Runde Auto Chat

The newest addition to Runde's proud family of upstanding sales professionals is Kaylin Seffrood! Kaylin has great experience from other automotive shops and has now found her way to Runde's where she is enjoying selling new Chevrolet's. You'll find Kaylin always smiling, willing to help, and brightening up whichever room she may be in. We sat down with Kaylin to get to know more about her.

Where are you from? Monroe, WI.

Born and raised? Born and raised.

Where do you live now? We just bought a house in Hazel Green, Wisconsin. We moved there during the 4th of July Weekend.

What brought you to Hazel Green? Initially, my fiancé and I came to Hazel Green to work for Dubuque Harley Davidson so we would avoid the hour and a half drive to get there from Monroe. We tried to find a place that would let us live with our pets but didn't have much luck so we bought a house.

What made you want to work for Runde Chevrolet? I've always wanted to sell vehicles. I stopped in here one day to get warranty work on my truck and asked if you guys were hiring and it just happened that you were.

How do you like your experience so far? I love it.

What do you like to do around the Hazel Green Area? There isn't much to do... unfortunately with our hours we've been just mostly staying at home and playing with the pets or going back and forth to Monroe or Freeport, WI (where his family is from) to visit family. We go out to dinner and stuff like that as well.

What do you drive? An '08 Chevy Avalanche.

What's your favorite car? A '59 Chevy Parkwood. My dad has one, I love it.

What kind of pets do you have? A dog (boxer), a cat, and a hedgehog.

How did you come about getting the hedgehog? I saw an ad on Craigslist and I went about an hour to pick her up. It was totally worth it.

How old is she and what's her name? She's a year-and-a-half and she's named Eseme. I have no idea what it means, it's what the previous owners named her.

Do you... pet... hedgehogs? Yeah, you can. When she calms down and her quills are back she is fine to pet but she can puff up her quills anytime and that hurts. She's even drawn blood on my fiancé.

Do all the animals get along? The cat runs the house. She's the boss. You could say she's literally insane. One second she'll be loving you and the next second she'll claw at your arm.

Did you have her from a kitten? She just turned 10; I've only had her for about four years. I got her from the humane society and she was named "sweetheart". That doesn't quite fit her personality.

I hear your engaged, when's the wedding? 06/09/2012. We've got so much stuff done already; it kind of takes half the fun out of it.

Going to be a big wedding? It's going to be a very small ceremony and whoever shows up to the reception, shows up.

Big family on both of your sides? My family is small, I'm an only child. But Ryan's [Kaylin's fiancé] family is huge. We go over to his side of the family for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. And every time there's always over 25 people there.

Your fiancé works here now, how's he liking the gig? Yes, he just started here as a mechanic, he says he's loving it.

You guys watch any movies? We watch all kinds of movies. We just bought The Smurfs and we just watched that the other night.

What was the last theater movie you've seen? I think it was the last Transformers movie: Dark of the Moon.

What do you guys like to do? Any events you go to? During the summer months we ride our motorcycles and during the winter we ride our snowmobiles. Not really big partiers really. We are kind of in the middle of re-modeling the house.

What kind of bikes do you guys have? Right now we only have Ryan's Harley Road Glide. We have two of my dad’s bikes in our basement, a Road Glide and a Heritage and my friend has her Road glide and an Ultra-Classic stored there as well.

Where do you ride to? We've been up to Canada and to Georgia.

How long did that take? Both trips took about a week total, we took our time. The bike I road back then was a Buell Blast and I road it from Monroe to Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and anyone who knows that bike knows that's not a bike that you take that far.

Any future trips planned? I'd like to go to the Oregon/Washington area. Any trip outside of North America is fun.

Any plans for the holidays? It depends on what day, but yes. We'll be going to Rockford to Ryan’s Grandma's house for the biggest gathering with 25-30 people. We also go to Freeport to see his parents as well as to Monroe to see my family. We generally just eat dinner, talk and exchange gifts.

Why should customers come to see you when they want to buy a vehicle? I have a little different perspective on things since I'm a woman. And I always treat people right. They should come in and speak with me because like Runde's, they will like my attitude.

What's the strangest thing that ever happened to you? It was at the 105th anniversary for Harley Davidson in Milwaukee when I was living there working at the Harley dealership. We were so swamped that this lady who just bought a pair of boots came up and asked if we had any socks for sale, which we didn't. So she literally bought the socks from my feet. So I gave them to her and she gave me 10 dollars.

Ever play an instrument? I used to play the trombone for about two years.

What's your favorite band? I don't really have a favorite.

What's in the CD player of your car right now? I have six cd's in my car right now. I have Adel, Lincoln Park and I forget the rest.

Do you like Rap? As long as I can understand it, I like it.

So you don't like Rap? Not usually.

Favorite movie? That's tough... I love the Transformers movies; I like Over the Hedge and the Cars movies as well.

You said you had some service work done here. How did you like being a customer of Runde's? I loved it, it was the best service that I've ever gotten. Many of the dealerships I went to, just because I'm a girl, treated me like I don't know anything about vehicles and ignore me. It’s nice here that I'm not treated that way, I can chat with the guys here and be treated as an equal.

Welcome to the crew Kaylin! Stay tuned for an interview with Kaylin's Fiancé - Ryan Kerchner!

Today we spoke with Rob Schechinger who was in to pick up his Saturn Vue. Rob lives about two hours away, but was more than happy to travel to experience what Runde’s had in store for him. He left with a big smile on his face, a new vehicle and an appreciation for a dealer who cares.

What brought you into Runde's today?
I've been searching for some time now for a Saturn Vue Hybrid. And out of all the different deals I've seen online, Runde's seemed like the best deal. After I submitted my request I was contacted by Dave Smith right away and we went from there.

How was your experience?
The whole car shopping experience is challenging in itself and having a great experience at the dealership is really important. I was actually looking at another vehicle at a different dealer that had the same specs that I wanted, but the salesman was all about getting rid of the vehicle for the sale and didn't really seem to care if I was happy with my experience.

How was your salesman, Dave Smith?
Dave was really nice and helpful. He got me sales numbers, values and pretty much everything instantly. I feel like there is a lot of procrastination with other dealership with thinking how much money they can get out of the person buying a vehicle, but Dave was fast and honest about the price and everything.

If you were to rank your experience overall, what would you give it?
I'd give it a 9, it was hassle free and an overall good experience.

Where are you from Rob?
I'm from Coralville, IA. about 80 miles away.

Where do you work?
I'm the Customer Service Manager at Wal-Mart. I oversee most of the activity that goes on in the store. It's actually a really great job. 

What do you like to do around the area?
Iowa football is humongous where I live so I'm into that. We live approximately 15 minutes away from Kinnick Stadium so we go to a lot of football and basketball games, it's really fun.

Favorite restaurants or food?
I'm more of a steak and potatoes kind of guy, but I do love a lot of different foods too. Texas Roadhouse is great but it’s best to go during the weekday unless you want to wait forever.

Married?
I've been with my girlfriend for about a year-and-a-half.

Kids, pets?
We have a dog. It's a mutt but it's a bigger dog, not sure what kind of mix it is. I think it’s a boxer-something.

If you were to win the lottery what would you do with the money?
You know, I don't play the lottery mainly because I don't think I'm really lucky enough to actually win it. And there are all those tragic stories about people going bankrupt and stuff after winning it because they live outside of their means. If I were to win it though, I’d probably just lay low and take a couple of trips, pay the bills and invest the rest so it grows.

Where would you go if you could travel anywhere?
I'd love to go to Europe. Australia is pretty cool, too, just because it's on the other side of the globe and it'd be really awesome to experience that. But even more of the continental United States would be interesting to explore.

Watch any good movies lately?
I think the last good movie I saw was The Lincoln Lawyer with Matthew McConaughey. He plays a really good lawyer. I don't like any of his other movies because he's all "oh hey look at me I have my shirt off!” But this one is kind of like the movie Training Day with Denzel Washington; it has that same schematic and feel to it.

Follow the Marvel movies at all?
Oh yeah, I love those. I saw Captain America and loved it. Hugo Weaving plays the main villain, it's pretty great. The Avengers movie is coming out next April I think, that's bound to be good.

That's all the questions that I had for you Rob, anything else you'd like to add?
It was just really awesome that you guys are 100% willing to help out with everything. The car buying process is hard enough without having challenges with dealerships, so it's nice to have a dealer that actually makes the process easier. If you're going to have someone spend quite a bit of money you should at least try to be a little excited for them unlike what I experienced at another dealer. Runde’s was great.

Thanks Rob! We hope you enjoy your new Saturn Vue!

What vehicle did you purchase from us?
I bought a 2010 Suzuki Equator.

Where are you from and have you always lived in that area?
Prairie du Chien, WI and yes I have always lived here.

What are your past times / hobbies?
I make crafts! My website is: www.couleecreations.com -- I also have horses www.peacefulvalleyhayburners.com and I enjoy going to my cabin and land snowmobiling, boating, fishing, camping, & ATVing.

Kids?
Yep, I am the parent of two very fine adults.

Pets?
Yes, I've got cats, dogs, horses, beef cattle, Texas longhorns, and my 7-year-old Walmart goldfish.

Who was the sales person that you purchased your new vehicle from?
Ann Lenaers at the Manchester store.

How would you rate her on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best and 1 being the absolute worst?
10...She was very patient, kind, not pushy, just a great gal to deal with.

What's your favorite restaurant and how often do you eat there?
Grizzleys in LaCrosse, WI. We'll eat there every time we get up to LaCrosse.

What dish on their menu would you highly recommend?
Their baby back ribs.

Do you have a favorite hang-out spot?
Either at my cabin and or at my home in my hot tub...

What's your favorite movie of all time?
Ghost.

Favorite singer?
Elvis

Favorite song
There are too many to list.

Favorite vacation spot?
My favorite vacation spot is COLORADO - luv it!

What's the best joke you've ever heard? (must be PG-rated or PG-13 tops)
Sorry, don't know any PG rated ones....

Cats, dogs, or aqua-marine life (like fish)?
Dogs

Cubs, Cardinals, or Brewers?
Brewers

Packers, Bears, or Vikings?
Packers

Peanut butter M&M's or Reeces Pieces?
Reeses Pieces

Hamburger or 6 oz. steak filet?
I'll take the steak

Happy Joes or Pizza Hut?
Pizza Hut

What's the farthest place you've ever traveled to?
Alaska

What did you like best about that place?
Whales & the glaciers

What NFL football team do you think will take home the Superbowl trophy this year?
Green Bay all the way!

What's the funniest thing that ever happened to you?
I once got pranked on the phone where a friend of mine called and told me I won the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes. Got another phone prank with a Z93 wake up call at 3AM. I have had friends poke a hole in my beer can and wound up getting soaked! Once fell off my horse drunk in slow motion..(was a good laugh for everyone). Oh and I once had someone put anti-sieze on the ear piece of my phone at work then I answered it and guess what all over my ear... it was a huge mess. I have also had various signs and tails on my back at work. And I had a sign taped to the back of my truck on my tailgate for my birthday and a 20 foot long streamer flowing behind off my trailer hitch. I COULD GO ON AND ON, BUT THERE'S NOT ENOUGH ROOM HERE....(laughs)

What led you to Runde's in the first place and what factors led you to purchase your vehicle from us?
Their reputation.

Anything else you'd like to add?
Yes, I got lost comin' down and lost going home! (laughs again)

Thanks for your time, Deb and thanks for purchasing your new truck from us. We really appreciate it. It was great to get to know a little about you and we hope that your co-workers and friends cut down on the pranks a little (at least for a week) -- sounds like you been through a lot ;) -- And to anyone out there in cyberland who lives in or near the PDC area and would like to check out Deb's website, please visit: www.couleecreations.com

We'll leave you with some gorgeous photos of Deb's horses that Deb allowed us to show in this blog post.

I've gotten first place in quite a few races. I usually take first or third in my age group. I've broken the master time record in the Muddy Monster Race in Cedar Rapids a couple of times.

Any tips for future runners? Shoes make a big difference?
I only buy this one particular model of Acics shoes.

How long have you and your husband been together?
We've been together for 16 years.

Any kids?
Three. My oldest son just turned 25, then I have a 25 year-old daughter and my youngest son is 18, he goes to Kirkwood-college.

Any big trips as a family?
A big thing is to take my kids up to Wisconsin and go to Devils Lake in Baraboo, WI. Oh my gosh I love that. Canoeing on Kickapoo River, which is right by Ontario, WI. is a blast and a half. It's beautiful right now in October with all the trees changing. There's a little town along the way called Rockton which has barbeques on Sunday. It's just a great time with great food.

Roy Brock is one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet. He came in to Runde’s after doing some research for a new truck with his daughter. He ended up with a great truck and a great experience which resulted in him being in a great mood and a willingness to share that experience to the world.

What brought you into Runde’s Today?
My daughter was looking for a vehicle for me on the internet and she ran across the 1500 Chevy Silverado Crew Cab that was perfect for me. She called up here and talked to Al a few times and told me that I should check out the truck. So I looked it up on the website, thought it looked great and now here I am.

How did you like your experience here at Runde’s?
I enjoyed it. They treated me right and I really appreciate it. I’d give them a 10 out of 10.

How did you like Al?
He knows how to do it right. Perfect. He gets a 10 out of 10.

Did you need the truck for a particular reason?
I do, mainly because I can’t haul anything in my car. I traded in my Chrysler 300. It’s a nice car but I just needed a truck for the space and hauling capabilities.

Are you from the area?
I’m from Clinton, IA, a little over and hour away.

Oh! They opened up a chicken place by some famous rapper guy there…
Oh, what’s his name… oh yeah, Flavor Flav. Yep, didn’t last too long. I think the guy next door kind of got into it with the owners and they ended up having to leave. They opened up for business at around 4, which was really late I thought, but they always had people lined up all the way around the corner waiting to get in.

Not one of their customers?
No, we eat at home most of the time. We make our own food, only every once in a while we’ll go out to a Culvers, Hardees or McDonalds, something like that.

Who is “We”?
Me and my wife Julie. We’ve been together for about 13 years.

What kind of meals do you make at home?
Steak and Pork-chops. I’m really bad on the grill with steak I always find myself saying “Woah, this is going to be a little crispy, honey”. My wife makes goulash and we cook a lot of chicken dishes because the dogs love it. They aren’t very good at eating dog food.

Do you remember your first date with Julie?
Yep. Her kids and my kids set us up on a blind date at the bowling alley. We got there then the kids took off and let us be alone. It turned out pretty good… pretty unusual but it was great.

Do anything special for your recent anniversary?
No, nothing special, she had to work and we didn’t have anything planned. Just another day at the house, but every day is a good day.

How many kids do you guys have?
I have a boy and a girl and she has 3 girls so we have 1 boy 4 girl’s total. They are all grown up and now we have grandkids, three boys, and one girl - the complete opposite of what we had.

Al Kloft and Roy Brock

Do you all get together for the holidays?
Oh yeah, we do the holidays and birthday parties for the grandkids in our finished basement. Most of the family lives close to where our house is.

Go on many trips as a family?
We used to go to Florida but now everyone is busy all the time so we don’t really get a chance to. We went down there once in September, man is that a bad time to go, it was way too hot.

Do you and your wife go out much?
No, not too much. She’s working and I’m retired so I stay at home with the dogs most of the time.

What kind of dogs?
I have a Bichon-Shih Tzu mix and a Yorkie. They are both about three years old. We’ve had them both since they were puppies. They are great company. Wendy, the Yorkie, she tries to talk… she lifts her head up and starts to make this gargling noise, it’s fun to watch.

Are you looking forward to winter?
Oh sure, I like the winter. I don’t do nothing much anyway so I don’t mind the snow. I’m looking forward to it actually now that I have my four-wheel-drive truck.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
Fish. My son-in-law and I will go out and fish from time to time, we like to fish catfish and walleye. We haven’t caught many this year because of the weird weather. 

Have a football team?
I like the Hawkeyes.

If you were to win the lottery what would you do with the money?
Probably pay off my bills, get a bigger house then help out my kids.

Did you grow up during war time?
I graduated in ’64 during the Vietnam War. I served in the Marine Core as a combat engineer which mostly deals with demolitions. I swept rows for mines, diffused mines and bombs grenades and so forth as well as blew up gates. I actually really enjoyed doing what I did.

How did you find the mines?
We used to see if the dirt was shuffled around at all, and if we couldn’t spot them with our eyes we’d make sure to bring the mine detector. It seemed like right after you take one out another one would be laid in its place. We scanned the routes every morning before the troops would go out. We’ve seen some nasty booby-traps.

Anything else you’d like to add Mr. Brock?
Nope, just that everything was great. I enjoyed my stay here and am looking forward to riding my truck around!
Thank you Roy! We appreciate your business and we hope you have some fun this winter with your new truck!