Before we discuss the topic of the world’s largest “M”, we’d like to give you some stats about the letter M.  Fun facts, if you will. It proudly begins powerful words like: mighty, magnificent and majestic. It is the 14th most used letter in the English alphabet, and the 13th in sequential order.  It’s been said that a person cannot say this letter without their top and bottom lips touching … even when ventriloquists say a word that contains an “M”, they often substitute the “ng” sound (or employ some other work-around) so they won’t have to touch their lips together.   Of course, we are talking about the letter “M”.  Here in the Tri-State area there is a memorable monument that uses this letter in perhaps the Most Meaningful way. On the slopes of the Platte Mound near Platteville, WI the world’s largest “M” can be seen. It originally came about in 1936 when two [...]

Congratulations to Jessica Fens. You wake up, get ready, start doing some errands then get a call that you won tickets to the Katy Perry concert this weekend… not a bad way to start the day, eh? Jessica Fens of Sherrill, IA sure thought so as she was thrilled to come in, with her daughter Alivia, to pick up the tickets while she was out and about in Dubuque today. Jessica doesn’t know who she’s taking to the show yet, but they are sure to have a good time seeing one of the biggest pop sensations in Chicago this Friday. Enjoy the show Jessica!

Maury Schmerbach is a fisherman. It’s in his blood. He always has and always will like to fish, you can see it in him when he lights up every time you talk to him about fishing. He is a loyal customer of Runde Auto Group and was more than happy to explain a bit more about what he does as a fisherman and the experiences he has had with Runde’s. Hey Maury, so what kind of fishing tournaments do you participate in? I fish the Walleye Circuits. The Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC), which is a professional circuit as well as others all over the country… Michigan, South Dakota and others. How have you, or your team been doing? We’ve won quite a bit of circuits. In 2005 we won the national championship held here in Dubuque which was $25,000 and a new boat. The AIM Pro Walleye Series is a tournament that actually [...]

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 [...]

Hey Eric T. Davis, welcome to the sales team at Runde Chevrolet.  What do you like most about your job so far? Talking to people and hopefully selling them cars. Are you originally from here? Yes, I’m from Dubuque. What’s the best thing to watch on TV? Oh man that’s tough. Uhm, I like to veg out to Sports Center. What’s your favorite sport? I don’t really have a favorite sport. I like all of them. Literally, all of them. Cricket, tennis, the whole shabang. Football, hockey, basketball. Do you know how to play all those sports?  Oh, believe me … I know.     Have you seen any new movies lately?  The last new movie I think I saw was The Blind Side.  Did you like it?   Yes. It was very good. If you could have any super power what would it be? Hmm, the ability to fly. [...]

Brian Pinch in our Chevy Sales Department came to me and let me know that some customers of his were coming in to pick up their new Chevrolet Tahoe LTZ.   He explained that the vehicle was a retirement gift from themselves-to themselves and he asked if we could take some photos of the occasion.   The customers were Milo and Mary Kettmann from East Dubuque and we were able to grab some nice shots of them and their beautiful new ride.  And while we were asking them a few questions about themselves and about their buying experience, Mary let it slip that she’s not completely retired yet.  We actually found out quite a bit about these two down-to-earth “retirees” in our brief chat. Brian said your new Chevrolet Tahoe LTZ was sort of a retirement gift.     Mary: We’re both retired now and we thought we’d treat ourselves to a new vehicle.   Where did you work before you retired? Mary:  I worked for Walmart and now I work part time for the [...]

The winner of our Rihanna concert tickets give-away stopped into Runde Chevrolet today to pick up her two free tickets.   She was very excited about winning the tickets and she’ll have a chance next week to find out first-hand why everyone is going so crazy over this rising star of the music world and all of her chart-topping tunes.  When we asked Greta Foley who she was going to take to the concert, she said that she really hadn’t had time to think about it.  Oh decisions, decisions 🙂   Everyone here at Runde Chevrolet hopes Greta Foley has a great time at the concert.  Who knows?  Maybe she’ll feel like Cinderella … ella … ella at the dance.

Everyone has their own way of showing their appreciation to their fathers on father’s day. Why not start out the day by taking your father out to a nice breakfast? Not sure where to go? May I suggest the Mid-Town Marina where Boy Scout Troop 14 will be serving a wonderful breakfast for you and your father to enjoy? Sunday, June 19th is Fathers Day and Scout Troop 14 will be serving Eggs, Pancakes and Sausage from 8:00am – Noon to anyone who wants a great Fathers Day Breakfast to start off their day. We sat down with Clark Wolff, who works with the East Dubuque Boy Scout Troop 14, who was kind enough to give us some details of the event. What is the main goal of this event? The pancake breakfast is actually Troop 14’s main, and biggest, fundraiser for the troop. The kids that work the pancake breakfast actually earn money [...]

We’d like to send belated B-Day wishes to Jeff Kueter, one of the cornerstones of the Runde Chevrolet Reconditioning Department.  Jeff celebrated his 37th birthday over the weekend.  Hope it was a good one Jeff!!!    Just three more years and then it’ll be all downhill.

Ward’s is one of the most respected names in the Auto Industry. This organization has covered the industry for more than 80 years. They produce widely distributed publications such as Ward’s AutoWorld and Ward’s Dealer Business and their website www.wardsauto.com is one of the most visited sites among professionals in the auto industry. Each year, Ward’s Auto picks out vehicles that possess interiors that stand out above their direct competitors.  This year, they presented Best Interior Awards to a total of just 15 vehicles and among them were the Chevy Cruze, the Chevy Volt, and the Ford Focus. The following is the video review of the Volt that was presented by a Ward’s Review Department staff member:     Below are some shots of the Chevy Cruze and Ford Focus interiors.  Personally speaking, we’ve been very impressed with the Cruze and Focus interiors so far — both of them display a nice blend of ergonomics and innovation.  Actually we were kind of surprised that [...]

We had the pleasure of getting a hold of Loras Link this week. Loras bought a vehicle from our Manchester Store recently and has been loving the vehicle. He was more than willing to share his pleasant experience with us. What brought you into Runde’s. One day we were just driving around and we’ve been kind of looking around for a new vehicle. While driving we saw an Acadia sitting in your your lot and decided to stop and look at it. The next day I inquired about it, then we went there and fell in love with it during our test drive and bought it. How did you like your salesperson? Oh he was great. Everyone was really good there. [...]

New customers Ronda and Todd VanDerJagt of Dubuque recently purchased a 2011 all-wheel-drive Chevy Equinox at our Chevrolet store in East Dubuque and they are lovin’ it so far. Here is a brief exchange that took place on Facebook yesterday between Ronda and Runde’s after she posted this photo of her and Todd in front of their new ride. Runde’s: Congrats on your purchase and thank you!  We love the photo. You look great and your new ride looks great too !!! Ronda: Thanks so much to everyone at Runde’s! – I’m definitely lovin’ my new ride:) Runde’s: How was your salesperson? Ronda:  He was awesome & fun to work with … no pressuring like some “other” dealerships. Will definitely send [...]

  We received the following letter from Ford Motor Co. recently regarding a Runde Ford technician, Dan Taylor, in light of his recent accomplishment. This is a very special certification that involves a great deal of time, study, hands-on-experience, dedication and commitment. By earning this status, Dan has definitely put himself in an elite group of service technicians and we are very proud of him.   Dear Timothy Runde, It is our pleasure to inform you that, as of April, 2011, Dan Taylor, a Service Technician at your dealership, has made the following achievements in the 2011 Masters Program: Chassis Master Dan is achieving this status for the first time.  Awards for this achievement include the Chassis Plaque, 2011 Ingot and 2011 Master Technician Magnet.  Dan is one of 807 technicians in the Chicago Region who holds this status. Engine Master Dan is achieving this status for the first time.  Awards [...]

Fast Five is definitely a movie to go see while it’s still in the theaters.  The ticket price is well worth it and no other movie makes you want to go trick out your ride and find someone to street race after watching it.  Synopsis:  After spending too much time on the run, Dom Torreto (Vin Diesel) and O’Connor (Paul Walker) desire freedom and normal lives with their families. They decide to set up one more job that will give them this freedom, that is, if they can pull it off.  Everyone from past jobs comes in to help out and they all play a specific part in the story.  Before heading on over to the theater to watch this movie, I’d recommend that you catch up and watch the previous four Fast & Furious flicks (or at least #’s 1, 2 & 4 since #3 came out of sequence). That way, you’ll be able to easily recognize the [...]

How can you mention Michael Jordan and the Chevy Volt in the same sentence?  Isn’t that basketball sacrilege?  Well, let me explain.  I was reading an article from CNN Money that was saying the new Chevy Volt didn’t rank as one of the top ten “greenest” cars in America.  Now based on all that I have learned about the Volt so far, I found this very hard to believe.  The Volt is primarily an electric car that can travel for about 40 miles on just the power produced from the lithium ion battery pack following a 10 hour overnight charge from a regular 110V outlet (or 4 hours from an installed Voltec 240V charger). I just don’t understand why the CNN Money article and other articles [...]

Go to the Gary’s Graffiti Nights Car Show and you will see people who share a passion for the classics glowing and having a great time as they share stories and chit chat with fellow enthusiasts. The show started back in the early 1980’s by a man named Gary Duster of Dubuque, IA.   Gary is a classics fan who wanted to share his love of the classics with the Tri-State community. As of late, the show has moved to East Dubuque, IL where it seems to have found a perfect home. We got a hold of George Young, former owner of George & Dales restaurant and current Mayor of East Dubuque. With the help of his son and the support of the community, George gets things in order [...]

Where are you from and how long have you been there? I’m from Quasqueton, IA and I’ve been there for 10 years.   Are you married? Yes, my husband is Chad and we have a son, Connor and our dog, Bailey. What kind of hobbies do you like to do? I enjoy running, biking, reading, playing pool and spending time with family and friends. What vehicle did you end up going with? A new Ford F-150. Where was the first place you took your new truck? I drove it to work! Do you think your truck is a male or female? My husband says that you can’t put a gender on cars, it’s wrong! I would say male though, since it’s a truck! Will you give the truck a name? Haven’t yet, and probably won’t. What’s the best thing about your new ride? It gets much better [...]

I remember watching the show “Hey Dude!” as a kid. It was a country life kind of show – riding around on horses, roping calves, tying all sorts of knots that would just leave me wrapped up if I attempted to try them. To me it was a different life, I was used to a city life, but the country activities I saw always interested me. What better way to satisfy these interests than to see the best of the best in our very own community compete in a rodeo, live!? The 8th Annual Wisconsin Regional High School Rodeo will gather kids from the 6th – 12th grade to compete in the rodeo which will be held at the Dubuque County Fairgrounds [...]

OnStar has been around since the beginning of this young century and it has definitely been a blessing to many and saved many lives.  However up until now, people without OnStar had to upgrade their entire vehicle to be able to get the service and unfortunately not everyone can spend thousands of dollars to upgrade their vehicles. Well I was couch cruising on Sunday night and happened upon an episode of Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice and in this episode I learned that OnStar was getting ready to release a version of their product that could be installed on any vehicle and hence OnStar would be made available to everyone.  The product comes in a box that includes a rear view mirrow with the familiar OnStar buttons and all the necessary hardware to hook [...]

Barb Brush and her long-term best friend, Roxanne Marston (both from Wisconsin), just happened to be going to the right quilting show at the right time. While these two inseparable friends were on their way to see expert weavers, quilters and sewers, Barb got an unexpected call from her husband who insisted that she stop over to Runde’s and take a look at a Lexus that might suit her, and boy did it ever. While here, she kept saying how it felt like family, so we did what families do – sat down, got to know her and chatted for a while… What brought you into Runde PreDriven today? Barb:  A phone call. We were on our way to a quilt show and I got a phone call from my husband who knew I was looking for a car. He was looking online and found a car I might be interested so he called and said [...]

This beautiful car does not belong to us anymore  — although we wish it did.  We sold this car a few years back, but it still ranks as one of the most gorgeous cars we’ve ever had on our car lot.  Please go to http://photobucket.com/1956_Bel_Air_Runde to check out more photos of the car.

Does age have an effect on a person’s driving skills?  Well that’s a question that Ford Motor Company recently tested and tried to answer.  Get in your car, drive to the gas station, fill up, then come home. Easy, no problem… right? This is what an elderly person would hear: 1. Take a walk to your car on your increasingly painful arthritis stricken joints. 2. Open the door and try to balance as you worry about how your going to adjust yourself to sit. 3. Pivot your painful hips in such a way that they won’t cause to much pain as you elevate yourself down to the seat and twist into an upright position. 4. Buckle in [...]

Jordan Frakes & Lindsey Rossow from Iowa City visited the Runde used car dealership near Dubuque today to pick up Jordan’s new ride.  He was forced to find a replacement for his previous car that was totaled after someone pulled out in from of him.  Jordan and Lindsey are currently students at the University of Iowa and they kindly gave me a few minutes of their time before making the trek back to Iowa City. What Brought you into Runde’s?    Jordan: I saw the car online at Cars.com and I liked what I saw so I called you guys up and scheduled a time to drive it and then we talked about the price for awhile. What car was it?   Jordan: It was a 2006 Pontiac G6 [...]

Ralph and Jane Rollins were looking at Dubuque dealerships for their upcoming new vehicle purchase.  They finally found the perfect one at a local Dubuque dealership. Both of these incredible people work at two different high schools in Dubuque. They were nice enough to sit down with me and share their experience at Runde Auto Group and a little bit about themselves. What brought you into Runde’s today? We found the vehicle we were looking for on the Cars.com website and it was listed at Runde’s. So we called in and got Al on the phone and now we are driving home with our new Durango. What did you think of your experience here? It was great. Al was very friendly, personable and accommodating.  He’s very passionate about his job [...]

If you weren’t able to check out the latest edition of Her magazine in Dubuque’s Telegraph Herald this past Sunday, then you may have missed that Runde’s was voted as their readers’ favorite Auto Dealer. We were thrilled to learn that Runde Auto Group had been voted #1 out of all the local car dealers, but we’re definitely not going to walk around with over-inflated egos.  We’ll continue to strive to make the car buying experience here as easy and as transparent as possible for our buyers. A big shout of “Thanks” goes out to Megan Gloss and all the folks at Her Magazine for taking the time to put the contest together and publish the results.   We’d also like to thank all of the Her readers who took the time to participate in the voting.  Muchas Gracias!!!