Everyone knows Roger East.
And it’s not just because he’s been with Diepholz Auto for 30 years.
“When I got older, I realized how much of an impact on the community my father played when it came to the auto industry,” his son Nick East said. “If someone had done business at Diepholz, even if it wasn’t with Roger, his name was always recognized or even mentioned before that person realized we were related. He always makes a point to get involved with all of our clients, teammates, even the daily delivery drivers.”
In many dealerships, Roger’s production is what would make him stand out. But at Diepholz Auto, Roger is known for the way he puts customers at ease, according to Roberta Whittley.
He joined the Diepholz team in Jan. 1992 when Diepholz moved from a Chevy dealership to purchasing Rutledge Oldsmobile and Cadillac where Roger was a salesperson. The willingness to go above and beyond to help each customer is what landed him as the new Cadillac Sales Manager at Diepholz.
“It has been an absolute pleasure watching Roger build long lasting friendships with his clients for the past 30 years,” Diepholz Auto owner Ron Diepholz sadi. “I hate to think what it would be like not having him say, ‘Morning, Diepholz’ every morning or hearing his contagious laugh all day long. Many people are blessed to be able to spend a day with Roger working on a car deal, I have been blessed to be able to spend 30 years next to his side.”
Roger’s commitment to the organization and to the customers has remained steady. As has his commitment to spending time with his family.
“I remember as a kid who loved cars, this was one of my favorite places to be,” Nick, who now works with his father, said. “He would take me through the service area and let me see what the technicians were doing on a daily basis.
“My dad’s office has remained in the same location since I could remember in my younger years. Now he has glass walls instead of temporary dividers. I could only imagine how it was working next to him during these times, considering he can be heard throughout the entire building now!”
Nick enjoys seeing the same customers today as he did as a child while working side by side with his dad. Part of that may be because of the way Roger interacts with them.
“His personality and ability to start a conversation with absolutely ANYONE out of thin air, all whilst being 100-percent sincere,” Nick said. “He has such a positive outlook on life, that is a characteristic that I have tried to emulate as long as I can remember.”
Even when customers are in unfortunate situations—car trouble close to holidays or right before a family trip or having to purchase a vehicle after an accident—Roger finds a way to connect.
“He has this gift that I love seeing,” Nick said. “He can walk into a full-service waiting area that’s completely quiet, start a conversation with someone as he’s getting a cup of coffee, and have the entire room engaged with one another by the time he heads back to his office. It’s absolutely amazing to watch.”
Over the years, his colleagues have also enjoyed watching his unique way of solving problems.
“He is able to look at a situation and create a solution on the spot or at least put us at ease when dealing with it,” Nick said. “That’s huge in this business, being able to make important, educated decisions on the spot at any time. This is an extremely fast-paced environment, and stuff happens, and my dad handles it effortlessly.”
At the end of the day, even when Roger took calls at all hours of the day to be there for his customers, Nick knew that his heart is with his family.
The man who has a love-hate relationship with yard work and keeping his home looking great also can’t wait to get to work on the family farm with his brother Rusty any chance he gets. He’s also found his call to “freedom” in his Jeep that he purchased a few years ago as he put down a motorcycle fetish.
At this time, Roger has no plans to retire. His sights are setting on making more friends.
