Runde Auto Chat

How did you find Runde Auto Group and this particular vehicle? Through Al Kloft. I told him what I was looking for and he went and found it for me. I bought a Trailblazer and my brother bought a vehicle from Al not too long ago too.

Why did you decide to purchase it here? Because I found what I liked and because I've known Al for a long time. He's a family friend so I trusted him. And I liked it so I said yah I'd buy it. 

Where is the first place you’ll take your new car? I don't know ... probably work. Really? Yah I have have work at 9 o'clock tonight. Where do you work at? At The Barn in Sherrill -- it's a bar and a restaurant up there. I used to go up to the barn a long time ago -- we played a couple gigs up there back in the day. Yah, that was when V.J. owned it and now his son runs the place. (Check out the link to The Barn's FaceBook Page)

Is your vehicle a male or female? Female. And will you give it a name? No. Why not? I don't know. (shrugs) I never named any of my cars.

How many vehicles have you owned so far in your life? Five. How often do you usually trade in your cars? This is the first time I've ever traded and bought something new. So you usually keep your vehicles until they die? Yep.

What’s the best thing about your new ride? It's bigger and it has four-wheel-drive. If you were a vehicle, what vehicle would you want to be? Probably ... I don't know, it's a tough question ... probably a truck because it's big.

Will your friends or anyone be allowed to eat in your new Trailblazer? Yes. Are you sure? Yah. (Wow we've asked that question before to many customers before and we usually get a "Nope" response back. I wasn't expecting that answer.)

How would you rate your vehicle buying experience with Runde Auto Group on a scale of 1 to 35 with 35 being the best? I'd say it was probably a 31.

And Al Kloft was your salesman -- so how would you rate Al? The best. He was awesome, I liked working with Al.

If something unfortunate were to happen to Al and he could no longer be a car salesman, do you think he would make a better News Anchorman, Game Show Host, or State Representative? Definitely a game show host.

And which game show would he be best at hosting? The Price is Right, Deal or No Deal, or that one about being smarter than a 5th grader? The 5th grader one. (she smiles) You know I think just the contestants have to show how smart they are so he'd probably be safe as the host. Yep. (she nods and grins)

What is your favorite movie of all time? Fried Green Tomatoes. Really? Do you like the Fried Green Tomatoes restaurant too? I know that there's a nice restaurant named Fried Green Tomatoes. I haven't been there, but I really like the movie. It's easily my favorite.

Do you have any hobbies? I like to ride horses.

What is currently in the cd player of your vehicle? Seether. Seether? What's that? It's a rock band.

If you could move anywhere else in the world, where would it be and why? Probably Wyoming because I like the country and there's like nothing out there -- like no big cities or anything like that. (I've heard that you haven't really seen the stars until you've looked up at a Wyoming sky on a moonless night.) Have you ever been to Idaho? No. I've heard that's awesome too. Yah me too.

Describe your ideal day – what would you do – where would the road take you? I'd go to a tractor pull. A tractor pull? Yep. (I like asking that question because you never get the same answer twice.)

Lightning Round:

Gaga or Taylor Swift? Taylor Swift.

Transformers or Twilight? Twilight.

Taco Johns or Taco Bell? Taco Bell.

Glass: half empty, half full, or someone just left it sitting there and no one felt like washing it today? Half full.

Target or Walmart? Target.

Ebay or Amazon? Amazon.

Win the lottery or become President? (grinning with confidence) Win the lottery.

We'd like to thank Bridget for taking time out of her schedule to sit down and chat with us. She's a very personable young lady and now she has a sweet new 4wd ride that you just may see her in as she zooms over the hills and valleys of the tri-state area. Let's just hope she never feels the need to drive her new vehicle like Kathy Bates in Fried Green Tomatoes.

Who knew how big Google would become. Who knows how big they will be. All I know is that Google does, almost everything, right. Expanding the already enormous range of features Google and OnStar already offers, now comes Google Maps. Later this month all GM vehicles (from 2006, up) that are equipped with Turn-by-Turn Navigation will be able to use the Google Map feature. This feature will be available through OnStar eNav Technology and will offer users to effortlessly receive directions and turn by turn visual signals to get to their destinations without any hassle.

 The best part of all of this besides the point that you don't have to go to Google, print out the directions to where you want to go, then hassle with the papers while driving and swerving in and out of traffic? It's FREE. Google will be adding this feature at no additional cost to your OnStar subscription. Pretty sweet! Here's a video about OnStar's similar feature integration with MapQuest.

To me, a "hero" is someone that inspires or produces change for the better. Having the luxury of waking up to an alarm clock instead of sirens or gunshots is a privilege that most of us probably take for granted. We are lucky to live in such a state where our biggest worry of the day is when you think a cop might have caught you talking on your cell phone while driving. Many have sacrificed for us to get to where we are today and should be recognized and thanked properly. Memorial Day is one of those special days when we are able to recognize the heroes that have worked so hard to defend what we have today.

One the people in the fight for a better tomorrow is Runde's very own Jason Keane. Jason has been involved with the National Guard for 14 years and is preparing for his third deployment in the near future. Read on to find out how this father of three, loving husband, and hard worker still finds time to be a hero.

 Welcome back Jason, how was your training?
Great, this one was actually really good. I'm back until my deployment, but I was at my AT (annual training) for two weeks.

I heard you had a baby before you went to training, congratulations! When did you have him?
He was due on May 10th, but he was born on... (Jason's Boss yells out "the fifth!") ...Jason laughs... Yeah, he would know, I called into work that day.

What's his name?
Garrison. He weighed in at 8lbs 5oz and was 20.5 inches. We had him at Mercy Hospital. Every time we go back to Mercy it seems to keep getting better. I would recommend them.

How do the bigger brothers feel about having the baby around?
They are both excited to have another sibling.

Who does he look like more - Mom or Dad?
A little of both. People actually say he looks most like his grandparents.

Is he named after anyone?
No, not really. My kids decided that if we had another boy the third boy would have to have a name that started with a "G" and Garrison was the only one we could all agree on.

Why did they want the name to start with a “G”?
My boys names are Grant [12] and Garret [7] so Garrison would make them the 3 G's.

The third time around any easier?
It was for me, for my wife it wasn't. To Teresa it was brand new again, but I guess it is physically much easier for me. *Jason cracks a smirk*

That'd make five in the family, right? Any more coming?
No, three is good enough.

With Summer coming up and the new baby, I imagine you aren't planning any vacations far away or anything like that.
We don't' really go on vacations since the kids were born with the exception of one trip we had quite a few years ago.

Speaking of long trips, how does your family feel about you being in the service?
They are pretty proud. Of course they don't want to see me go and I don't want to leave my family but it's something that we are all proud of.

The little guys must be stoked to hear about all the juicy stuff you can tell them when you get back, huh?
Oh yeah, I have to change a few of the stories around but they like hearing about it.

What is your position in the National Guard?
Recently I was a Diesel Mechanic. But just the last two weeks I trained to be a Door Gunner on a Helicopter firing a machine gun out of the door. We practiced on a range where de-commissioned vehicles such as old tanks and airplanes. It's a lot easier firing out of the aircraft than firing from the ground.

Do you know what your mission will be?
I’ll be in Iraq, the mission will mostly be a combination of moving and securing supplies and possibly even troops.

Are you scared of going at all?
A little bit, there's always a bit in the back of my mind. On the second deployment we lost five soldiers in our battalion and about 50 wounded that had to go home. This is my third deployment so I'm a little more used to it all.

Do you know how long you are supposed to be there?
Deployment is now one year. When you get deployed you have to be mobilized. You have to go to a training site for a few months, and then you do your deployment overseas and come back.

Is this mission part of your fulfillment?
This one was not directly a fulfillment, it's more half and half. They needed some men and I volunteered to go because I moved up and gained some leadership which they needed for the mission.

Why did you join the service?
*Starts laughing* I originally joined to have money for college, but I've only had one semester of college. Hopefully someday I'll go back and complete it, though.

How do you communicate with your family during your deployment?
Usually there are phones over there and sometimes they have living containers which has internet capability so I can talk to my family over a video chat program.

How long have you been in the service?
14 years so far. There's a good chance that I'll be deployed one more time in the six years I have left before I serve my 20 years which is when you can retire if you choose to.

What does Memorial Day mean to you?
Memorial Day to me is a time to remember all of the veterans, family and friends that passed on. To me it's mostly remembering the veterans because we lost five men in the last deployment I went on. One of the men I knew pretty well. I saw him every day for a couple of months, it really hits you hard.

What does the word "service" mean to you?
Service is simply serving your Country. Doing your duty. I think it's pretty important - but then again I'm kind of torn because my kids say they want to join when they grow older. But after three deployments I'm thinking; "no, no way they're going." I'd like to see them go to college.

What is one thing that you'd want people to realize about the service that might be overlooked or ignored?
Well the biggest thing is what the media portrays. Usually you see all this negativity but there are men and women over there working night and day with lack of sleep and food. They go through every day trying to protect the U.S. and the media doesn't always show that the best. They are always worried about what they are doing or did wrong or what they can do better but those people out there are doing their absolute best.

Do you have any plans for Memorial Day?
Pretty much just relaxing. I'll probably sleep in, that's for sure. 

One more question for you. A year ago, we described you as "The Superman of the Parts Department" do you think that title still suits you?
Superman? Mmm... Hmmm... Probably step it up. We'll go with Iron Man.

Have you seen the new Iron Man? It's pretty good.
Is it? No, I've seen the first one though, and that's a great movie.

It's an honor to have you with us here at Runde's Jason, thank you for sharing your perspective. It’s great to hear from someone in the service to get a better appreciation for Memorial Day. Congratulations on your new baby and I wish you and your family the best. Best of luck on your deployment.

Sean Dailey is one of Runde’s newest employees. He has been very busy meeting all of the friendly faces in our Ford, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep store and serving the great people of, and around, Manchester their vehicle needs. In the midst of his busy schedule we were able to sneak in a few questions to get to know him better.

So Sean, what exactly do you do here at Runde’s?
I am a general sales associate, I sell cars

How long have you been doing that?
Two and a half weeks so far.

Are you originally from the Manchester area?
No, I was actually born in San Francisco. I joined the military and after moving around for a while, I settled here in Iowa about 19 years ago.

Why Iowa?
I moved around a lot as a military kid, and spent some time in Iowa. In fact, my mom married a man from Iowa before we moved back out to Washington. I just like the area and how all of the people have good work ethic and are always friendly.

Which branch of the military did you serve in?
I was in the Army for six years.

So what do you do with your free time?
I really enjoy playing billiards, messing around with my dog, and spending time with my wife.

Could you consider yourself to be a billiards professional?
Almost, but I am not quite good enough yet.

You said you have a wife, how long have the two of you been together?
I have been married to my wonderful wife, Judy, for about 14 years.

Do you have any children?
Judy has three children; Scott, Kim, and Michelle.

Do you have any pets?
Yes, I have a Chihuahua, her name is Liberty.

When you and your family sit down for dinner is it “table time” or head-to-the-living-room-time and all is well so long as nobody spills on the couch or carpet?
We all gather around the table for dinner.

Do you have a favorite place to go and relax in the West Delaware area?
Strokers Saloon.

Is that your favorite place to eat too?
No, I really like to go down to Diny’s steakhouse.

I’m not familiar with the place, what’s good to eat there?
Their ham steak is to die for. I get it every time I go there.

If you could own your dream vehicle, what would it be?
That truck right there (gesturing to the blue Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie sitting right in front of him.) I sit here all day, every day, looking at it. The more I see it, the more I love it.

Lakers or Celtics?
Lakers.

AM or PM?
AM.

Happy Gilmore or Billy Madison?
Happy Gilmore.

Country Club or a nice relaxing afternoon in the park?
I don’t golf, so I am going to say the park

Push mower or rider?
Definitely not pushing, rider.

Casey’s Pizza or Pizza Ranch?
Casey’s.

Apartment, ranch style house, farm, or van down by the river?
I am going to have to go with the ranch. I sold my place on the river a few years back.

Def Leppard or Bon Jovi?
Now that’s a good question, I was kind of a hair band fan when I was younger… Def Leppard

Who is your favorite singer?
Ozzy Osbourne.

If we headed out to the lot and checked the CD player of your vehicle, what would we pull out?
Poison’s Greatest Hits.

Speaking of vehicles, what do you drive?
I have a 2000 pewter Silverado 1500, and I love it. Great reliable truck. My wife and I share cars, but she usually drives our 2004 LeSabre Unlimited. I really, really like that car.

Do you have any really memorable experiences in a car?
Well back in 1987 I was going a little too fast on a back road and ended up wrapping my car around a tree.

Scary. Was everyone ok?
Yeah, my buddy and I had a few bumps and scratches, but we were fine.

What is your favorite movie of the year?
(pausing for literally 5 minutes due to deep thought, and several phone calls) That one football movie was pretty good, The Blindside.

Did you make it to see Avatar?
Yeah… The graphics and special effects were phenomenal, but the storyline could have used some work.

What is your favorite movie of all time?
Men In Black.

Did you like the sequel?

Heck no.

So when you finally win the lottery, where will you go first?
Ireland… Specifically Dublin.

Going over to kiss the Blarney Stone?
No, my whole family is from over there, I think it would be cool to see where they came from.

What is your favorite part about working for Runde’s?
I’m learning tons of new things and really enjoy interacting and working with the great people here.

Final question, what is your best experience here at Runde’s in the short time that you have worked here?
I sold my first vehicle to a couple shortly after I arrived. They were super satisfied and it was great to see them leave here with a new car and a big smile on their faces.

Thank you for letting us get to know you better Sean. Welcome to the Runde family!

Some of the beefier men here at Runde's went on a journey the other day. A journey of self-discovery, testing the limits of themselves and their stomach's, a journey that only Luigi's Pizza in Dubuque, IA could provide. They supplied us with the biggest pizza that I, and several others, have ever seen with a whopping 30" in diamater! The following video is a document of the momentus day that was Lunch from Luigi's Pizza... Enjoy!

Want to see one in person? Give Luigi's a call @ (563) 588-8625