Dateline: December 22, 2005

New team brings old values to Suna AutoMall

By Roger  Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

Trust and friendship are two things that cannot be bought, and the new management team at Suna AutoMall says they intend to earn both from customers in Clarendon and the surrounding area.

The General Motors dealership has begun a management contract that will culminate with the sale of the business to Stanley Automotive Enterprises on or about February 1, 2006.

The priority of the business will be serving local people with old-fashioned values, and that’s something of a tradition for area manager Don Crow.

“I learned integrity from my father and grandfather,” Crow said. “You look people in the eye, shake their hand, and tell them the truth.”

Crow’s grandfather started selling cars in Abernathy in 1927. Now, as the third generation in his family of car dealers, Crow says his West Texas roots guide his business philosophy.

“You do what you say and a little bit more,” he said. “You just treat everybody they way you’d want your own mother treated.”

The Stanley group has big plans for the dealership, which was founded in 1956 by Fred E. Chamberlain, Jr., and operated as Chamberlain Motor Company until August 2002, when it was purchased by New York native Mark Suna, who has since moved to Kentucky.

Customers can expect to see more cars on the lot in the next 60 to 90 days as the Stanley group builds up the dealership’s inventory, Crow said.

“I’d like to see us have 75 to 100 new cars and 65 to 80 used cars.”

In addition to a larger inventory, Crow says the Stanley group intends to completely renovate the dealership to make it a more functional facility that will be customer friendly. Plans for the showroom are still being finalized but will likely include new flooring, replacing the ceiling tiles, and going through the air-conditioning and electrical systems.

In the service department, air-conditioning will be installed and state of the art diagnostic equipment will be added.

“We’re going to make sure that we have all the equipment we need to serve our customers the proper way,” Crow said.

Under the new management for only a short time, new life has been breathed into the dealership with sales picking up and new employees being hired and old employees returning.

“We’re leading our district in terms of performance, which indicates that [general manager] Ken [Sisk] is doing a great job,” Crow said. “Terry Noble is back in the shop and doing great work, Master Tech Matt Chambers is all set up, and we’ve hired a couple of salesmen.”

The Suna AutoMall staff also consists of comptroller Connie Simpson, title clerk Nancy Kidd, sales manager Rod Darris, service manager Eddie Bartley, receptionist Tessie Robinson, and salesman Jerry Daniels.

Crow is splitting his time between Suna AutoMall and Childress Ford in Childress, which is also under a management contract with Stanley. He and his wife, Donna, will make their home in this area as soon as they sell their house in Driftwood, near Austin.

In addition to Suna AutoMall and Childress Ford, the Stanley group owns 15 dealerships in rural communities and is looking at adding others. Crow says there are benefits to being in such a large group.

“We’re able to sell out of each other’s inventories; so if we don’t have the car you’re looking for, we can find it immediately and have it here usually within 24 hours,” Crow said.

“West Texans serving West Texans is what we’re all about.”