Greiner dealership bids farewell to Victorville, welcomes Caposio Buick GMC

On the 35th anniversary of Greiner Buick GMC, the popular car dealership is bidding farewell to the Victor Valley, according to business owner and President David Greiner.

Greiner told the Daily Press that on Nov. 30, he turned the keys of his family dealership over to family-run Caposio Buick GMC, which Mike Caposio owns.

Caposio is the general manager of Rotolo Chevrolet, whose late owner, Mariano Rotolo, opened the Fontana-based dealership 50 years ago.

“All of this is surreal,” said Greiner, 43, while standing inside his nearly empty office on Monday. “It’s time to end one chapter and begin another.”

A preview of that new “chapter” includes Greiner, an attorney who joined the bar in 2003, opening a small transactional law office in Victorville, he said.

“I’ll work with clients wanting to sell or buy businesses, handle real estate acquisitions or other matters associated with business or commerce,” Greiner said. “It’s one of those practices where nearly everyone leaves happy.”

As he spoke of the dealership’s history and success, Greiner was quick to credit his management team, which he said have “faithfully worked” a combined total of 172 years for his family.

Among the stand-outs was Office Manager Sandy Lohman, who started with the company in 1992 and General Manager Juergen Buescher, who has been with Greiner for 31 years.

“It’s been a real pleasure to work for and to be a part of the Greiner family,” Lohman said. “Some of my favorite memories here included the family sponsoring numerous organizations and events throughout the community.”

Greiner's sponsorships have included the Mourning Sun Children's Foundation, Victor Valley College Foundation, Lewis Center for Educational Research, and Family Assistance Program.

The Griener team also includes Gabriel Duron, Joseph Boring, Tim Legumina, Raymond Rego, Sergio Macias, Sergio Verduzco, Jesika Busby and Tina Mateo.

The Caposio family has pledged to retain the Victorville management team, Greiner said.

“I can’t say enough about our customers who have supported us from the beginning,” Greiner said. “We consider each one part of our family.”

High Desert pillars

David Greiner said he, his soulmate, Missy Miranda, and his mother, Christine Greiner, plan to stay in the Victor Valley to continue their “High Desert story.”

Former Victorville Mayor Gloria Garcia called the transition from Greiner to Caposio a “bittersweet venture,” which includes the “ingredients of business success” for both parties.

“For decades, the Greiner family and their dealership have been pillars in our High Desert community,” said Garcia, a native of the Victor Valley. “From schools to senior organizations, the Greiner family has contributed thousands upon thousands of dollars to local organizations.”

Garcia said she has “nothing but praise for David Greiner” and wishes him and the Caposio family the best in their new endeavors.

A changing automotive industry

The opportunity to sell was good as the automotive industry continues to “change rapidly, which comes with a lot of uncertainty," Greiner said.

Some of the changes Greiner mentioned were reported in a recent article by Forbes, which included a look at a new automotive world driven by sustainability and changing consumer behavior.

The future is racing toward more electric vehicles, connected cars, mobility fleet sharing, onboard sensors, always-on connectedness and new business models, the article said.

The entire automotive industry, from suppliers to vehicle manufacturers, is challenged to keep existing operations profitable, while also building out capacity to tackle these innovations.

“Companies must find the right balance between continuity of a stable and profitable business, while at the same time lead the way in disrupting their own business models,” Forbes said.

“There’s plenty of unknowns about how these changes will be implemented and how they'll be received by consumers in an urban environment,” Greiner said. “All these changes are coming quickly and it's a scary thing for us.”

Greiner history

Army veteran Robert “Bob” Griener left Detroit in 1985 and moved into a motel room on Palmdale Road in Victorville to take a job with Monty’s Chevrolet in preparation to purchase the business.

After the deal fell through due to a failed move by General Motors, Bob Greiner purchased Love Pontiac Buick with a little money and GM as a partner, David Greiner said.

Greiner Buick GMC began in Nov. 1986 on the northeast corner of Seventh Street and Forrest Avenue, where the Victorville Veterans Memorial stands today.

David Greiner recalls being younger than 9-years-old when his father insisted the city set up grandstands on the car lot so city officials and their families could sit and watch the annual Christmas parade.

Bob Greiner would have his son deliver hot chocolate and coffee to council members Terry Caldwell, Rudy Cabriales and other guests as they watched the parade, David Greiner said.

One of Bob Greiner’s favorite marketing ideas was the NCO of the Quarter Program used to raise money for the junior officer of the quarter at George Air Force Base, the Daily Press reported.

Bob Greiner told the Daily Press that his favorite activity was his involvement with the Greiner Pontiac/Buick Scholarship for college and high school students.

As Victorville expanded and car dealerships relocated south near or on Palmdale Road, Greiner Pontiac Buick moved to Amargosa Road in 1991.

During that time, Christine Greiner worked as a special education teacher with the Hesperia Unified School District and David Greiner attended Hook Junior High so he could walk to the dealership after school to finish his homework, he said.

As GAFB prepared to shutter in 1992, base command thanked Bob Greiner for his support by inviting him aboard an F-4 Wild Weasel, which took one of the base's final flights.

The closing of the base came during a two-year recession, which many economists said began in 1990.

“Bob and I always figured we would make do on my teaching salary when things like this happened,” said Christine Greiner, who volunteers with the Soroptimist International and the Assistance League.

In 1992, the Daily Press reported that Bob Greiner was presented with the Master of Customer Satisfaction award, one of Pontiac’s highest honors bestowed upon an automotive dealership.

'Go West, young man'

By 2002, GM was getting into the concept of “aligning brands.” At that time, the High Desert had three GM dealers, including

Greiner Pontiac Buick, Rancho Motor Company (GMC, Oldsmobile, Cadillac), and Monty’s Chevrolet (Nissan).

Monty’s was ready to sell, so John and Ann Wilkins, David Greiner, Bob Greiner and their General Manager Ron Frame “crammed into a four-door sedan” and visited the Thousand Oaks GM Western Regional Office to plead their case.

The deal included the owners of Greiner and Rancho splitting the purchase price of Monty’s and realigning the brands according to GM’s vision, said David Greiner.

The final request was that Greiner Pontiac Buick move west of Interstate 15 if the dealership wanted to get the GMC franchise, said David Greiner, who called the timing and collaboration of the move harmonious for the Greiner dealership.

During that time, Keith Metzler, then-director of economic development for the city, was creating the Civic Center Redevelopment Zone, which later became the Autopark at Valley Center.

Metzler’s idea and vision to build up the area located on the east and west sides of Interstate 15 near Roy Rogers Drive.

And with Dusty Rogers wanting to move his family’s Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum, he was able to get it done, David Greiner said.

In 2003, five years after Rogers died and two years after Evans passed away, their surviving family moved the museum to Branson, Missouri, allowing the City of Victorville to straighten the roundabout surrounding the museum.

In Dec. 2004, then Victorville police chief and Greiner customer, Cliff Raynolds, provided a police escort as the Greiner family moved its entire inventory to its current location on Civic Drive.

Greiner Pontiac Buick was now Greiner Buick Pontiac GMC. The following year, the late-Dodger Manager Tommy Lasorda would be guest of honor as Greiner Buick GMC held its grand opening.

GM filed for bankruptcy in 2009, which led to the consolidation of GM brands and the elimination of less profitable rooftops. CNBC was on site at the Greiner dealership the day the letters were mailed, David Greiner said.

During that time, Bob Greiner had fallen ill with Alzheimer’s disease and wasn’t as available as in the past to rally the troops.

“When that letter came, I felt like we had a chance,” recalls Buescher. That chance would come with a condition from GM that Pontiac would be no longer.

Being the No. 1 volume Pontiac dealer in the western region of the U.S. for GM was a problem for Greiner.

“My mom, Dad, and Juergen met at the coffee shop on Palmdale Road and talked about calling it quits,” David Greiner said. “Juergen had a look in his eyes, and he told us we can still do this, but it’s going to be all about used cars to fill the gap, but we got this. I half believed him, but I trusted him.”

Greiner then launched its campaign of the “Best D@#n Used Cars Period.” Greiner also co-founded the High Desert Senior Forum with Martha Brodie and Home Instead Senior Care.

If Greiner couldn’t bring customers in the door, it would host a meeting for local seniors to meet and gain access to community stakeholders, David Greiner said.

Those meetings would feature everyone from members of Congress to city managers to gardening experts from the Hesperia Garden Club.

Bob Greiner was 80-years-old when he died in October 2013, according to an obituary that said his greatest joy was his family.

“We will always remember him as a hard-working, dedicated, loving husband, father and grandfather,” his family said. “He was a man of great strength and many interests, hunting, fishing, golfing, and riding motorcycles.”

Bob Greiner was laid to rest at Sunset Hills Memorial Park in Apple Valley.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Instagram @RenegadeReporter and Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Greiner dealership bids farewell to Victorville, welcomes Caposio Buick GMC