Meet Tim Meyer of Runde Chevrolet in East Dubuque

Tim Meyer of Dubuque is an old pro when it come to selling new Chevrolet vehicles.   He recently started working at Runde Chevrolet and he’s already had the pleasure of helping several a quite a few new vehicles here. Tim has a storied sales past and a good appreciation for art and music. If you were fortunate enough to sit down with Tim for two minutes and you’d quickly feel like he’s a lifelong friend. 

How long have you been in the car business?
26 years.

Are you familiar with automotive industry?
Absolutely, I come from pretty humble beginnings. I’m from an automobile parts family from here in Dubuque Iowa. My father ran an auto parts company called Sieg Dubuque Company. So I’ve been fed and clothed by the automobile, almost all my life.

Silver 2011 Silverado four-wheel-drive with a Z-71 package – Tim’s Vehicle of Choice.

What is your favorite part about the business?
My customers, definitely my customers. I have about four thousand sales in my career and maybe about 2,000 – 2,500 customers. I enjoy the customers very much.

What can a customer look forward to when they come to work with you?
I think they would like my kind and polite approach to the automobile sales process and also my product knowledge for all different kinds of cars and trucks. I have financing and leasing backgrounds and schooling over the years in Michigan so I think that I would be a big help to them for calculating payments or making a car affordable and finding the right product.

Kind of the whole package in one then?
Yeah, hopefully.

Do you have any kids?
Yes I do. I adopted two children years ago. Jesse and Meghan and I have four wonderful grandchildren from my daughter Meghan.

Do you do a lot of activities with them?
I have them over for Sunday dinners usually once a month or so.

Does Tim Meyer have any pets?
I had a Black Lab, Golden Retriever named Shadow that my son gave to me. Unfortunately Shadow passed away in ’07 but I may get another pet, I love dogs and animals.

What are your past times or hobbies?
I like art and music. Right now I have an art project going on working with photograph art. I have an old, old photograph of my grandmother in 1918 with hair down to her knees that I really appreciate and am trying to publish. Otherwise I enjoy poster art from the 60’s and 70’s.

Who’s your favorite artist or where do you grab inspiration from?
I really don’t have a favorite artist. My hero in life is Ray Davies. He’s the song writer for the old rock and roll band The Kinks. He is what I consider “the poet of our time”. So I would say that he would be one of my heroes.

What’s your favorite Chevy vehicle?
I’ve been eye-balling a new Silverado.  I drove one previously as a demonstrator for 20 years or so, so that’s definitely my vehicle. I like to work around my home, so it’s a very versatile vehicle, four wheel drive. Pretty much a big part of my business, so a silver Silverado four wheel drive with a Z-71 package would be my perfect vehicle.

What’s your favorite restaurant in the Tri-State area?
I like Marco’s and Mario’s. I do like some of the other restaurants, like down at the casino. I think it’s called the Wood Fire Grill. I do like that, they have a good Salmon there. I visit many different restaurants. The food’s great around the Dubuque area.

Marco’s – Great Dubuque Food

Does Tim Meyer prefer Apple or Microsoft?
I like Microsoft. Well, I should correct myself there. I really like my Ipod and I like the new forward ways of the Apple Company.  So, I probably like Apple a little better even though I initially said Microsoft because I’ve used just a regular HP computer for years. But I plan on going to Apple in the near future as soon as I sell a few more Chevrolet’s.

Dogs or cats?
Dogs, definitely.

We heard you’re a Starbucks fan.  Is that true?
I like Starbucks quite a bit.

I know you’re an avid coffee drinker; do you have a favorite kind of roast?
I kind of like a light Colombian coffee.   I like to go to the Kwik Star Gas Station to buy my coffee.

What’s your most memorable experience in a car or truck?
My trip to California in 1970 after I got out of high school with two of my high school pals. We went to California for 3 months in a 1963 Volkswagen minibus with a roll back roof- that’s probably my most memorable experience in an automobile.

What did you guys end up doing there?
Well, first we went to Omaha and stayed with some relatives and one of my friends. Then, we went to Albuquerque, New Mexico — the first time I have ever seen the mountains and that was neat. We stopped at Colorado, going through the desert and heading to California. We traveled all the way from San Diego to San Francisco before I came home in November. Great experience.

Sounds like a very epic trip.
It was a very memorable roadtrip and I was glad I got a chance to experience the West Coast when was younger. I’ll carry that memory with me for the rest of my life.

What’s your favorite movie?
I’m not a real big movie buff but I did always like the old movie The Big Chill, and some of the movies of the 60’s. Kind of like Bullet, the car movie of Steve Mcqueen.

What’s in the CD player of your car right now?
Pink Floyd. I like a lot of old English rock and roll from the 60’s and 70’s.

Do you consider the glass half empty or half full?
Half full – definitely half full.

Where is the first place Tim Meyer will travel if you win the lottery?
I’ve never been to Hawaii. I’d probably go to Europe too, after that.

Is there anything you’d like to say to your customers?
Yes, I’d like to welcome them here to my new position at Runde Auto Group. My office is here right in the Runde Chevrolet building at the top of the hill in East Dubuque on Highway 35 North. I’m here everyday but Wednesdays and Sundays. I look forward to seeing you all!