The Marion Chamber of Commerce has announced that the 2015 Business/Industry of the Year is Ike Family Dealerships.
The Ike Family of Dealerships was founded by Edward “Ike” Eigenrauch more than 50 years ago. Ike began selling cars in 1964.
The Honda and Volkswagen dealerships are owned by Ike’s three children: Lori Eigenrauch Sisulak, Brian Eigenrauch, and Jason Eigenrauch. Lori is the dealer principal for both the Honda and Volkswagen stores and is one of only a small number of female dealers in the country. Lori, Jason and Brian all work together to oversee operations at both stores.
“Being the recipient of an award like this is about much more than our family,” Jason said. “We have an amazing team of employees at both our Honda and VW stores. Some of our employees have been with us 30 years! Their dedication to our family is one of the main reasons for our success.”
The Ike Family of Dealerships is family-owned and operated. The Ike Family spans three generations with more than 125 years of combined automotive experience. They have been serving customers in Southern Illinois for almost 40 years.
“When I started selling cars in 1964, I never could have imagined where we would be today,” said Ike, who was recognized by the Marion Chamber of Commerce in 2014 with a Lifetime Achievement Award. “It had always been my dream that my company would remain family-owned and operated. In 2013, my children made that dream a reality by purchasing my remaining shares. I could not be more excited about what the future holds for the Ike Family of Dealerships.”
Ike came to Carbondale as a Buick dealer in 1976. He eventually aquired the Honda franchise and built what was known as Ike Auto Park in Carbondale. In 2001, with future plans to expand in Marion to be closer to Interstate 57,
Ike purchased 17 acres across from the Williamson County Airport. The development, known as Ike Commercial Park, is part of Marion’s TIF District.
In 2006, Ike made the decision to build a new state-of-the-art Honda facility in Marion. The move to Marion proved to be a great decision as new Honda sales more than doubled from the previous location. Next year, Ike Honda will celerate 10 years in Marion.
Volkswagen of Marion held a grand opening celebration for its permanent 20,000-square-foot home on April 23, 2015. All together, the Ike Family has developed 12 acres of Ike Commercial Park and has an additional 5 acres for future development. In a joint project with the City of Marion, the Ike Family has also opened a new roadway that connects Pentecost Road to Old Bainbridge Trail and gives the commercial park access from two stop lights.
Prior to opening their permanent location, Volkswagen of Marion opened in a temporary location at the Williamson County Airport in February 2014. “Even though we didn’t have the nicest facility, or even a showroom, we had a lot of success there. We sold 360 cars, including 271 Volkswagens. We serviced more than 1,000 cars from customers all across the country. But, most importantly, we achieved some of the best customer-satisfaction scores in the entire country. It just proves that you don’t need a multi-million dollar building to provide great customer service,” said Ashlee Church, General Manager.
“Many people underestimate the work that it took to bring VW to Marion,” Ashlee said. “Getting VW executives to see Southern Illinois as a viable market was a huge challenge. The Marion Chamber was instrumental in providing information that helped us explain the potential of Marion and our region.”
“We credit our emphasis on training for our high customer-satisfaction scores. We were the first dealer in our district to achieve 100% employee certification last year even though we were the newest. We have also made a huge investment in technician training, and our entire sales staff spends a month in training,” said Jason.
Ashlee added, “Being third generation, I have been around the automobile business my entire life. I learned early on from my grandfather that the key to success in this business is in treating customers like family. Both our Honda and VW stores excel in customer service. Our Honda store consistently ranks above the national average, and our Volkswagen store is currently ranked 6th in customer service out of all 652 VW dealers in the nation.”
The multi-million dollar construction projects for Ike Honda and VW of Marion represent the Ike family’s commitment to Southern Illinois and Marion. Ike Honda has 45 employees at their facility. The Volkswagen facility employs 20 Southern Illinoisans with plans to add more.
“We consider our employees to be members of our family,” said Lori. “We have 7 employees who have worked for us for more than 20 years and 9 more that have been with us more than 10 years! We also have many more that are just starting their careers with us.”
The owners and staff of Ike Family Dealerships are very involved in numerous community organizations. Recently, they partnered with The Night’s Shield in a Keys-for-Kids fundraiser for the children’s shelter. Participants can purchase a $100 raffle ticket and on Jan. 21, the winner will be able to choose from a 2016 Honda Accord or a 2016 Volkswagen Passat. Only 1,000 tickets will be sold.
After the tornado in the Harrisburg area several years ago, Ike Honda sponsored 50 Days for 50 Grand in order to help raise money for the victims of the tornado by raffling a Honda Civic. Both dealerships support many other community organizations and causes including everything from youth sporting organizations to raising money for breast cancer survivors. Both dealerships are also active in the chamber and sponsor various chamber events throughout the year including the golf scramble, annual dinner and grad spree.
“Being involved in the community is something that is very important to our business. We are very thankful to be in Marion where the entire community is invested in the growth of our region,” said Brian.
Ashley Gott, Chairman of the Marion Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and Chairman of the Awards Committee, which chose Ike Family Dealerships as the Business/Industry of the Year winner, applauded the staff and owners at the Ike Family Dealerships for the community involvement.
“It is a pleasure to award the business of the year to a company that gives so much to the Chamber through volunteering, special events, and sponsorships,” Ashley said. “The Ike Family truly understands the importance of being involved in the Chamber and the business community.”
The Marion Area Chamber of Commerce will present the award to Ike Family Dealerships at the 95th annual Auction & Awards Banquet on Friday, Jan. 15 at The Pavilion of the City of Marion.
“We are very humbled to have been selected as the Marion Chamber’s Business or Industry of the year,” Lori said. “Since moving our Honda store to Marion in 2006, the entire community has welcomed us with open arms! The support we have received from the community has been truly incredible. At both the ground breaking and grand opening of our VW store, the corporate executives were astonished at the support. We couldn’t be more thankful.”
For ticket information, please visit www.marionillinois.com or call the Chamber at (618) 997-6311.
