After years of dreaming of owning a car dealership in a small
town like Hollister, Mark Lindeman can now wake up to such a
reality.
After years of dreaming of owning a car dealership in a small town like Hollister, Mark Lindeman can now wake up to such a reality.
Lindeman recently purchased the Dodge dealership on San Benito Street previously owned by Glen Hartzheim Sr., and now it becomes Lindeman Chrysler Jeep Dodge.
“I was enamored with rural dealerships that are family first,” Lindeman said. “I dreamt about having a dealership in a small town where I could be an active part of the community. Hollister is one of those towns. I’ve always had a really nice feel about Hollister.”
In December 2002, he learned Hartzheim was interested in selling the dealership and the two entered into an agreement in February. Lindeman wouldn’t comment as to why Hartzheim sold the business and Hartzheim did not return phone calls. The deal was finalized on May 12.
“All I can say is that I had a desire to buy and he had the desire to sell,” Lindeman said.
And now that he’s settled, Lindeman plans a number of reforms. He would like to return the business to a five-star dealership, a DaimlerChrysler designation earned by its dealerships based on customer satisfaction. Lindeman also wants to establish long-term relationships with customers, which he feels is key to the success of the business.
“There is going to be personal involvement by the family that owns (the dealership),” he said. “I want to see us be more customer friendly and focused. I want to be a good member of the community.”
Also, Lindeman’s wife is a former district manager with DaimlerChrysler and will help on site.
Concentrating on customer service through training is one way Lindeman sees accomplishing his goal. He said he would like to be a five-star dealership within six months and wants to increase accessibility and make the dealership a site of the “ultimate buying and ownership experience.”
The dealership employees about 20 people and Lindeman said he plans on retaining all of them, and even hiring more employees.
Also, the dealership has about 130 cars in its inventory, with about 100 new vehicles and 30 used vehicles.
Lindeman estimated that at the current county sales tax rate of 7.25 percent, the dealership would generate between $500,00 and $800,000 in annual sales tax revenue.
Originally from Colorado, Lindeman spent time in both southern and northern California. Hollister was in his district when he worked in the Bay Area and he became familiar with the region.
Currently, Lindeman and his family live in Morgan Hill, but are looking to move to San Benito County so he can be “rooted in the community and become an active member of the community.”
Lindeman has worked in the auto industry for more than 20 years, mostly in management and administrative positions at DaimlerChrysler and Chrysler Financial, living in cities across the nation.
He said he agrees with fellow local dealerships that people should try to buy and service their vehicles locally – that they don’t necessarily receive a better price by buying out of the county.
“We need to support our community and our community needs to support us,” he said. “There isn’t a clear advantage one way or another (of buying in a big city).”
He also said, “What you discover is that it’s a people-first business within the automobile business,” he said. “This is where all the action takes place.”
