From Three Cars to 5.7 Million
, Jack Chivers Realty
Published Tuesday, October 6, 2009
From 3 used cars to 5.7 million dollars
“Humble beginnings” sounds so cliché, but when speaking of the life of Willis Spaulding it’s so appropriate. Willis “Buster” Spaulding was born in Osakis, MN in 1928. After graduating high school, he headed off to Bemidji State University to major in Math and Science with hopes of earning an Engineering degree. After three years in college, “Buster” enlisted in the Navy Air-Core and spent the next two and a half years flying different aircrafts all over the United States. His favorite was the “Hell-Cat” F6F, the plane that turned the war around in the Pacific in the battle of Midway. After the A-bomb was dropped, the war was over and it was back to college for Buster.
While in college, in 1946, Buster started logging 80 acres in Blackduck, MN. When it was all said and done, he graduated Bemidji State with a degree in education, but by then the logging business had become his way of life. In 1948, after visiting his uncle’s friend in Wisconsin, Buster started a used car lot. With an inventory of three used cars—including the one he used for his office—and a $50/month rent payment for the lot, he got his start. “We were as poor as church mice,” he recalled, but this was to be the beginning of great things for the Spaulding family.
By 1953 Buster’s logging days were behind him and his car dealership had grown to 50 cars. In July 1965 he bought out the Cadillac, Oldsmobile and Pontiac dealership, and by 1975 he had bought out the GMC dealership—a business that the year before Buster purchased the business, sold only five trucks. At the end of 1976, he had sold 220 GMC trucks and was invited to the West coast where he was offered a deal to buy the Honda franchise. “This was a real winner for me,” Buster said. Things continued to go well for him and his dealership.
Fast forward to 2006 and Jack Chivers. Jack was visiting with a close friend and fellow businessman, Art Greenberg. He mentioned that he needed to find a parcel of land in Bemidji for the Menards company who had been working with Jack on other land acquisitions for their stores. Art told him about his friend Buster Spaulding who owned 20 acres where his dealership was located.
A phone call and subsequent lunch, Jack and Buster came to a deal. Menards would purchase the land for 3.5 million dollars and Jack would sell the car dealership for 2.2 million. A total sale of 5.7 million dollars, in 30 days, not bad for a business lunch!
Today, Buster and his wife enjoy their 6 children, 12 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. He owns a building south of Bemidji where he has 30 collector cars.
Jack continues to make those “big deals,” and dominate the real estate business in the lakes area. Jack Chivers Realty is sure to be the number one agency in 2009, for the 4th year in a row, with sales DOUBLE the next agency.
.jpg)
