Knauz Auto Dealership

It was over 80 years ago when, Karl Knauz, the father of the current chairman, opened a gas station in Lake Forest, and a Desoto dealership (followed in 1941 by Chrysler). In 1986 Knauz purchased the parcel of land in Lake Bluff, expanding its automotive offerings to Land Rover, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Hyundai. Since the beginning, the Knauz family has weathered the good times and the bad, taking care of customers using 'The
Golden Rule". In addition to its car dealerships, Knauz also runs a state of the art Body Shop & Detail Center plus a Pre-Owned Center. Bill Knauz has turned over the running of the company to his son-in-law, William Madden, but most days he'll still stop by the office, unless the weather is conducive for his second passion in life: flying. In the earlier days, Bill Knauz remembers getting to know all of the customers by name. That's a little harder to do today, but they do see a lot of repeat business including some of the grandchildren of people who have bought cars from the Knauz dealerships in the past.

Host: Terry Desmond