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When the state widened the roads in 1970, Lee Gartner purchased 4.37 acres of land from Eugene Casey and relocated Reed Brothers Dodge from its original 1800-square foot lot in town to a new state-of-the-art 26,000-square foot showroom and Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep service complex at 15955 Frederick Road, between Rockville and Gaithersburg.
Breaking Ground for the New Location, 1970
From left: Edwin Becraft, Phil Vetter, George Ward, Lee Gartner, President (others unknown).
Lee Gartner with the ceremonial shovel onsite in 1970
Lee Gartner with the ceremonial shovel installed in his office in the new building.
The completion of Reed Brothers new home, a complete automotive sales and service facility, marked 55 years of selling Dodges. The state-of-the-art dealership contained the newest customer-focused features that combined technology and comfort throughout. It featured a modern new vehicle showroom, 30 service bays, a comprehensive detail and car wash area, a parts department, a body shop, and the newest technologies to service vehicles, providing customers with a one-stop convenient location to purchase and service their automotive needs.
The Reed Brothers Dodge dealership was designed with a New Formalist influence, as demonstrated in this hand-drawn architectural rendering by Cooke Brackett of Washington, D.C.
Character-defining elements of auto dealerships representative of this period include, but are not limited to:
• One story with flat rooflines
• Rectangular form with secondary service areas
• Large expansive showroom windows and minimal windows at service areas
• Extensive use of corporate branding including street signs, rooftop signs, & various brand color schemes
• Set back from, and parallel to, the adjoining major roadway
Design and construction of the new dealership was managed by the Glen Construction Company, a Gaithersburg-based development firm.
Ethelene Reed, widow of company founder Lewis Reed, attends the grand opening at sunset.
Grand Opening of the New Dealership
December 6, 1970, marked the Grand Opening of Reed Brothers at the new location. The company held a dual celebration with an open house and the observance of their 55th Anniversary. Several hundred people turned out to honor the company, including dignitaries, officials, businessmen, and friends.
New showroom with floor-to-ceiling windows, carpeted floors, and trendy wood paneling
View more photos from the 1970 Grand Opening event (use arrows to navigate through the slide show)
Reed Brothers Dodge Celebrates 55 Years in Business
1976 New Car Showroom & Lot
New Dodge cars displayed on the showroom floor at Reed Brothers. Usually, the flashiest of the new models, spit-shined to perfection, would be displayed inside. Banners touting the new models were also strung up in the showroom.
A line of beige and blue cars all lined up in rows on the side lot awaiting prospective buyers. Across the road is the big barn that said, “MILK FOR THOMPSON’S DAIRY” on the field that is now the new urban development known as King Farm.
1970s Sales & Service Personnel
"In 1970, Reed Brothers relocated the operation from the original site on Veirs Mill Road and Dodge Street in Rockville to the present location on Route 355 near the Shady Grove metro station. 'We moved because of Rockville's urban renewal,' Rick Gartner said. The original site is now the Francis Scott Key Memorial Park.
Throughout its 74 years, Reed Brothers Dodge has kept a consistent theory: 'Treat the customer as your friend.' Today's motto also incorporates the phrase 'Buy with Confidence.' Another tradition at Reed Brothers Dodge is its reputation for good service...the main focus of the company according to Gartner. Reed Brothers has won service awards through Chrysler Corporation, the maker of Dodge cars. The dealership has a AAA rating by Washington Consumer's Checkbook publication that rates service and body shops. 'We are the only Dodge dealership in Maryland with this rating,' Gartner said. For eight years the company has received Chrysler's five-star award for service and performance.'
(excerpt from 1989 Chronicle Express article by Mary Beth Smith)
Above left-- Sales Meeting: Dorsey Howes, Dale Reed, Marvin Shultz, Lee Gartner. In the 1970s, the sales staff wore red blazers with the Dodge emblem on the pocket and a necktie with the Dodge emblem (pictured in detail above)
Rick Gartner (above), general sales manager and his brother Barry (at left), service and parts director.
"One reason the firm has high service department ratings is the mechanics are all certified and the average employee in the service department has been with the company 30 years. 'Our mechanics have been here a long time,' Adams said. 'We have a low turnover in the shop.'
The service department schedules all appointments so that customers are taken care of as quickly as possible and efficiently. The department leaves some time open each day for emergencies. Salesman Jim Pratt recently received an award for placing second in sales in the Washington zone. E. Lee Gartner just won a dealer award for 'exceeding the manufacturer's sale objectives.'
Reed Brothers is franchised to sell Dodge cars, trucks and the Colt line of Mitsubishi. The Dynasty four-door sedan tops the line of cars. The newest Dodge is the Spirit, a four-door sedan. Besides sales and service, Reed Brothers offers used cars, parts, both wholesale and retail, and has a body shop that is run as efficiently as the service department."
Two generations of Bynakers worked as mechanics at Reed Brothers...
...father and son, Claude (L) and Gary (R).
"'I can remember my grandfather [Lewis Reed] telling me that he had lunch with Lawrence Welk once,' Gartner said. Dodge was a sponsor for the Welk show at the time.
Other celebrities have purchased cars at Reed Brothers. The late Supreme Court justice Stewart Potter was a customer. Many embassies have bought cars for their diplomats. One infamous purchase was a van used in the Watergate scandal. 'That van was returned,' Gartner noted.
Gartner feels that Reed Brothers will stay at their Route 355 location for a long time. 'We have plenty of room in the back to expand,' he said.
(excerpt from 1989 Chronicle Express article by Mary Beth Smith)
Other 1970s Sales & Service Personnel
Buck Whipp – Body Shop Manager
Rose Finneyfrock – Office Manager
Phil Vetter – Service Manager
Joe Habina – Parts Manager
Bob Griner – Shop Foreman
Edward J. (Ted) Dabbs – Salesman
Jay Kuzminski – Parts Dept
Tim Rowe – Parts Dept
Greg Frank – Mechanic
John Trammel – Mechanic
Dave Gooden – Mechanic
Manning (Snipe) Howard – Mechanic
Nathan Howard – Body Man and Radiator Repairman
Garnett Howard – New & Used car cleanup.
(the Howard brothers had combined between 25-30 years of service!)
Glenn Dorsey – Handyman
Lou Neel – Service Writer
Frank Best – Tow Truck Driver
Jessie Adams – Bookkeeper
Above: Ben McGowen (Technician) and Bob Higdon (Assistant Service Manager), c. 1975
Meet the rest of the team at 1970s-era Reed Brothers! (use the arrows to navigate through the slideshow)
The First Chrysler Bailout
By the end of the 1970s, Reed Brothers was doing good business, but Chrysler was not. The chairman of the Chrysler Corporation, Lee Iacocca, requested $1.5 billion from Congress to guarantee their loans-- a bailout that was granted in 1979. At the time, it was the largest rescue package ever granted by the U.S. government to an American corporation.
Chrysler released the first of the K-Car line: the Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant, in 1981. Released in the middle of the major 1980-1982 recession, the small, efficient and inexpensive front-wheel drive cars sold rapidly. These models were soon followed by what would become a home run product for Chrysler: minivans.
In 1983, sales improved dramatically. Because of the K-cars and minivans, the company turned around quickly and was able to repay the government-backed loans seven years earlier than expected.
The 1984 Dodge Caravan was an immediate success. It brought the company back from the brink of bankruptcy, and reinvigorated the automotive market. Many buyers had to wait weeks to have their orders filled because there was so much demand. Dodge created an entirely new market with the minivan, and other models soon followed suit. The early 1980s was an extremely painful period for Chrysler, but Reed Brothers survived.
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