Bauer 1953
Don Fehrenbach 1971
Miles Schnaer 1979
Pat Dawson 1994
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February, 1922:
William Frede
The dealership opens at 321 N. Main St. as the William Frede and Son Chevrolet Agency, with 4,000 square feet of space for “office, show and sales room.” The opening line-up of new vehicles included a light truck chassis, a 490 touring car, a 490 sedan and a “large model sedan.” The dealership was later known as the Frede Chevrolet Company.
1948: Frede Chevrolet Company
Bill Burns
was sold to Bill Burns and became the Bill Burns Chevrolet Company. Burns had started as a sales manager with Frede and worked his way up to ownership. The business was later relocated to 300 E. Eldorado St.
1953:
Burns dies in April, 1953, and the dealership is bought from his widow by Elvis H. “El” Bauer of Columbia, Mo., in August of that year. In September 1958, Bauer moved the dealership to its home at 150 W. Pershing Road where it was hailed in 1964 as the “largest indoor showroom in the nation.” El Bauer
1971:
Bauer dies in April 1970 and in February 1971 the dealership is sold to Don Fehrenbach and renamed Fehrenbach Chevrolet. Don Fehrenbach
1979:
Miles Schnaer buys the dealership from Fehrenbach in January 1979. At 32, Schnaer is billed as one of the four youngest Chevrolet dealers in Central Illinois.
Miles Schnaer
1994:
Pat Dawson
Keeping the Miles Chevrolet name, Pat Dawson takes over as owner and general manager. Under his leadership, the business is recognized as the biggest downstate dealership outside Chicago based on revenues. Dawson says a reinvigorated Chevrolet is now making high quality, innovative cars and trucks that promise a bright road ahead as the iconic car brand accelerates toward its next century.
Dawson, predecessors go the distance to be premier Chevrolet dealers By TONY REID H&R Staff Writer
DECATUR — If you find something you love, stick with it. That’s been the philosophy of diehard Chevrolet owners like Jim Gogerty and committed dealers like Pat Dawson of Decatur’s Miles Chevrolet. They’ve stuck with the iconic Chevrolet brand, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary, through good times and some decidedly not so good times. The carmaker that sold itself as the “Heartbeat of America” has experienced bouts of arrhythmia over the years and suffered a near fatal cardiac arrest with the bankruptcy of its top-heavy corporate parent General Motors in June, 2009. But the slimmed down, reconditioned and retooled GM that emerged is a different beast, however, and its Chevrolet heart, goosed with new line-ups of topselling models and a reborn reputation for quality and dependability, beats as strongly as it ever did. For the friends who never deserted it, like Gogerty and Miles, a steady diet of “Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet” (an actual car company advertising slogan from 1975) is still the food of champions. “The first time I walked into that dealership was 1972,” said Gogerty, 64, who lives in Decatur. “And I’ve been going back there ever since. I like the cars, top of the line, and I like the dealership. Mr. Pat Dawson has always been completely outstanding to me. I believe that if you find what you like, stay with it, and the better life will be for you down the road.” The history of what became known as Miles Chevrolet, now with Dawson as both general manager and co-owner with investor partner Cecil Van Tuyl, goes back almost as far as Chevrolet itself. Founded in Decatur as a “Chevrolet agency” by William Frede and Son in 1922, the dealership arrived in Soy City only 11 years after the founding of Chevrolet on Nov. 3, 1911. The company was named for heart-throb racing driver Louis Chevrolet who designed the brand’s first model, a powerful six cylinder, and whose heroic cachet helped sell the idea of the fewfangled horseless carriage to a whip and buggy audience. The Decatur dealership went through
many changes and names but acquired the title that stuck when Miles Schnaer took it over in January 1979. Pat Dawson was already on board, having joined the dealership in 1972 (when it was known as Don Fehrenbach Chevrolet) to sell new cars. And that was the same year Gogerty bought a shiny brown Camaro right off the showroom floor — the first of 80 cars he would drive home from the dealership over the next 40 years. “Mr. Gogerty has been one of the highest volume Miles Chevrolet customers ever,” said Dawson. “For him, and a lot of drivers like him, Chevrolet has always been America’s sweetheart car. Hey, they don’t write songs about other brands, they write songs about Chevys.” The brand became so interwoven with the American psyche even its’ potent engines had songs written about them: remember the 1962 Beach Boys hit “Nothing can touch my 409.” Don McLean drove his “Chevy to the levee” in “American Pie” and when Elton John looked back fondly he was “dreaming of my Chevy and my old blue jeans” in “Crocodile Rock.” Dawson says it’s a case of my Chevy ‘tis of thee I sing because the car maker has always sought to give Americans what they want with vehicles that appealed to the whole family. Affordable and yet with a trim level for everyone, Chevrolet was originally conceived as the entry level rung on the General Motors ladder by GM’s innovative founder, William C. Durant. The idea was customers, as they grew in means, would climb up and on to other more prestigious flagships like Buick and Cadillac. And they did just that but, over the years, Chevrolet developed its own loyal following and added to its allure with the excitement of ever more potent performance options and, of course, the debut in 1953 of the ground-breaking Corvette, America’s first and some would say only true mass production sports car. As Chevrolet and Ford slugged it out for the soul of Joe Sixpack America, places became known as either Ford or Chevrolet towns and blue collar Decatur was always Chevyland through and through. Dawson had grown up here and knew that reputation better than anyone. So when he came here looking for a job after
No vem be r 1 2, 200 11 w ww. her ald -r evi ew. com college in 1972, he drove straight to the Fehrenbach dealership. He had graduated Illinois State University with a degree in business administration and had cut his teeth in car sales by fixing-up old jalopies and selling them at auction, which is how the football player helped pay for school. “I had found out I was pretty good at selling cars and I really enjoyed it,” he recalled. Over the years he would steadily work his way up through the ranks until he was ready and able to step into the dealer ownership role himself in 1994. He says he has never forgotten the basic ingredient of success, and looks for it in others who want to work for him. “To sell cars you’ve got to be a good listener, that’s the main thing,” he explained. “Talkers don’t sell. Listeners sell. You got to put yourself in the customer’s shoes, listen to what they say they want. You can’t process it unless you get the correct information.” There were times over the years when General Motors stopped listening and made some mistakes: using the same vehicle platforms with different cosmetic options and marketing them as supposedly different cars, for example. Quality also saw some dark days: the Citation model of the early 1980s was ranked by some experts as one of the worst vehicles in automotive history. Then came the steep slide into economic recession at the end of 2008 and the bankruptcy of GM six months later. Schnaer said watching all that go down was ugly but he likes the looks of what came out of it. “As far as their products are concerned, they’re on the right road,”
added Schnaer, whose Crown Automotive operation now runs major Toyota and Volkswagen dealerships in Lawrence, Kan. He describes Decatur as a “great Chevy town” and likes the fact his old dealership is in good hands and doing well. “I will run into people all over the country and when I introduce myself they will say ‘So, you’re the Miles from Miles Chevrolet in Decatur, huh?’ You know, I’m still pretty proud of that.” One of the dearest keepsakes in his office is a silver and gold model of a 1937 Chevrolet convertible with diamond headlights and ruby taillights that was a dealership reward. He keeps it on display and doesn’t worry about odd looks from any visiting Toyota or Volkswagen officials. Much like Chevrolet, Miles Chevrolet has a lot to celebrate. It ranks as the biggest downstate dealer in revenue outside of Chicago and a consistent topseller of vehicles. New statistics show that, out of some 6,500 new car dealerships of any brand up and down the country and coast to coast, Miles ranks around 314th in terms of new car sales and overall revenues. That’s an extraordinary record for a dealership that doesn’t have a big city to plug into for sales prospects. “We have to sell to the same people over and over again,” Dawson explained. “And so buyers have to trust us.” He says people put their faith in a company that puts its faith in the
Congratulations MILES CHEVROLET on Chevrolet’s 100th Anniversary
H &T HUGHES & TENNEY, L.L.C. 236 N. Water • Decatur, IL • 428-5383
He ral d & R evi e w - CH EVY 10 0 Y EA RS 3 communities it serves. Miles Chevrolet has supported worthy causes ranging from St. Mary’s Hospital to St. Teresa High School (Dawson’s alma mater) to the project to build the new YMCA and an A to Z of local charities. “We’re here for the long haul,” Dawson added. “We’ve been fortunate and we want to give back.” Looking down the road to the next 100 years, the dealer likes what he sees in terms of the new models emerging to cater to a driving public who increasingly want to see the USA in a Chevrolet that doesn’t need much gas. Dawson points to the new Chevy Volt, a plug-in gas-electric hybrid offering astonishing mileage: TV talk show host and car nut Jay Leno has yet to put gas in his after 10,000 miles. Dawson says it’s the car of tomorrow available now. “If you drive it around Decatur you would hardly ever buy gas,” he said. “But you can take it to California, too. We’ve already sold our first three — the customers were on a waiting list — and they all love ‘em. There’s exciting
changes in the car business and for Chevrolet and Miles Chevrolet, the future looks real good.” Dawson won’t get any arguments from his long-time customer Gogerty. The retired CSX Railroad yardmaster and Archer Daniels Midland Co. elevator operator’s 80th Chevy ride is a silver 2006 Colorado crewcab pickup which he can’t fault for rugged reliability. He says a good brand isn’t a lot of good without a good dealership to back it up, but the two together is a winning combination that stands the test of time. “If you are satisfied with the product and you are treated well, you come back,” Gogerty added. “I believe in America, and I also believe in American products.” treid@herald-review.com | 421-7977
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American popular music is filled with car references. But Chevrolet may top them all. “We came up with over 500 without breaking a sweat,” the company proclaims on its website. To celebrate Chevrolet’s centennial, the list was whittled down to 100 songs and made available for free on Pandora Internet radio —www.pandora.com/chevy100. Pandora doesn’t have the rights to Beach Boys songs, so you won’t find “409.” Here’s what you will find, alphabetically by title: "99 In the Shade," ....................................Bon Jovi "All the Best," .......................................John Prine "American Pie," ..................................Don McLean "Amy’s Back in Austin," .........................Little Texas "Ball and Chain," ..........................Social Distortion
"Blitz," ........................................Audio Adrenaline "Blue (Da Ba Dee) (Remix)," .......................Eiffel 65 "Blue Jeans," ..........................................Silvertide "Captain Jack," .......................................Billy Joel "Chattahoochee," ..............................Alan Jackson "Chevrolet," ................................................ZZ Top "Chevy Van," ....................................Sammy Johns "Chrome," ..........................................Trace Adkins "Contact," ..........................................Citizen Cope "Crazy About Her," ...............................Rod Stewart "Crocodile Rock," ..................................Elton John "Dare to be Stupid," ....................Weird Al Yankovic "Don’t Forget to Remember Me,"... Carrie Underwood "Dr. Feelgood (Live)," ...........................Motley Crue "Drive South," .......................................John Hiatt "El Camino," .................................................Ween "El Tejano," ........................................Cowboy Troy
We salute MILES CHEVROLET for their commitment to excellence. DunnCo.com 217-429-4444
"Every Time It Rains," ........................George Strait "Fall in Love," .................................Kenny Chesney "Family Reserve," ..................................Lyle Lovett "Fightin’ Words," ................................Trace Adkins "Girls with Guitars," .........................Wynonna Judd "Go ‘Head," ..............................................Mystikal "Go Lil’ Camaro Go," ..........................The Ramones "Going Back to Cali," ...............................LL Cool J "Here I Am," .........................................Lyle Lovett "Here’s to You," .................................Rascal Flatts "How Bizarre," ...............................................OMC "Hustlin’," .............................................Rick Ross "I Can Only Think of One," .................Dierks Bentley "I Go Back," ....................................Kenny Chesney "I Got You," ....................................Dwight Yoakam "I Learned That From You," ....................Sara Evans "I Won All the Battles," ....................Tracy Lawrence "I’ll Be Your Johnny on the Spot," ...................Ween "I’m Customized," ................................The Cramps "I’m Just a Girl," ................................Deana Carter "I’ve Got a Rock ‘N’ Roll Heart," ...........Eric Clapton "If I Stay," .............................................Tracy Byrd "Jesse Went to War," ...................Marcy Playground "Joe Rey," ................................Fountains of Wayne "Keeping the Faith," .................................Billy Joel "Less Than Zero," ..............................Elvis Costello "Let You Go," ........................................The Clarks "Little Red Corvette," ...................................Prince "Lost in the Flood (Live 2000)," ....Bruce Springsteen "Lucky 4 You (Tonight I’m Just Me)," ..........SheDaisy "Make Me a Chevy," ....................The Promise Ring "Metropolis," .....................................Trace Adkins "Miss Popularity," ..............................Jordan Pruitt "Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)," .................Billy Joel "Mud On the Tires," .............................Brad Paisley "Natural Beauty," ...................................Neil Young "Neutron Dance," .......................The Pointer Sisters "Night Moves,"....................................... Bob Seger "One Bud Wiser," ...........................Gretchen Wilson "Paint the Town Redneck," ...........J.M. Montgomery "Pickin’ Wildflowers," ......................Keith Anderson "Picture Perfect," ..............................Nelly Furtado "Putting the Damage On," ........................Tori Amos "Racing In the Street," ................Bruce Springsteen "Rapid Roy (The Stock Car Boy)," .............Jim Croce "Real Gone," .......................................Sheryl Crow "Renegade," .......................................Tim McGraw "Repetition," ......................................David Bowie "Ridin’ In My Chevy," ...........................Snoop Dogg "Riding With Private Malone," .................David Ball "Right Time of the Night," ..............Jennifer Warnes "She’s In Love With the Boy," ..........Trisha Yearwood "Small Town Girl," ..............................Kellie Pickler "Something On," .........................The Tragically Hip
No vem be r 1 2, 200 11 w ww. her ald -r evi ew. com "Song of the South," .................................Alabama "Still Love You," ..................................Rod Stewart "Superstar," ........................................Sheryl Crow "Suzy and Jeffrey," .....................................Blondie "Tannin’ Bed Song," .........................Shawn Mullins "The Greeting Song," ..............Red Hot Chili Peppers "Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man," .Rolling Stones "Three Marlenas," ..........................The Wallflowers "Thunder Road," .........................Bruce Springsteen "Thundering Hearts," ....................John Mellencamp "Tim McGraw," ....................................Taylor Swift "Twentieth Century Fox," ........................38 Special "Unappreciated," .......................................Cherish "Uneasy Rider," ...............................Charlie Daniels "Union Sundown," ..................................Bob Dylan "Water," ..................................................The Who "West Texas Highway," ...........................Lyle Lovett "When I Think About Leaving," ..........Kenny Chesney
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"When You Close Your Eyes," ...............Night Ranger "Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?" ......Paula Cole "Why Do We Want What We Know We Can’t Have?" Reba McEntire "You Never Know Just How Good You’ve Got It,"...............Tracy Byrd "You Win My Love," ............................Shania Twain "Young Blood," .............................Rickie Lee Jones
C U S T O M C AT E R I N G
From One Chevy Lover to Another! Congratulations to our friends
at
Miles Chevrolet! FOR EVERY OCCASION
2301 E. Lake Shore Dr. 217-422-7202 www.decaturbeachhouse.com
We Salute Miles Chevrolet in Their Celebration of Chevrolet’s 100th Anniversary Let us open that new garage door for your new or classic Chevy.
MIDSTATE OVERHEAD DOORS, INC. Sales • Service • Parts • Installation 217-422-8030 • 1-800-420-4800 • 2101 E. OLIVE ST., DECATUR www.midstateohd.com
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Like a rock : A timeline of the Chevrolet brand 1911: Race car driver Louis Chevrolet and GM founder William C. “Billy” Durant co-found the Chevrolet Motor Company in Detroit on Nov. 3.
1927: Chevrolet overtakes Ford for the first 1914: The first
time, with sales of more than 1 million vehicles.
car wearing the Chevy bowtie logo appears. It’s the Royal Mail Roadster.
segment. Today the Suburban name is the longest-running continual nameplate in the industry.
1942: Production of civilian Chevrolets ceases due to the war effort. Production of trucks for military use continues.
1945: Chevrolet’s civilian car production resumes.
1915: The Chevy Model 490 debuts as a 1916 model with a list price of $490. The first “valuepriced” Chevy, it puts Chevrolet in direct competition with Henry Ford’s Model T.
1916: Billy Durant, who had been forced out of General Motors in 1910, regains control of the company he founded.
1929: The Chevrolet Six debuts. It’s called “a six for the price of a four” because major American competitors at the time offered only four-cylinder engines at about the same price. 1934: Chevy introduces the “knee action” independent front suspension on its 1935 model Master Series. It’s revolutionary engineering for a “value-priced” car.
1912: Louis Chevrolet’s $2,150 Series C “Classic Six,” a luxurious high-performance six-cylinder model, hits the streets of Detroit.
1913: Louis Chevrolet parts company with Billy Durant, leaving behind the rights to produce cars bearing his name. The Chevy bowtie logo, designed under Durant’s auspices, appears for the first time in an ad.
1918: Chevrolet introduces its first truck, based on the Model 490 car chassis. Also this year, Chevrolet becomes part of General Motors.
trucks are introduced, Chevy’s first all-new truck since before World War II. This classic eventually would become the design inspiration for 2003-2006 Chevy SSR.
1950: Chevy becomes the first manufacturer to offer an automatic transmission on a low-priced American car when the Powerglide transmission debuts on 1950 models.
1924: A Chevrolet plant is opened in Copenhagen, Denmark. It’s the first Chevy plant outside the United States.
1948: The all-new “Advance Design” pickup
1935: Chevrolet introduces the Suburban Carryall, the original SUV. It invents a new
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1953: Corvette
1958: The Impala nameplate debuts.
debuts with the industry’s first regular-production fiberglass body.
1954: The 50 millionth General Motors car is a gold, 1955 Chevrolet Bel-Air. 1959: The car-based El Camino pickup debuts on the full-size Chevy sedan chassis. Also arriving in 1959 as a 1960 model is the Corvair, the first and – to this day – only American car boasting a rear-mounted, air-cooled, six-cylinder engine.
Her al d & R evi ew - CH EVY 10 0 Y EAR S 7 “extended cab” body style.
1970: The 450hp 1970 Chevelle SS 454 arrives. Today it’s considered by some car buffs the greatest muscle car ever. Also that year, the “personal luxury coupe” Monte Carlo debuts. Its 6-foot-long hood secures its fame as the car with the longest hood in Chevy history.
1991: Chevy trucks launch a new ad campaign based on the Bob Seger song, “Like A Rock.”
1992: The millionth Corvette is built. 2009: The 638-hp Corvette ZR1 is the fastest and most powerful production car in GM history –a distinction it retains today.
1975: The “Baseball, Hot Dogs and Apple Pie” Chevy ad campaign is born. 1979: The 100 millionth Chevy – a 1979 Monza – is built.
1962: The Beach Boys record “409,” an ode to Chevys powered by the brand’s 409 cubic-inch V-8.
1955: Chevy’s legendary small-block V-8 debuts on the all-new 1955 Chevrolet. Also that model year, the Cameo Carrier pickup – a “gentleman’s truck” – debuted with its unique and highly styled cargo box.
1963: The now-legendary Corvette Sting Ray Split-Window Coupe debuts. The only model year for the split rear-window design, the car is highly coveted today by collectors.
1956: Dinah Shore, the first woman to host her
1964: The Chevelle debuts. It’s an “intermediate” car slotted between the full-size Chevys and the compact Chevy Nova.
own TV show, concludes her opening broadcast singing “See The USA In Your Chevrolet.” The song subsequently closes each show.
1983: This year is significant for what it was missing: a 1983 model-year Corvette. The allnew C4 Corvette was to debut in the fall of 1982 as an ‘83 model, but production delays prevented the car from bowing until January 1983, so Chevy dubbed it an ‘84 model. 1983 is the only model year with no Corvette since the legendary icon debuted in 1953.
2010: The reborn Chevy Camaro, which had been discontinued after the 2002 model year, arrives and soon outsells Ford’s Mustang.
1986: The “Heartbeat of America” ad campaign debuts.
1957: The Chevrolet Bel-Air of 1957 goes on to
2011: The Chevrolet Volt “extended range”
become an American icon. Also, Chevy introduces fuel injection as an option on some Chevys and Corvettes, a first for an American production car, while Chevy trucks for the first time offer four-wheel drive.
electric car debuts. Also, the Chevrolet brand celebrates its 100th birthday on Nov. 3.
1967: Camaro debuts. It’s Chevy’s answer to the Ford Mustang.
1988: The first all-new Chevy full-size pickups since 1973 arrive with a newly available
24 hour Towing and Roadside Assistance Congratulations Chevy on your 100th Year 1725 S. Franklin St. South Shores Decatur
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