Francie Fortman of Runde Auto Group in Manchester, IA

Francie Fortman is one of our main car runners from Manchester. He travels to pick up vehicles traded between Runde’s and other dealers. 

He also shuttles vehicles from the Manchester Ford location to East Dubuque and Hazel Green, and stops in to pleasantly harass all of us with his contagious smile before he leaves again. 

Runde Auto Chat: What is the farthest trip you have taken for a dealer trade?

Francie Fortman: Working for Runde’s, I once went 1,100 miles roundtrip to Fargo, North Dakota to trade a Trailblazer for another Trailblazer. I also had to go to Detroit on a couple occasions.

RAC: What is the most interesting thing you’ve seen on your trips?

FF: The traffic on 494 in Minneapolis at 5:00 pm. (For some of us, it’s the reason we live here instead of the big city!)

RAC: What is the best place you’ve eaten while on the road?

FF: I try to eat cheap, so the best food would probably be Culver’s or Kentucky Fried Chicken.

RAC: What did you do for a living before you started working for Runde’s?

FF: I retired from Delaware County. I drove a Cat & a scoop, and a road grater for 37 years. I also drove for Jones before Runde’s bought the business from them.

RAC: What did your wife do? How long have you been married?

FF: She worked at a lot of different places, but she finished at Wal-Mart. We’ve been married for 46 years.

Lightning Round for Francie Fortman:

Pizza or Tacos?  Pizza
Potato Chips or Peanuts?  Peanuts
Soda Pop or Water? Water
Cubs or Brewers?  Not a huge baseball fan, but I’d say Cubs
Glass Half empty or Half full?  Half Full