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Chuck Holder took over July 1 from previous owner Bill Vreeland. Holder is an Oregon native and has been in the car business for 21 years.
Even though Chuck Holder sells cars for a living, he flies to work at the Sonoma Ford Lincoln Mercury dealership – in his own 1956 Beechcraft Bonanza, a single-engine plane with retractable landing gear. He also owns a Ford Mercury dealership in Lakeport, where he lives, but spends Tuesdays and Wednesdays in Sonoma, staying overnight at the El Pueblo Inn across the street. Flying from Lakeport to Sonoma takes 25 minutes, he said, but driving is a long two hours.
Holder took over July 1 from previous owner Bill Vreeland, who’s stayed on as the service manager. Most of the staff has remained, as well, including longtime sales manager John Preston. Holder got interested in the dealership about five years ago, when one of his daughters played in a high school basketball game here.
To deal with the tough economy, Holder has doubled the number of used cars in stock. “People are investing in their own cars now instead of replacing them, so our service department is doing well,” he said, and more customers are buying fuel-efficient Ford models, such as the Focus and the Fusion.
Holder, an Oregon native, has been in the car business for 21 years. He started selling Toyotas in Salem, then became sales manager for a Chevy dealer in Portland, eventually working at a Honda dealer in Carmichael before buying the dealership in Lakeport, where his wife, Marsha, sells real estate.
He says he likes the weather here – cool mornings, warm afternoons – and eventually expects to replace his motel room with an apartment or house of his own.
Holder Ford Lincoln Mercury
977 W. Napa St., 707.996.4417
Sales Mon. – Sat. 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Service Mon. – Fri. 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
