From tailfins to hybrids: Dennis Underwood has spent 50 years selling autos

In May of 1958, Dennis Underwood needed a job. At 19, he had a wife and had recently returned to Cape Girardeau from St. Louis, where he had worked at Clayton Motors selling Plymouths and DeSotos.

He sought work at the Cadillac and Oldsmobile dealer. Sorry, no jobs, he was told.

He tried Harris Motor Co., selling Chrysler and Dodge automobiles on Broadway. Sorry, no jobs, he was told.

The next stop was Rueseler Motor Co., where Chevrolets were offered. Sorry, no jobs, was the answer. Sales were down — 1958 was a recession year — and adding staff would hurt the other salesmen.

But go to the Ford Groves dealership on Sprigg Street, the manager said. They might be hiring.

So Underwood went to see Ed Massey, the sales manager at the time. They spoke on a Friday and the following Wednesday, Massey called: "He said come to work. 'It is strictly straight commission and you are on your own,'" Underwood recalled Massey saying.

Now, 50 years later, those other dealers are gone. But Ford Groves is still around — albeit under different owners — and so is Underwood. He's held just about every job in sales and administration at the auto lot, including being a part-owner with Massey from 1972 to 1986. And at 69, he's not spending much time thinking about retirement, except to say he's not ready to think about it.

"I've got no plans," Underwood said. "I still enjoy what I am doing."

In the intervening 50 years since taking that chance on a commission-only job — one of the toughest ways to make a living because no sales mean no paycheck — Underwood has seen massive shifts in car styles, the public's preferences and the way automotive sales staff do their job.

From big fins in the late 1950s, muscle cars in the 1960s, subcompacts and downsized sedans in the 1970s, minivans in the 1980s, pickup trucks and SUVs in the 1990s to hybrids today, Underwood has sold them all.

In the early years, customers wanted cars for personal use and businesses wanted 2-ton trucks — not pickups — for work. And to find those customers, the sales staff didn't sit around the showroom waiting for someone to come by. Instead, they went out to the coffee shops and chewed the fat. And they stopped along country roads and talked to farmers on their tractors.

Today Underwood spends much of his time on fleet sales. It is a high-volume, low-commission job not very attractive to other sales staff. But with 50 years of sales relationships, Underwood doesn't have to keep his eye on the front door to snatch up walk-in traffic. His customers don't just return to Ford Groves. They return to see Underwood.

Don Schuette of Jackson has purchased maybe more than 100 cars from Underwood for himself and his family. The first purchase was made soon after Underwood joined the staff in 1958, Schuette said, and while he's picked up one or two vehicles from other dealers over the years, he's stuck with Underwood.

At other dealers, Schuette said, he's found sales people who either were too pushy or too inexperienced for his taste. "He can pretty much close the deal," Schuette said. "In most cases, you can pretty well close the deal with Dennis without going any further."

Another reason he stays with Underwood, Schuette said, is trust that he'll get a good response if a problem appears after the sale.

When Underwood came on board with Ford Groves, the dealership still belonged to the original owner, Fred Groves.

Ford Groves was founded by Fred A. Groves in 1914. Soon Fred Groves received the nickname Ford and it became part of the dealership name. In 1972, Ed Massey, Cliff Irwin and Underwood purchased the dealership and ran it for 14 years until William Schicker of St. Louis purchased the company.

A year later, Schicker's son-in-law, Bob Neff, was assigned to Cape Girardeau as general manager, a post he's held ever since. There was a discussion about changing the dealership's name, he said, but it didn't get far. And persuading Underwood and others on staff at the time to stay with the dealership helped the new owners succeed, he said.

"Getting involved with a dealership like Ford Groves and someone like Dennis Underwood gave us more instant credibility than we deserved," Neff said.

Neff was 28 when he moved to Cape Girardeau and admits he was "wet behind the ears thrown in the deep water to sink or swim." Underwood helped keep him afloat, he said.

Underwood has his favorite cars from each era — he still thinks the Ford Galaxy from the early years is one of the best-looking cars he ever sold. And he can recite the high and low points of Ford offerings. The Mustang, introduced in 1965, was a hot seller, while the Mustang II, introduced in the post-oil shock era of the mid-1970s, was a dud, Underwood said.

But overall, he said, cars made now are far superior to those he sold in the early years. Cars are more reliable and are more durable. "If you take care of it, a car today can go a long, long time without anything other than normal maintenance."

And Underwood has shown his durability, Neff said.

"I have told Dennis that he is not allowed to even consider retirement," Neff said.

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126