Ken Wiederholt – Selling Used Cars in Hazel Green Wisconsin

Ken Wiederholt was recently hired to sell used cars in Hazel Green at the Runde PreDriven store and he’s very excited about the opportunity.  He’s purchase quite a few vehicles from Runde’s over the years and he’s always had a good experience. 

Having owned and managed his own business Ken knows what it is to put in a long day of work. After recently selling his company and having the opportunity to try something that he always wanted to try, Ken decided to pick up a sales position at Runde’s. Here’s a little more about Ken:

Are you from the area?
Yes I am, I’m from the Hazel Green area.

So you’ve known about Runde’s for quite a while being from around here?
Yes. I’ve bought all of my Chevy vehicles from here.

What did you do before joining Runde’s?
I owned my own trucking company. Wiederholt Grain and Trucking. We had about 10 employees at one point.

cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by ilkerender

What made you want to come work for Runde’s?
I was downsizing and someone offered to buy my company so after some time and thought I decided to sell it.  The car sales profession was something I always wanted to try.  Runde’s is a highly respected local dealership and they’re very well known for their PreDriven store that offers high quality used cars in Hazel Green.  You really never hear anything bad about them.

How have you liked your experience at Runde’s so far?
It’s been great. Everybody is treating me really well.  

What are your past times and hobbies?
ATV and Camping I also do some hobby farming.

Have a little farm?
About 160 acres.

Oh, not so little.
Ha ha, yeah, it’s just East of Sinsinawa Mound.

Is that where you live, then?
Yeah, we live there. We bought it in 2000 there was an old two-story farm-house on it that we recently rebuilt and are living there now.

Are you married?
Yes, happily married for 27 years with 4 kids and I just found out last night that I will be a grandfather!

cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by jondejong

Oh congrats, Ken!  Do you remember the first date with your wife?
I took her on a riverboat cruise on July 4th of ’84 – we went on the Roberts River Ride.  Back then that was a popular way to see the fireworks show. A year later – July 4th of ’85 I proposed to her on the same ride and the next year we got married in Dubuque on July 4th of ’86.

Is your wife a teacher?
She works for the credit recovery program. Basically when a student is failing a class they send them to her and she guides them through a program to pass in order to graduate. It’s part of the No Child Left Behind program. The students are sometimes difficult because some don’t care if they pass or not but my wife is a spitfire, she is small but she barks big and when she does the students listen. That’s what some of those kids need and she’s very good at getting them through the program.

How old are your kids and what are they doing?
My 30-year-old boy works for Twin Oaks Woodworking, my 25-year-old daughter works at Finley Hospital, my 23-year-old son, who is going to make me a grandfather and got just got married last night, works at the Kieler Service Center and my youngest is 19 and is a freshman at Loras College.

Do you have any pets?
Couple of dogs – just Black Labs.

Do you have a favorite hangout spot in the Tri-State area?
Not really. I don’t sit around in bars or anything like that. Our favorite restaurant is Salsa’s though.

What’s your favorite food?
Meat. Maybe a tenderloin and potatoes.

What’s your favorite vehicle?
My ’07 Chevy Avalanche that we bought from here. We absolutely love it. My wife never wants to get rid of it.

What’s your dream car?
I don’t put much thought into it. That kind of stuff doesn’t really appeal to me. I’d rather have a nice Farm Truck with a cab on it. I have a long driveway and the snow blower that I have now doesn’t have a cab on it so I’m like the abdominal snowman whenever I go out to do the snow.

What’s your favorite movie?
Good Will Hunting with Matt Damon and Robin Williams.

What do you guys do around the house?
Usually we always have something going on outside and I have a little shop in my machine shed as well.

Do you have a favorite Musician or Artist?
The group Alabama is my favorite.

Is the glass half full or half empty?
Half-full of course!

Where is the first place you’ll travel to when you win the lottery?
Probably Rome, maybe Ireland – those are the only places I have any interest in visiting. I’ve been to Cancun and the Dominican Republic for vacations and those were nice. We took the camper and went to Black Hills South Dakota over Independence Day holiday last summer.

You guys go camping often?
We like to go with about 3 or 4 other families and go camping. Camp 17 in Dubuque is our favorite place, Swiss Valley, Galena, Cassville and places like that.

Do you do the grilling?
Yes, I’m the chef. I got a big old grill that we call “Do not Resurrect” it has fallen of the truck a couple times. We like to make it look as gaudy as possible but it can cook for a lot of people. When we get groups of people together I can cook for over 20 people.

How often do you go camping?
From Memorial Day all the way ‘til  the first of October we’ll go camping about 3 out of 4 weekends.

Do you have a favorite sports team?
San Francisco Giants. I would decorate up my office like no other if I was allowed to.

Oreo’s or Chips Ahoy?
Oreo’s.

cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by DeusXFlorida

Dogs or Cats?
Dogs.

What do you think is the most important invention made in the last 20 years?
The cell phone. Everybody has one now, they are computers wherever you want to go, everyone has to have one.

What would you like to tell people who might be considering purchasing a used car in Hazel Green or the surrounding area?
Runde PreDriven has the biggest selection. If you are looking for a used Chevy we got a ton of them. Shopping for a Chevy Equinox?  Again … we’ve got a ton of them. Whatever you are looking for we can find.  Jeff Runde always stocks a ton of used cars in Hazel Green. I’d also tell them that I’m here to give them my best shot.

Welcome aboard Ken!  For anyone shopping for used cars in Hazel Green or the neighboring areas, please call Runde’s at 866-396-6832 or fill out our contact us form.