March 28, 2024

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Gary Drewing, known for automobile sales and positive attitude, dies at 74 | Missourian life story

The offices at Drewing Automotive and its counterparts were a tiny quieter this 7 days just after the death of founder and nearby automotive mogul Gary Drewing.

“My father had an open up door policy. You could often reach him no issue if it was heading to his place of work (or) contacting through the switchboard,” Rusty Drewing said. “I signify, that doesn’t exist in today’s globe.”

Gary Drewing, mid-Missouri car product sales pioneer and a person of the masterminds driving Joe Machens, died Jan. 28. He was 74.

With support from his son Rusty, Gary Drewing created an empire of car or truck dealerships in the course of mid-Missouri that introduced hundreds of new positions to the place above the several years.

“My father’s philosophy was always, ‘You do what’s correct.’ And that applies to providing to charities, that applies to prospects, that applies to every thing: ‘You do what’s correct,’ ” Rusty Drewing stated.

Gary Drewing was born Nov. 26, 1947, in St. Louis to Fred and Virginia Rehg Drewing. He had two sons, Gary Jr. and Rusty. Rising up, he attended Christian Brothers Higher education High Faculty, where by he grew to become an All-American fullback with many D-1 provides from universities together with Notre Dame and MU.

After paying out some time at MU, he went to St. Louis College and earned a diploma in accounting and advertising right before continuing on to acquire a master’s diploma in enterprise administration. Some time in among the bachelor’s and master’s levels, he married Virgina “Ginny” Hespen Drewing.

Following college or university, Gary invested some time doing the job with the Ford Motor Organization in St. Louis right before relocating to Jefferson Town, where he became the typical supervisor of Funds Metropolis Ford in 1982. He would eventually use that prestigious title to form a partnership with Joe Machens, just one that would modify his daily life.

“My father began performing at Joe Machens in 1983,” Rusty Drewing mentioned. “He was released to another person there, and the rest is background.”

Immediately after a couple years of advancement and enlargement, Joe Machens quickly grew to become a powerhouse of mid-Missouri.

“The Joe Machens Lincoln retailer in Columbia has been the amount 1 keep in the state considering that 1997 largest volume, new and utilised dealer,” according to Rusty Drewing. “It’s incredible to consider that Columbia, Missouri, could have this kind of a dominant pressure. It’s really surreal.”

Rusty Drewing explained he and his father worked jointly flawlessly, acquiring exciting increasing their brand as a father-son duo.

“I take into account myself genuinely fortunate mainly because I got to get the job done beside my father just about every single day. We worked aspect by side he confirmed me the ropes,” Rusty explained. “We made just about every major selection together, and it is remarkable to have a father that set so significantly faith in me at such a younger age.”

With his model developing, Drewing donated to many nearby charities and businesses. He supported many neighborhood Columbia and Jefferson Town groups, which includes United Way, the Boys and Women Club, the Foods Financial institution, Real North and a lot more.

“He didn’t do this for any self-marketing or acknowledgment, you know,” Rusty Drewing claimed. “He did it due to the fact in his coronary heart, he felt like it was the right matter he should do.”

Rusty Drewing stated he hopes to have on his father’s legacy and that he hopes his father will be remembered for his volunteer work and enterprise and community impacts.

“He’s one of a kind. We’ll miss him just about every working day, but we program to have on his worth (and) his legacy through our dealerships,” Rusty Drewing said. “He’ll hardly ever be overlooked.”