It seems that a certain Reynolds salesperson of long standing is getting quite a bit of recognition these days for his accomplishments, and we couldn't be prouder of him.

It was only back in July that we shared the story of our own Deane Salter and his Guinness World Record for having the longest continous career selling automobiles at a single agency, which was 54 years and 4 months at the time of certification. We did a piece called Deane and the World Record, and hung the handsome plaque on his wall.

Well, it seems the world isn't quite done with the story. This week a young lady named Juliette Funes from the San Gabriel Valley Tribune came to call and interviewed Deane for a nice article in their newpaper:

Covina octogenarian holds Guinness World Record for being longest-serving car salesman

You can click on the headline to read it and see a really good picture of Deane under the Reynolds sign. It's a very well done article and we're most appreciative.

So one good turn sometimes does inspire another, because no sooner then we all get our copy of the Tribune and are looking it over, than the KABC Channel 7 News Truck pulls up with Rob Hayes and a camera crew, and they'd like to interview Deane and Pete Reynolds. Well, we think the whole thing went super well and Rob did a great interview which you can watch here:

And we can't have newsprint and television having all the fun to themselves, so of course we got a call from the Ashley Bailey, an Assistant Producer with Morning Edition over at KPCC Public Radio in Pasadena, and she wanted to come talk to Deane as well. Well, Deane talks to people for a living so he had no problem with that, and she put together a very nice interview as well as a little slide show of pictures of both Deane and the dealership, and you can click on the headline to listen:

West Covina car salesman sets a Guinness World Record

Here's what he told Ashley that we think sums things up nicely:

“I can’t think of a better dealership to work for. It’s like working for your own family,” he said. “We have fun together and we’ve worked together so long, we know each other’s families and everything. There (have) been a lot of changes, but over the years, it’s been great.”

And that's what happens when a local business is operated by the same family for 97 years- we get to know each other, but also everyone else in the community. And we care for each other and look out for our customers and understand how it's all interrelated. There's no corporate office in South Dakota to call- there's a Mr. Reynolds in his office and there has been ever since we opened in 1915.

So if you're in the area some weekend, feel free to drop in and meet the hottest media celebrity in all of West Covina. And while Deane may not be quite as famous as Betty White yet, he can still give you a heck of a deal on a new Buick or GMC.

Deane Salter is now a Guiness World Record Holder

When you've been in business for Ninety Seven years, a few of things hold true- that you get to know your customers and your employees pretty well, and that if you treat people right, customers will come back and employees will stick around, too. In fact, we're pretty much known for having familiar faces when you come through our door, in both our sales and service departments.

Take Deane Salter for example. Deane had been working in the construction business when the economy took a turndown. Those things happen, of course, but the kids have to be fed, so Deane took a part time job selling Buicks for a young fellow named Pete Reynolds in Covina. That was January of 1958.

Well, Deane's a pretty personable fellow and people liked the straightforward way that he dealt with them, so it wasn't too long before he started building a client base. Pretty soon he was doing better selling Buicks than he was inspecting concrete footings, so when a choice had to be made, Deane stayed with Reynolds Buick.

In fact, he's been here ever since, and still sells new Buicks and GMCs to not only his long time customers, but their children and grandchildren. One day recently, someone made a comment to Chuck Rhodes about how long Deane has been here, and they asked themselves whether his longevity with us was some kind of record. So Chuck and Don Reynolds contacted the Guinness World Record folks and submitted all kinds of documents and as it turns out, it is some kind of record- the longest continous employment by an Automobile Salesperson with a single Employer at Fifty Four years and Four Months.

So when Deane Salter showed up for work at Reynolds recently and saw his wife Lorraine, son John, daughters Mary Jo, Victoria and Mary Beth, their spouses, and all his grandchildren there, I think it gave him quite a start. But when Chuck Rhodes presented him with the Guinness World Record for his lifetime achievement at Reynolds, he was proud as punch. And we're just as proud of Deane Salter and his family, and pleased to be the kind of dealership where an employee comes and stays for Fifty-five years.

In this world of conglomerates and multinational companies, Reynolds is pleased to be a family owned business that's been part the Covina area for almost 100 years now. So stop by next time you're in the area and ask Deane to show you his world record. He'll be pretty pleased to show it off.

Chuck Rhodes presents the plaque to Deane Salter

Deane Salter and his wife surrounded by their children and grandchildren. From L, Lee and Christina Watkins, John and Sara Beemer, John and Carol Salter, Victoria, Deane, Lorraine and Mary Beth Salter, Mary Jo, Dominic and Russell Caveness, Jake Salter and Jennifer Salter Vasquez