Liza Borches extends a heritage of business continuity and community service that is notable for its length, even in a state with a rich colonial history. She is the first fourth-generation Ford dealer in Virginia, where her great-grandfather began selling the Model T in Petersburg for about $300 in 1924.

More than eight decades later, Borches leads operations at Volvo of Charlottesville. In addition to her forefathers’ acumen for selling vehicles, she shares a philanthropic commitment that also spans generations.

“We have a civic responsibility to make our community a better place to live,” said Borches. “If we feel economic challenges this year, imagine what it’s like for those with real hardships or living on the edge.”

That feeling of responsibility translates into high-impact support for social services and nonprofit agencies. For example, as 2008-09 chair of the regional United Way campaign, Borches is responsible for helping the organization meet a goal of nearly $1.6 million. As campaign co-chair, she was part of a team that reached $1.5 million in donations from companies and employees in 2007-08.

“I’m amazed by the generosity in our business community. This town has amazing givers,” said Borches, the Charlottesville native.

Borches, whose father and grandfather also were involved in United Way, was attracted to the organization because “it serves the greatest, most pressing needs,” she explained. “I also admire that the goal isn’t just raising money, but also raising awareness of needs in the community that can be met by giving one’s time, not just money.”

In 2005, Borches co-founded Women United in Philanthropy, which hosts discussions on school readiness, childhood nutrition, reducing high school dropout rates and other family-focused topics. The group’s members also pool contributions to award grants to small nonprofits supporting area women and children. “We use the strengths of businesswomen to strengthen our community,” Borches said.

The group has given out $85,000 and held more than a dozen events to raise awareness of at-risk Charlottesville families and generate support for deserving organizations.

Additionally, the graduate of the University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce has been a board member for three years at the UVA Children’s Hospital and runs a Drive for Life benefit each February. Volvo of Charlottesville donates money for all test drives and vehicle sales during that month. “In 2004, I was so inspired by Jennifer Marshall, a pediatric cancer survivor, that we decided to hold a Drive for Life every year,” the Volvo dealer said.

“When it comes to caring for community children and families, Liza is truly a driving force,” said Lee Mullen, chair of the hospital’s development committee.
According to Borches, charitable leadership is a way to “make myself and the dealership an integral part of helping to meet the needs of our community, our customers and our employees.”

Second-generation Ford dealer Larry Geweke estimates thousands of women have received mammograms during his 12 years of promoting early detection of breast cancer in two northern California communities. As a result, Geweke has “been inspired by many survivors,” as he put it.

What began in 1997 with sponsorship of a 5K Race for Awareness fundraiser has grown into eight events and a two-year-old foundation led by the health-crusading dealer. “We’ve seen a snowball effect throughout both communities that even reaches the local Air Force base,” explained Geweke, who made breast cancer awareness, treatment, research and survivor support his main charitable commitment because it is also a Ford Division campaign.  

The son of Daryl Geweke, a 43-year Ford dealer himself, Larry decided early in his career to target his efforts to support community needs. “A car dealer in a small community gets lots of requests,” Larry Geweke noted. “I wanted to focus on a meaningful impact for women and young people.”   

His prime passion is a series of yearly events united under the label Pink October that benefits the Geweke’s Caring for Women Foundation. The Foundation distributes grants to breast cancer patients referred by agencies and social workers. Well over 100 local women have received help paying for medication, utilities, rent or mortgages and other needs, with about $122,000 distributed since 2006.

For the two-city Ford dealer, the mammogram campaign to keep women alive is just as important. Four allies in the Yuba Sutter area provide screening checkups, offered at a low cost to those in need. Lodi’s low cost screenings are offered through a clinic and mobile mammography unit. “The more women we screen, the better chance we have of detecting cases early and saving somebody’s life,” said Geweke. “In the end, that’s what it’s really about.”    

That impact is recognized throughout the community. “Larry is to be commended for his foresight and commitment to the people in our community,” said Carol Ramirez, a vice-president at Fremont-Rideout Health Group, a local partner in Geweke’s efforts. “He has made it possible for women in our community to feel secure about taking care of necessary financial needs during the difficult time of undergoing breast cancer treatment.”

In addition to health care work, Geweke provides assistance for scout troops, youth sports leagues, 4-H Clubs, anti-drug programs, the Special Olympics and monthly Youth Service Awards of $2,000 to $3,000. Donations benefit residents of Yuba and Sutter counties, 40 miles north of Sacramento, and the Lodi area, 30 miles south of the state capital.

Geweke welcomes the ability to make a difference. “The support we get from the community deserves something in return,” he explained. “It’s part of our business culture and just makes sense.”

Denny LaBantschnig learned the value of helping neighbors as a St. Louis teen who mowed lawns, did small home repairs and handled other chores with fellow Boy Scouts. His good deeds are larger now, but the motivation is unchanged. “It’s all about giving back,” explained the owner of Denny Ford Lincoln Mercury in Rolla, Mo.
A year after buying his dealership in 1989, LaBantschnig first held a holiday season event called Fill a Ford For The Holidays to help stock shelves at a few area food pantries. He invited donors to help neighbors by bringing non-perishables to place in the bed of a Ford pickup at Denny Ford Lincoln Mercury.

The monthlong event wound up gathering more than two truckloads, as well as requests from many more food pantries and nonprofit organizations not on the original list. “That’s when we realized the great need and the importance of our food drive,” said the Salute To Dealers honoree, who was touched by meetings with donors who recalled knowing about hunger firsthand. “The holidays are always hard times for less fortunate people.” 

Fill a Ford For The Holidays has become a steadily growing tradition in Rolla, earning support from individuals from all walks of life. Trailer trucks now are used for collections, which then are divided into Ford pickup loads for 23 local organizations. A local dairy fills four pickups with milk, butter and eggs on distribution day. “Sad to say, the need is greater than ever,” LaBantschnig noted.

LaBantschnig recognized another need while visiting the B.W. Robinson School for the Severely Disabled, a state facility in Rolla that serves children with severe physical and mental challenges. After seeing the playground had rundown equipment and dangerous conditions, he decided to take action. LaBantschnig now chairs a $150,000 campaign to replace the existing play area with an outdoor recreation and physical education space designed for special needs students.
The Salute To Dealers honoree is a “tremendous advocate” for the school, according to school administrator Dean Smith.  “He takes a sincere, personal interest in our students and our staff,” Smith added.

In another example of his dedication to those in need, LaBantschnig answered a request from a local U.S. Army captain serving in Afghanistan whose unit wanted to help impoverished children in remote villages. The dealer organized a community collection of school supplies, toiletries and other items that filled three UPS trucks with boxes of items for the servicemen to give away as goodwill gestures from the middle of America.

The dealer’s dedication and generosity are “unbelievable and uplifting,” according to Stevie Kearse, executive director at the Rolla Chamber of Commerce. “He is always developing new ways to give back to the community and show that he has a heart of gold. Those of us who have lived here for a while know that Denny is the guy to go to if you want something done and done right.”

Generosity became a core value for auto dealer Rick Mohr in childhood, so it is natural that employee orientation at Eau Claire Ford Lincoln Mercury includes a message about charitable support. “We’re passionate about making time available for employees to give back to the community,” Mohr explained. “We’re really into paying it forward.”

Contributions focus mainly on child safety, the American Red Cross and vocational training for disabled adults and teens. Quarterly blood drives are hosted in the showroom, free child safety seat inspections are offered around Eau Claire, and leadership is provided for a nonprofit career development center.

Mohr makes it a point to encourage his colleagues and employees to join him in becoming involved in the community. His wife Sherry is marketing director for the dealership in addition to serving as one of Eau Claire Ford Lincoln Mercury’s two nationally certified technicians trained to install and inspect infant and child protective seats to meet federal safety guidelines. Sherry and a colleague perform frequent on-site checks of seats in any vehicle model and also visit other dealerships to perform the public service.

“This is important,” Sherry noted, “because federal safety experts say eight out of 10 vehicle safety seats are improperly installed by parents.” The dealership became involved in the cause after Sherry relayed the story of an acquaintance’s child who became stuck in a loosely attached seat and tragically suffocated.

Rick Mohr joins his wife and other members of the Eau Claire Ford Lincoln Mercury family in rolling up his sleeves as a volunteer. He is an active board member and board treasurer at the L.E. Phillips Career Development Center, a local training center for mentally and physically challenged individuals, which he also supports as lead sponsor of an annual golf benefit. “Our goal is to make a difference in trainees’ lives by providing trade skills and job placements,” he explained. “They also gain self-respect and learn responsibility.”

Mohr is in his fifth year of involvement with the center, where board colleague Betty Reinke is grateful he and his wife “have brought increased attention to our mission and its contributions to people with special needs.” According to Reinke, “Rick and Sherry Mohr are truly examples of strong community leaders with generous hearts.”
Gratitude also is voiced by a regional director of the American Red Cross, which benefits from daylong blood collection drives that make the sales floor “look like a M.A.S.H. unit,” as Sherry Mohr put it. “Eau Claire Ford Lincoln Mercury helps to ensure that no patient ever goes without the blood they need,” said local American Red Cross donor recruitment director Cory Miller. “We deeply appreciate the lifesaving efforts of Rick and Sherry Mohr.”

Philip A. Schmidt embraces community involvement as a duty, not a choice. That sleeves-rolled-up spirit reflects a necessity of life in America’s most sparsely populated state, where frontier attitudes motivate business leaders like the civic-minded vehicle dealer in Casper, Wyo.

“In a city of 50,000 and a state with just half a million people, we can’t wait for others to step up,” said Schmidt, president of Greiner Ford Lincoln Mercury, Inc., a dealership he has been involved with for 20 years.

Schmidt stretches the definition of community service beyond traditional gifts of cash, time and space. His greatest impact has come as longtime president of the Casper Public Utilities advisory board and as a director of the Wyoming Medical Center during years of dramatic growth.  

Applying analytic skills developed as a certified public accountant, Schmidt acts as a ratepayer “watchdog” on the municipal utilities advisory board, where he has served since 1993, including nine years as president. The Ford Lincoln Mercury dealer created the city’s current water rate model and was a strong advocate for a Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant that serves eight communities and has qualified for state grants.     

“Fellow citizens will probably never know all that he’s done for them over the years in a voluntary position,” commented City of Casper Mayor Paul C. Bertoglio. “I am deeply appreciative of all that he has done over the years for me and for the people of the City of Casper.”

During six years in a variety of leadership roles for the Wyoming Medical Center board, Schmidt saw the 190-bed facility – Casper’s largest employer – add a neurosurgery center, a $34 million wing and joint ventures with specialized care providers. His tenure on the board included terms as finance committee chairman, vice-chairman and chairman of the board.

Mike Reid, a former board colleague at the Wyoming Medical Center admires both Schmidt’s business leadership and his “compassion and caring for the patients and their families.”

Hometown dedication is also evident from past service on the Casper Family YMCA Board of Directors, support for the Central Wyoming Hospice Program and contributions to an annual college scholarship for a Casper teen in the Wyoming Future Farmers of America. Employees follow Schmidt’s example and consistently lift their dealership to participation of 95 percent or more and the highest per-capita giving among Casper car dealers during United Way campaigns.    

“This community has been very good to us and we need to give back,” the Salute To Dealers honoree said. “It’s our civic responsibility.” At the same time, Schmidt acknowledges that community service brings thankless work at times. “On boards you have to make some difficult decisions, so there isn’t always universal appreciation or gratitude – other than knowing you’ve contributed to the community.”

For Schmidt, that knowledge provides ample return on investments of time and energy.

Chanting “Go Dogs!” at high school football games is just one way that Todd and Scott Spitler support the Brighton Bulldogs and their community. More significantly, the third-generation automotive dealers are generous in their contributions of time, financial support and other resources.

“We believe strongly in investing in our community, and what better way to get involved than through the schools,” said Todd Spitler, whose dealership donated the $15,000 scoreboard at the local high school sports field. Brighton Ford Mercury also rewards fans and the district with giveaways.

As the grandsons of a Ford dealer who operated in the Detroit suburb of Wayne, Mich., the Spitlers extend more than a business legacy. “Our family has a tradition of sharing our success by giving back to the areas we serve,” noted Scott Spitler, whose father now runs dealerships in Florida and North Carolina. “If we do business in a community, we should keep resources there.”

In addition to athletic support for Brighton Area Schools, the dealers encourage young artists by hosting a holiday painting contest each December at their showroom. Each elementary school receives $1,000 for materials to promote creativity and the importance of art. Student artists decorate large windows at the dealership to compete for a traveling trophy awarded by local judges.

“Athletic and art programs are among the first to be cut when districts trim budgets,” explained Todd Spitler. “Those areas deserve support to strengthen our community.”    

Their support makes the brothers trophy-worthy champions in the view of John Thompson, director of interscholastic athletics at Brighton Area Schools. “Brighton Ford’s vision and understanding of our local community and its role as a leader is unparalleled in my experience in education,” he said.

Another charitable commitment involves the dealership’s 45 mechanics, who wear pink T-shirts each October to support their “Wrenching for a Cure” drive to support cancer research. They and other Brighton Ford Mercury employees solicit donations from customers, friends and family members – an effort that began in 2007 by raising more than $3,700, which the Spitlers matched.

Civic leadership does not end with writing checks. Scott Spitler is vice-chairman at the Greater Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce, for which the dealership hosts an annual Business Breakfast Expo as a networking event. Scott sees it as a way to “promote relationships in the community so dollars don’t leave here.”

The brothers earn gratitude from neighbors and business associates by extending the philanthropic heritage of their father and grandfather. “People know they can count on us,” Todd Spitler said. “We have a good reputation for supporting the community. We’re often the first call.”

The brothers believe good citizenship is a vital part of good business. “If we do the right thing for the community,” Scott Spitler added, “people will do the right thing for us.”