ELMHURST CHAMBER TO HONOR AUTO DEALER
AS A.J. “TOCHE” TERRONES BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
ELMHURST, Ill., January 5, 2007 – Larry Roesch Chrysler Jeep Dodge (200 West Grand Avenue) will receive the A.J. “Toche” Terrones Business of the Year Award for 2006 at the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s 88th Annual Meeting and Awards Luncheon in the Waterford Banquet and Conference Center at the Quality Inn (933 South Riverside Drive) on Wednesday, January 24, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
The annual award is given based on a member’s contributions to the Chamber’s success, to the betterment of both the business community and Elmhurst community, and impact in their field of business, each in the given year and historically, along with years in business and years as a Chamber member.
“Larry Roesch Chrysler Jeep Dodge is a business that impacts Elmhurst on so many levels—municipally through sales and property tax revenue, business-wise as an integral part of a vibrant auto industry and community-wide through its philanthropy and charitable endeavors,” said John Quigley, Chamber President and CEO.
“My family has been blessed to be a part of the Elmhurst community our whole lives,” said President Dan Roesch, a third generation family owner following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Paul, and father, Larry, who passed away in 2003.
“We find it very natural and rewarding to focus on doing the right things to create a positive environment for our many customers and the communities we serve. It is our many friends and relationships that have made us who we are and you cannot put a price tag on that kind of success. I could not imagine it any other way, nor would I want it any other way,” Roesch said.
“My father taught me when I was very young that if you take care of the people around you, then they in turn will support and take care of you,” said Roesch, who also followed his father as a member of the Elmhurst Noon Lions Club.
“I am proud to be part of an organization that has always been a contributing member to this great community,” said General Manager and Partner Paul Koch, who has been a close friend of Dan and the Roesch family since his childhood.
“It was Larry Roesch himself who encouraged me to become an active member of the Kiwanis Club of Elmhurst, and he showed me numerous ways that we can, and should, give back to the community,” said Koch.
A Chamber member since 1992, Chrysler Jeep Dodge is part of the Larry Roesch Family Auto Group, which traces its roots back to 1923 when Paul Roesch opened Roesch Motors, a DeSoto dealership. The family business now includes Chevrolet, Mitsubishi, Volkswagon and Ford dealerships in and around Elmhurst.
As a premier “Alpha facility” concept approved by DaimlerChrysler, the Chrysler Jeep Dodge dealership recently moved into a new 9,000-square-foot, glass-walled showroom that can display up to 26 vehicles (instead of the typical eight to 12) in a McCormack Place-like setting reminiscent of the Chicago Auto Show. A 1928 DeSoto is on display with historical information about the family business.
The Roesch family purchased Elmhurst Dodge, which had led the Midwest in Dodge sales before falling on hard times, and moved the dealership from 750 North York Street to their Chrysler Jeep facility on Grand Avenue. They also sold the Dodge property to a Hyundai dealership looking to move into Elmhurst.
The City of Elmhurst last July approved a $1.3 million tax incentive to assist Larry Roesch in the purchase of the Dodge dealership. In Elmhurst, the auto industry generates nearly 45 cents of every retail tax dollar, with some 35 cents of that figure derived from the sale of new vehicles.
Chrysler Jeep Dodge has been the Silver Sponsor of the 25-foot Climbing Wall at Elmfest since 2002, while the Volkswagon dealership became the Bronze sponsor of the 45-foot Dragon Slip ‘N Slide at Elmfest 2006.
Larry Roesch Family Auto Group’s primary charity is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation as the title sponsor of a Texas hold ‘em poker tournament fundraiser and benefit summer golf outing. The family also is a sponsor of the Larry Roesch/NESDRA (Northeast DuPage Special Recreation Association) Golf Classic, a corporate sponsor of the American Cancer Society’s Elmhurst Relay For Life campaign and a long-time sponsor of the Hole-In-One Contest at the Chamber’s annual Golf Outing.
The award presentation will be made by Jim Dinkle, Outgoing Chairman of the Board, and Quigley.
Joining them in the award presentation will be Willis Johnson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Downers Grove-based Tivoli Enterprises, which owns and operates 11 other Classic Cinemas movie theatres, including the York Theatre in downtown Elmhurst, the 2005 Business of the Year recipient. Johnson will receive an acrylic Business of the Year plaque to put on permanent display at York Theatre.
The award, which features a traveling trophy and permanent plaque, is named in memory of A.J. “Toche” Terrones, who served as Chamber President for nearly a decade until his death in July of 1999.
Previous Business of the Year honorees are Synergistic Networks, Inc. (2004), Silverado Grill (2003), Great American Exteriors (2002), Cardinal Cartridge, Inc. (2001), Unique Travel Service, Ltd. (2000) and Community Bank of Elmhurst (1999).
The traveling trophy of imported 24% German lead crystal atop a mahogany wood base will be displayed at Larry Roesch Chrysler Jeep Dodge until the 2007 Annual Meeting, while an award plaque with a nameplate listing Larry Roesch Chrysler Jeep Dodge is on permanent display at the Chamber office.
Established in 1918, the Elmhurst Chamber is a voluntary organization of business and professional men and women who have joined together for the purpose of promoting the civic and commercial progress of the community.
The Chamber also serves the needs of its members through services, programs and events that provide opportunities for networking and referral, business education, development and promotion, governmental representation and community involvement.