Mark Hansen Rex Chevrolet celebrating 90 years in business
Odebolt’s oldest family-owned business, Mark Hansen’s Rex Chevrolet, GMC, Ltd., celebrated its 90th anniversary Friday with an open house. The business is also the second-oldest Chevy dealer in Iowa.
Current owners Mark and Pam (Rex) Hansen purchased the business from Pam’s dad, Ronald Rex, and took over on April 1, 1989.
Pam said, “On Nov. 3, 1911, Swiss race car driver and automobile engineer Louis Chevrolet co-founded The Chevrolet Motor Car Company in Detroit with William C. Durant and investment partners William Little and Dr. Edwin R. Campbell. In 1913, Durant introduced the now familiar bowtie emblem. The Corvette was introduced in 1953 and the Corvair in 1960. I have a 1967 Corvair. The longest-lived continuous automobile nameplate still in production in the world is the Chevrolet Suburban.”
After serving in World War I, Pam’s grandpa, Floyd Rex, returned to Odebolt and worked in the service department at Einsphar Buick Car Company. In 1922, the Rex Tire and Battery Company was founded on the corner of Third and Willow Streets.
In 1925, Rex Auto Company was founded. They sold Chevrolet and Dodge cars and trucks. “My dad always told me that the first Chevrolet vehicle was ordered in 1925 and arrived in 1926,” said Pam. “The Odebolt Fire Department’s 1926 fire truck (often used in parades) was bought from Rex Auto Company.”
Pam said, “The Dodge franchise was dropped in 1929, and the business moved to First and Main Street. The following year, the business was forced to move and a brick building was built on First Street, across from the current Farmers Cooperative Elevator Company of ice and scale.”
In 1940, Rex Chevrolet purchased a building on Maple Street (now Hemer’s Plumbing and Heating) and, in 1945, at the end of World War II, the building was remodeled and moved into as the new Rex Chevrolet Company. In 1950, a parts room was added and, in 1958, Ronald Rex purchased the business from his dad. A used car lot was purchased adjoining this building in 1959.
“Pam and I bought the business from her dad and I started working here on April 1, 1989,” said Mark. “One day, I was working at the bank; the next, I was in the car business.”
“This is the fifth location for the business,” said Pam. “In 1972, we bought the land and put the new cars out here on Highway 39. The office was a small trailer. Mark was spending so much time traveling from the highway to downtown, we decided to move everything out here. In March 2003, construction was begun on the new shop and office, and we moved here around Creek Days that summer.”
Mark said, “The biggest change in the auto industry since I took over in 1989 has been the internet. In the old days, people came in, sat down, test drove a vehicle and then bought it. Now, they do a lot of online shopping. A lot of deals start on the internet. Call me old-fashioned, but I like having them come in and take a drive. The nice thing about the internet is they can shop online 24/7. Every dealership has their own website and usually subscribes to a couple others. We subscribe to AutoTrader.comand Cars.com.”
“The other big thing is the vehicles we’re selling today are a lot more expensive. When I started in 1989, $2,500 would buy a nice school car; now it takes $7,500. The warranties on today’s vehicles are so much better—100,000-mile warranties. Today’s vehicles are designed for low maintenance. In the old days, we did a lot of repair work on vehicles. Now, it’s just oil changes, tires and batteries.
“I will say one thing about Rex Chevrolet—Ron had a good customer base and we’ve built off of that and took it to the next plateau. We are so thankful for our loyal customers and their repeat business. We offer great customer service, and that success is due to good employees. We don’t have turnover; all of our employees have been here a long, long time.
“To have two successful car stores in this town is because the residents of Odebolt and the surrounding area are very loyal to their local dealers. That speaks loudly as big-name companies get closer.”
Pam said, “We are working on the fourth generation in the business. Our oldest son, Chris, is the parts and service manager and our daughter, Rachel, is the business manager.”
“I love my job; I can’t wait to get up and go to work. Every day is different, and there’s never a dull moment in the car business,” said Mark. “We are working on the fourth generation now. Where will we be in the future? That depends on what GM does with dealerships in small towns. We recently signed another five-year contract with GM, so we’ll be here at least that long.”
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