Runde Auto Chat

Jeff Kueter, who works in the reconditioning department at Runde Chevrolet celebrated a birthday today. He is commonly known at Runde's as "Lenny", although we really don't know why.

You may have noticed Lenny on some on our other Ads and Newsletters and, in a way, he's sort of become the face of Runde Chevrolet because he's always smiling. Anyway, that smile is a year older now, but I'm sure that won't get him down. He was planning on going out and celebrating his 36th (but he doesn't look a day over 29) B-Day tonight so if you see him out-n-about, wish him a Happy One !!!

Sean Dailey is one of Runde’s newest employees. Over the past few weeks he has been very busy meeting all of the friendly faces at our Ford-Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep store and helping the great people of, and around, Manchester with their vehicle needs. In the midst of his busy schedule we were able to sneak in a few questions to get to know him bit 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 to Washington. I just like the area and how all of the people have a good work ethic and how everyone always seems 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.

Would you consider yourself a billiards professional?
Almost, but I'm 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 14 years.

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

Do you have any pets?
Yes, we 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?
Stroker's 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 Chevy Silverado 1500, and I love it. Great reliable truck. My wife and I share cars, but she usually drives our Buick LeSabre Limited. 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. But that was many, many miles ago.

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 nice couple shortly after I arrived. They were super satisfied and it was great to see them leave here with a new car and big smiles on their faces.

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

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!

Jeff Schmitt has been with us here at Runde's for several years. Having to deal with appointments and service, Jeff is always a busy guy. Today, however, we got to sneak in a couple of minutes to let everyone get to know Jeff a little better.

Thanks for chatting with me Jeff. To start out, what would you say is your position here?
Assistant Body Shop Manager would be my "main position" but I do several other things such as service writing, making appointments, etc.

How long have you been here?
Since August 2007, so a couple of years.

How do you like it at Runde's?
It's great. Everyone is really friendly.

Where are you from?
I was born in Dubuque, lived there for about a year. Then we moved to East Dubuque when my dad got a job at Fentress Lake Marina. So I've been living there pretty much all of my life.

I assume you went to the East Dubuque High school then?
Yep. I went to all of the East Dubuque Schools, I've seen Runde's grow throughout the years.

Do you have any pets?
Yea we have birds. One is a Quaker and one is a Sun Coiner.

I used to have birds as well... EVERY morning they'd wake you up bright and early around 5:30 or so.
Hahaha, yep. Exactly.

Favorite restaurant?
Olive Garden - I'd have to say their Alfredo dishes are my favorite.

What's the last movie you seen in theaters?
I saw Hot Tub Time Machine. It was a lot better than what everyone thought it would be. Pretty funny.

Are you planning on seeing Iron Man 2?
More than likely. I've seen the first one so I'd assume I'd watch the second one as well.

Do you do the whole Facebook thing? What do you think about those Social Networks?
Yea I do have a Facebook. I like the Social Networks - you can meet new people and chat with different people that share similar interests with you.

If you could take any one vehicle from our lot, what would you take?
I really like the new Camaro's. I'd LOVE to take the Corvette ZR1, but I don't think that would happen anytime soon.

Have any favorite sports teams?
If I'd have to pick I'd pick the Bears.

Do you have a role model?
I haven't really given that any thought before... if anything I'd have to say my high school principal, Greg Herbst, he was pretty inspirational. His talks and speeches really made sense.

Where would you go to have a good time around the area?
I like to go down to the river-walk and take walks there on nice days.

If Hollywood made a movie about you, what would the title of the movie be called?
The Stressful Life of Jeff Schmitt.

What' the biggest purchase you've ever made?
I just bought a car here, actually - an '06 Chevy Impala.

How has that been treating you?
It's been going great. I traded in a '96 Ford Mustang for the Impala which my girlfriend gives me a hard time about. She liked the Mustang but it was really bad with gas so I had to get something with better gas-mileage.

What do you do in your spare time?
I listen to music mostly, I used to be in choir. I also like to play video games , my dad and I play some multi-player games sometimes.

No longer in choir?
Well I think about doing it more often. I was actually the first one in East Dubuque to make All-State for singing in my senior year.

Who's your favorite vocal artist and genre?
It's a toss up between Michael Buble and Josh Groban. I mostly like classical.

What is the most important invention or innovation that happened during your lifetime?"
I think the Catscan was invented sometime during my lifetime.

How would you spend your ideal day?
I would wake up in the morning, get ready for the day and grab a nice healthy breakfast. I would do a little exercising and hang out with my girlfriend the rest of the day.

What is your favorite cartoon?
I like Family Guy.

What do you hope to accomplish in your near future?
 Just to live a happy and healthy life and keep my blood-pressure down. I joined The Gym in Dubuque to help out with the fitness in my life.

You ever scuba dive?
No...

Have you ever danced in the rain?
Uh... No...?

What's your highest score on guitar hero?
I think my girlfriend beats me at that one. I think eventually she won't even have to look at the T.V. and get a perfect score.

That'll be all the questions I got for you Jeff unless you wanted to add anything. Thanks for taking the time to let everyone get to know you better!
No problem.