years 25
Reaching for another
of great service
“FRIENDLIEST CAR STORE ON THE PLANET” LATE MODEL, LOW MILEAGE VEHICLES • FULL SERVICE & REPAIRS • MAINTENANCE • DETAILING
Free Shuttle Service • Free Loaner Cars (by appt.) • Free Wash & Vacuum (w/ services) 20201 Front Street NE • Poulsbo, WA
360.697.4066 • www.libertybayauto.com
A SUPPLEMENT OF THE NORTH KITSAP HERALD, PORT ORCHARD INDEPENDENT, CENTRAL KITSAP REPORTER, BREMERTON PATRIOT AND BAINBRIDGE REVIEW
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LIBERTY BAY AUTO CENTER CELEBRATES ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY!
MAY 1, 2015
Reaching for another 25 years of great service BY LESLIE KELLY
lkelly@soundpublishing.com
A
nyone entering Liberty Bay Auto Center in Poulsbo might think they’ve stepped back in time, to the 1950s. They might think that they’re in a small diner and that the Fonz may come around the corner any minute. Although the decor is from the 1950s, the business is just completing its 26th year, and looking forward to another 25 or more. “I’d love to be right here in another 25 years, celebrating our 50th,” said owner Dean Church. “Our customers know we’re here for them today and we’ll be here for them tomorrow.” A community “celebration” of the business’s 25th anniversary happened last summer with a party in the parking lot where the band Jr. Cadillac played. But Liberty Bay Auto Center is happy to share its story of success with the Kitsap community. According to Dean, it
was his father Sandy who was the motivation behind Liberty Bay Auto Center which came to Poulsbo in 1989. Dean grew up on Bainbridge Island and feels
“First of all, I like to do business in Poulsbo when I can,” he said. “I’ve known Kevin (Hogan) my salesman for a long time. He’s been there forever. Liberty Bay has always treated me well ever since I bought my first car from about 15 years ago. In total, I’ve bought four cars from Contibuted Photo them.” Poulsbo Lumber, the future Liberty Bay Auto Center as it appeared in the late fifties. – Jeff Eagleson, owner of J.J.’s Fish House in Poulsbo that this plays an important part because this is where his roots are and where his children are growing up also. His father was a partner
with his brother-in-law at Bill Smith Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Toyota and Volvo in Bremerton for 20 plus years. “When I was young, I’d spend the weekends there,” Dean said. “My first job was to go around and pick up cigarette butts at the car lot.
Congratulations Liberty Bay Auto for 25 years of providing business and service to Kitsap! Thank you for your contributions to our Community!
20370 Viking Ave NW, Poulsbo, WA 360-779-2527 • 800-813-7151 www.chs-propane.com
“That was in the early 1970s “when most everybody smoked,” he said. But advancement was in his future. His next job was weeding, and then, eventually washing cars on the lot. “I was always interested in cars,” he said. “I loved working around them
and when I returned from Washington State University, I began selling cars for my dad in Bremerton.” When his father sold out of that dealership, Dean opted to sell cars in Seattle but soon found he missed the familiarity of folks in Kitsap County.
“I wanted to connect with people when I worked with them and that just wasn’t happening over there,” he said. “So I came back to Kitsap and worked at Parr Ford for a couple of years.” Dean and his father were looking for a location to begin a used car business. They discovered the right location when they found the former Poulsbo Lumber site at the Head of Liberty Bay in Poulsbo. “We looked all over Bremerton, Bellingham, Bellevue - but we ended up right here in Poulsbo,” Dean said. They began buying cars to sell, but until they had the needed permits, they couldn’t put the cars on the lot. “We had about 26 cars inside this building,” he said. “On the first day we opened, we pulled them all outside. We had five or six employees when we started.” Because the former lumber business building was so large, they also rented out space to individuals who needed somewhere
Locally Owned & Operated Since 1961
s n o i t a l u t a r Cong
Liberty Bay Automotive on 25 years
11
Stores Conveniently Located Thru Out The Olympic Peninsula
East Bremerton: 360-373-5088 5299 St Hwy 303 NW West Bremerton: 360-479-0347 3050 Kitsap Way Gig Harbor: 253-851-9965 3302 Uddenberg Lane Purdy: 253-857-4089 14008 Purdy Dr NW Belfair: 360-275-9000 NE 24230 State Rt. 3
Port Townsend: 360-385-3476 2321 Sims Way Kingston: 360-297-2428 10900 St Hwy 104 NE Poulsbo: 360-779-3934 19812 Viking Way Silverdale: 360-692-2924 9331 Silverdale Way Paint Store: 360-377-2534 1550 Navy Yard Hwy
Visit us on the web www.westbayautoparts.com
MAY 1, 2015
LIBERTY BAY AUTO CENTER CELEBRATES ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY!
to store their boats. At the time they had a very small service department, and over the years, it, and the sales operation have grown to need every inch of space in the building. The building has been renovated and updated several times, including last year when they installed solar panels on the roof in order to be more energy efficient. It took Dean 17 years to buy out the stock of Liberty Bay Auto Center from his father, who worked in the business until about eight years ago. Sandy and Sally still reside in Hansville and spend winter months in warmer climates. Dean and his wife Sherri own the property as well as the building to the south, which houses Autoglass Clinic, Mobile Radio, and Performing Arts, a dance studio. Sherri is also the office manager and manages all the monthly financial statements. The auto center includes just about any make and model of car, and the company has two full time employees that are on the road buying late-model lowmileage cars, according to Doug Haughton, general manager for Liberty Bay. “We get them from lease returns, from residents who have received orders with the military to move overseas and can’t take their cars, to others who advertise their cars for sale,” Haughton said. “We buy other dealers’ trade-ins and we do buy at the auctions.” At any one time, Liberty Bay has about 65 to 75 cars on its lot and as far as turn over, Haughton said just about every car, every month comes in and goes out. “Our business model is to bring in barely used cars, and get them on their way to a new owner,” he said. “But we do that by
Leslie Kelly /Staff Photo
Owners Dean and Sherri Church
Leslie Kelly /Staff Photo
General Manager Doug Haughton matching cars to customers in a way that doesn’t include pressure sales.” Instead, he said, employees listen to the customers’ needs and help them choose the right automobile. “We consider ourselves consultants,” he said. “Our sales people have the ability to understand the needs of our customers, and then work diligently to meet those needs. It’s not about shoe-horning some one in to a car because they happen to drool on it on the way in.” It may be that the customer needs a bigger car, something that seats more people. Or it may be that they need a newer car but have financial concerns. Or it may be that they just
want to make their neighbors jealous. “We listen,” Haughton said. “That’s why our customers return again and again. We treat them like family, with respect. It’s not like they’re dollar signs to us. They’re not a number.” Haughton has been with Liberty Bay Auto Center for many, many years and a part of Deans family before Liberty Bay Auto Center opened. He’s been in the car business for 53 years. “I’m actually thinking about making it my career,” he joked. As a youngster, he loved cars and he knew that’s what he wanted to do when he got older. He met Sandy Church 35 years ago when they worked together at a
Congratulations & Thank You Liberty Bay Auto! 25 years of business is a huge achievement. Our club had its start at Liberty Bay Auto 20 years ago!
POULSBO ATHLETIC CLUB Open 7 days a week • M-F 5am-10pm • Sat 7:30am-5:30pm • Sun 8am - 2pm
360.779.3285 • 19611 7TH AVE NE • POULSBO www.poulsboathletic.com (located behind RiteAid & Albertsons)
dealership in Bremerton. It’s Haughton who brought about the 1950s diner-style look to the car business in Poulsbo. Besides being a fixed-wing and helicopter pilot, he collects and restores automobile related signs, memorabilia and gas pumps. “I’ve got some in my airplane hangar, at my house, and I’ve restored all of these that are owned by Dean and Sherri,” he said, pointing around the car showroom. “I’ve been doing this for years, and in 1999, when I became general manager here, I converted the place and gave it this theme.” Among his favorites are a 1929 bright yellow Wayne gasoline pump a 1951 Erie pump which he restored from looking as if they were just junk, to a pristine condition. “In rust we trust,” he joked. “I tell people rust is my favorite color.” In the showroom, sales desks look like 1950s tables at the diner. Each has a personalized license plate with the sales person’s name on it in their booth. And there’s a red and white diner booth in the front of the showroom for customers to sit at while they wait. Vintage bicycles sit on the showroom floor near a couple of modern-day cars that are for sale. Every wall is covered with old photographs and signs such as the “Approved Packard Service” sign. “We like to have fun here,” Haughton said. “But we take our customers’ needs seriously.” In fact, he and Dean think that’s why the business has succeeded. “We see our customers at the grocery store and all around town,” Dean said. “We want to be able to know that they’re happy with their purchase, ser-
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vice repairs and detailing so we make every sale right and we do what we need to to see that that happens.”
“I’ve been with Liberty Bay Auto since Sandy first bought it. I knew him from the dealership in Bremerton and then he started the used car business in Poulsbo. “I’ve bought cars from Liberty Bay and so has my son. It’s absolutely the only place I’d go. – Jerry Cooper, retired Poulsbo Fire Marshal All vehicles come with a full tank of gas, a second set of keys and a free first lube, oil and filter change, 90 day warranty and a 48 hour money back guarantee. In 2014, the auto business sold 1,500 cars and completed 10,000 repairs. It averages 800 to 900 repairs a month in its service & detail division which will work on cars whether or not they were purchased at Liberty Bay Auto Center. Liberty Bay is known for its complete service, which includes vacuuming and a car wash with every service. Liberty Bay Auto Center has top ratings from American Automobile Association and has been named a Top Shop by AAA for multiple years. It has been voted as the West Sound’s Best Dealership in Kitsap County for many years straight. They have also received Five Stars from EnviroStar for its environmental work. Besides the solar energy they store and use, they also use LED lights inside
and out and have replaced florescent tubes with T8 energy-saving tubes. “We want to be very efficient with our use of energy,” Dean said. “It’s fun to see the meter slow down and see that we’re saving energy in the long run.” In all, Liberty Bay employs 45 people in administration, service, detail and sales. Many of them are long term employees like Russ Shorten, a service technician who has been with the dealership since day one. Salesman Kevin Hogan has been with the company for 16 years. “This company sells a nice product,” Hogan said. “And we take care of our customers before, during and after the sale. It’s just not that way at other dealerships.” Hogan said there are no gimmicks when they sell. “We’re here to serve our customers,” he said. “We’re not out here to make quotas or pressure sell anything. We really want to fit our customers with what they need so they’ll be back when they need their next car. And that happens all the time.” In fact, Liberty Bay Auto Center has sold cars to many families whose children and grandchildren are now buying cars from us. Like their motto says, “We’re the friendliest car store on the planet,” and that’s another reason Haughton thinks they’ve been so successful. “We look at our customer base as a long term relationship, not just a one-time sale,” he said. “Generations have come here. We know families and we watch them as they grow. It’s like we’re all just one big family.”
Happy 25th Anniversary Liberty Bay Auto Thank you for being a huge and positive part of our community. We appreciated winning your traveling t-shirt contest. Congratulations on 25 years! - Todd & Sue Tidball
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LIBERTY BAY AUTO CENTER CELEBRATES ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY!
Drive Home With a Green Auto Loan
MAY 1, 2015
The Autoglass Clinic & Mobile Radio Serving Kitsap County Since 1982 33 years ago Ron Ohnhaus followed his dream to start his own car accessory business after serving in the Navy for 10 years as a Sub Mariner. He started the business out of the back of his 1972 Volkswagen installing radios for car dealerships and at night repairing radios at his kitchen table. It didn’t take long before Ron Ohnhaus built the business into several stores in the Kitsap area. In 1998 he merged Mobile Radio with another well known business in Poulsbo, The Autoglass Clinic, owned by a friend Doug Haughton. This would make for a great partnership with both having the same grass roots customer service and quality workmanship as their #1 priority. Doug and Ron retired from the business to start new ventures. For Ron it was as a Farmers Agent in Bremerton and for Doug, General Manager of Liberty Bay Auto Center. Ron Ohnhaus Jr. started the second generation of the 4 Bremerton First location in 198 and his children aus. company in 2000 with his wife Adrienne who is the Ron Ohnhaus Sr. an Laura Ohnh Ron Ohnhaus Jr. d Office Manager for the Company. The Autoglass Clinic & Mobile Radio owe its success to its hard working and caring staff as well as our continued loyal Kitsap County customers and friends over the past 33 years. We look forward to serving our customers for many more years to come. Thank you to everyone that has made the last 33 years possible.
Ron Ohnhaus Jr. Owner
20101 Fro nt Liberty Ba Street NE Poulsbo y Auto Cen ter
n reet Bremerto 5203 First St o Center ut A n to Bremer
GREEN AUTO LOAN SPECIAL
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Congratulations on 25 Years of Service, Liberty Bay Auto!
Any purchase over $200 receives FREE GIFT CERTIFICATE
FOR $25 OFF
any purchase or good for *free oil change at Liberty Bay Auto Center.
*up to 5 quarts oil, diesels @ extra charge, synthetic oils extra charge, specialty filters extra charge, most vehicles & light trucks, some exceptions may apply. No cash value. Appointment required for oil change.
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AUTOGLASS CLINIC &MOBILE RADIO
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POULSBO BREMERTON 888-357-2277
www.theautoglassclinic.com