Bert Boeckmann, his six-foot-two-inch frame ensconced behind an oversized mahogany desk, cuts an imposing figure from his perch overlooking the showroom floor of the world’s largest Ford dealership. It isn’t just his physical stature or his professional accomplishments, but a sphere of influence that has extended, literally throughout the world, so that it is easy for a visitor to feel intimidated. Until, that is, Boeckmann leans forward, his blue eyes lit with just the tiniest hint of mischief, and he asks, “You got time for a story?” And in that instant, the man who has sat with two generations of Bushes, with Ronald Reagan and with Gerald Ford, the man who has met with Pope John Paul II and with Mother Teresa, with Mikhail Gorbachev and with Jordan’s Prince Abdullah is no longer a titan of business. In that instant, Boeckmann has become your favorite uncle, telling stories of everyday snafus and foibles that make up the human condition. Like the time he was scheduled to present the Prince of Peace award to Mother Teresa and each of the two limo drivers, thinking she was riding with the other, left her behind. Or the time his accountant on a visit to one of the Boeckmann ranches, had to rush back to L.A. to revise his financials because he mistakenly thought that the sale of 500 head of cattle constituted the whole herd. Or the time he assumed a Democratic mayor (Tom Bradley) would never select him, a Republican, to sit on the police commission right up until the day he arrived at the swearing-in ceremony thinking he was going to be turned down gently. “He is a very pleasant guy to be around,” said former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan. “I think he treats everybody as an equal. I don’t care how important or unimportant you are, he treats you as an equal.” Boeckmann’s rise, from a salesman at Galpin Motors to its owner and the visionary behind the company’s expansion to include seven dealerships with an eighth on the way and sales revenues in 2005 of $717,777,158, is the stuff of legend, both in the San Fernando Valley and the industry he dominates. It is, as David Fleming, an attorney who has worked with Boeckmann on many civic efforts, calls it, “the quintessential American success story.” Over the past decade, Boeckmann has expanded the dealership to include Volvo and Aston Martin, and Galpin’s employee ranks have more than doubled to include some 1,200 staffers. Boeckmann, the only auto dealer to receive the Horatio Alger Award for business success and philanthropy, has lent his time and donated funds for local civic causes from studies to determine the feasibility of Valley secession to efforts to boost police, fire and other services to the Valley along with the campaigns of its staunchest political advocates. His charitable contributions have gone to fund expansion at the Valley Presbyterian School and to build the Boeckmann Center for Iberian and Latin American Studies at USC, among others. And he served for nearly 17 years until 2003 on the city’s police commission. But while Boeckmann’s success has no doubt been built on a hefty helping of business acumen, often as not, it wasn’t a business strategy that drove him and his decision-making at all. “I’m not a car guy,” Boeckmann said. “When I look at it I really enjoy people, and it would be devastating to me if I were to say something to you and it turned out not to be the truth. But I’ve been that way my whole life.” Ask him and Boeckmann will tell you that he built his business on customer service. Ask those around him, and they will tell you that the clich & #233;d phrase doesn’t even begin to describe Boeckmann’s style. “The thing about Bert is, you can use the word ‘integrity’ or ‘moral standards’ and all that kind of thing, but Bert is so strict about it, being precisely honest,” said Jane Boeckmann, his wife of 39 years. “It has to be absolute honesty. It has to be absolute integrity. I think uprightness is a better word, but it’s that unyielding commitment to the absolute.” It’s a clarity of purpose that extends to just about everything Boeckmann does or doesn’t do, as Jane found out early in their relationship. “I remember even a couple of months before we got married, Jane said, ‘Wouldn’t it be a good idea if you got me a ring?'” Boeckmann recalled. “You have to remember the way I am. I was trying to find the ring I wanted to give her. I am so particular. I wanted a diamond that was flawless and the right color and all, and I had not yet found that stone. I didn’t want to get something less than I wanted to give her.” Galpin has been the No. 1 Ford Car and Truck dealer in the world for 16 years running. Boeckmann twice was named Automotive Retailer of the Year by the Brand Names Foundation; he was awarded National Quality Dealer of the Year honors by the National Auto Dealers Association and currently serves as chairman of the California Motor Car Dealers Association. But Boeckmann began his career as a reluctant salesman who might never have remained at the auto dealership he went to work for more than 50 years ago if not for a proverbial twist of fate. “It was a love-hate relationship,” Boeckmann said of the first few years he spent at Galpin Ford. “I don’t think there was a week that went by that I was a salesman that I didn’t think about quitting.” As a young salesman, cars he sold would fail to arrive on time or they would arrive with a detail missing or damage. Phone messages from customers, in the days before voice mail, would be left with other salesmen and never passed on. “Every week something happened that made me think I just can’t stand this business,” Boeckmann recalled. “It was so disorganized.” One day, a competitor told his boss, Galpin founder Frank Galpin, that he had offered Boeckmann a job, and although Boeckmann had turned down the rival dealer, his boss worried that the young salesman might not refuse the next offer to come down the pike. Galpin offered Boeckmann the opportunity to buy shares in the company, and by 1968, when Galpin was ready to retire, Boeckmann was able to purchase the remaining shares. His personality and his genuine appreciation of people had made Boeckmann a good salesman almost from the start, but now at the helm, he was finally able to install the kinds of systems that better served his need for order and efficiency and a culture based on the honesty with which he has approached everything in life. “He can sit down and talk about anything you want to talk about, but when it comes to business relationships, it’s very straightforward, and he tells it like it is,” said Dave Power, founder of J.D. Power & Associates, an auto industry consultant. “The (employees) are all part of it, and they know what’s going on and there’s very little room to change things. There’s a business proposition when you go in to buy a car and everyone is treated the same way. He doesn’t have a special list of people.” Power recalled a cover story in a national news magazine some years back that painted a very unflattering picture of auto dealerships. “Bert came to our next executive roundtable meeting (of auto dealers), and he had gotten hold of a real loud plaid jacket, and he went up to the podium to speak,” Power remembered. “And then he had this whole series of swatches of plaid materials, and he said he could get any of the dealers a special deal on a jacket. That’s the way he handles things. He didn’t have to be apologetic because he didn’t fit that mold.” Though Galpin has grown to over 1,000 employees and Boeckmann’s two sons now shoulder significant responsibility, he continues to personally oversee every detail of the business applying the same strict standards to all those he works with. It’s a character trait that could just as easily appear to be punishing. Not so in Boeckmann’s hands. “He’s the most honest person I’ve ever known in my life,” said Beau Boeckmann, the youngest of five children. “He knows how to get his way, but in a nice way and a kind way, and a way that people appreciate. That’s why there are people who have worked here going on 40 years.” Galpin has remained true to the culture that Boeckmann established those many years ago, although he himself concedes that, with more than 1,000 employees, he no longer knows each of by name. “We put them through training. We monitor them,” said Boeckmann. “If there’s a problem we either correct it immediately or we don’t have them here. Our focus has to be on the customer.” At a staff meeting recently, sales managers were chewing over a problem and the conversation turned to how Boeckmann might handle the same situation. “There’s an expression they use, and this is, if you have a question, ‘What would Bert do?'” Jane Boeckmann said. “And what Bert would do is whatever we try to determine is the right thing.” What Bert Does: Some Snapshots of Boeckmann’s Life and Work. Trophy Collection: Recipient of the Fernando Award for achievement and volunteerism; awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor from the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations, an umbrella group of over 250 organizations that celebrate diversity; recipient of the Horatio Alger Award by The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans celebrating those who have overcome hardships to realize their dreams; honored as “Outstanding Corporate Citizen” by the West Angeles Community Development Corp; with wife, Jane, received the Gold Angel Award from Excellence in Media, an organization that promotes family-oriented programming; Salt of the Earth Move: In 1991, with the Soviet Union officially dissolved and the Russian economy in turmoil, Boeckmann arranged for a donation of 57,000 pounds of seeds for Russian farmers and personally oversaw their distribution. The following year, after meeting with Mother Teresa and asking where she would want a donation to go, he donated about $1 million worth of supplies such as blankets and other necessities, to a home for mentally retarded children in Russia. Move over Carl Sagan: In a field not typically associated with futuristic ideas, Boeckmann has presided over a number of firsts. He is credited with developing the first sunroof in the U.S. and starting the surfer van craze by adding such touches as fold-out beds to customized vans. In 1980, Boeckmann established Future Fuels of America and opened the first methanol service station in the world. His in-store restaurant, opened to allow customers to quietly mull over a deal, is widely believed to be the first of its kind for an auto dealer. Romantic Side: A manager at Galpin tried for months to get Boeckmann to call a certain young lady for a date and Boeckmann ignored him until one New Year’s eve when his plans to attend a party were abruptly canceled because the host became ill. Boeckmann made a last minute call to Jane, who agreed to see him that evening. But Boeckmann arrived on New Year’s eve without any reservations or plans. Jane fixed dinner at home. “She fixed everything I like,” Boeckmann recalled. “She had wilted spinach salad, steak and German chocolate cake for dessert. It was delicious.” The two met again the next day for a second date and by the time Boeckmann took her home, Jane Boeckmann said she knew they would be married. “He was just so true blue,” Jane said. “Kind and very strong and his sense of humor was incredible. We kept laughing all the time.” “She’s a great straight man,” Boeckmann countered. “I married my straight man.” Family Values: Son Brad Boeckmann, who is primarily involved in the building of the dealership stores, started at Galpin at the age of six pulling weeds from the storefront landscape and graduated to washing down the sidewalk and cleaning up the showroom floor. It took both he and younger brother Beau Boeckmann, who now oversees the Aston Martin dealership and the newly opened Galpin Auto Sports store, more than 10 years to ascend to their current positions as vice presidents of Galpin. In addition to sons Beau and Brad, Boeckmann’s grandson (Brad’s son) Brandon is a salesman at Galpin. Galpin also employs Boeckmann’s brother Karl, who is CFO, Charlie McCord, Boeckmann’s brother in law, as facilities manager, and his son, Steve McCord, who now manages Galpin Auto Sports. Jane Boeckmann, treasurer of the corporation, is involved in all the major decisions for the business. She also manages all of the interior design for each of the dealerships, the landscaping and the press and public communications responsibilities, including written materials for speaking engagements, news announcements and publications. “I think around our family and around Galpin, performance speaks,” said Brad Boeckmann. “So you’ve got to get the job done. Even though we’re a very strong, family-oriented organization, we haven’t been the type to cut you much slack, even if you’re a relative.” Favorite Causes: The Boeckmann Charitable Foundation along with personal contributions from Bert and Jane total about $2 million annually. Boeckmann’s decidedly Republican leanings, and corresponding financial contributions, have placed him on the invitation list to all of the Presidential inaugurations, but when it comes to politics, Boeckmann is also a pragmatist, contributing to some Democratic candidates as well. “There’s a reality that there will be Democrats in some jobs, and there are relationships I’ve developed with people and when I have a relationship and a person that I have confidence and trust in, I would tend to support them whether Republican or Democrat,” Boeckmann said. Most Controversial Move: Boeckmann was one of two dissenting police commissioners who voted that the shooting of a homeless woman, Margaret Mitchell, by police in a highly publicized and politically charged 1999 case, was justified. “I would not have shot her, but I was not willing to find that out of policy because of the way they were trained,” Boeckmann said recently. “It was a stupid shooting. That isn’t the argument. And that’s what people don’t understand. It’s really what’s in policy versus what’s out of policy. If somebody pulls a knife and they advance toward you, you can shoot them.” Cowboy Life: Owns a cattle ranch in Oregon and a buffalo ranch in Ramona. Branding Strategy: “People ask me, why didn’t you change the name of the company?” Boeckmann said. “First of all, I appreciated that Frank Galpin gave me the opportunity. Two, I worked very hard for the name Galpin and third, if the name were Boeckmann, where would you go in the phone book to look it up? From a spelling standpoint, that presents a problem.”
