Roberts Motors committed to client service
Roberts Motors has been a mainstay in Alton since it first opened its doors in 1949, serving the needs of area families for four generations.
Celebrating its 60th anniversary in business, Roberts Motors has witnessed the evolution of the industry from Chrysler DeSotos that the dealership first sold to the high-efficiency, hybrid Fusion that it now sells.
Named Motor Trend Car of the Year for 2010, the Ford Fusion is an incredible car, said John Roberts, general manager of Roberts Motors.
"We think Ford is on top of the industry," John Roberts said. "Ford has always produced a good product, and the cars are now getting good reviews. Every year, the product is being revamped and improves by leaps and bounds over the previous model year."
During the last six decades, Roberts Motors has stood for friendly customer service, said Sam Roberts, the company's president.
"We try to follow the Golden Rule and treat people the way we want to be treated," Sam Roberts said. "We sell cars like we are selling them to our family - that's how we view our customers."
The Roberts' are proud that customers are loyal to their dealership.
"We offer our customers good service, honesty and trust," Sam Roberts said. "A lot of customers buy from our store, not the brand."
The original Roberts dealership was founded in November 1949 in Wood River by Bill Roberts, who is unrelated to the Roberts family that now owns the dealership. In 1963, Bill Roberts moved his dealership to Broadway in Alton, bringing Sam Roberts into the business in 1964.
Sam had been a manager of the A & P Tea Company in Upper Alton for 10 years. The two men became acquainted because Sam helped Bill Roberts' wife while shopping for groceries.
Sam became a partner in 1969, eventually becoming the majority partner in 1995, when Bill decided he wanted to do more traveling. Bill Roberts died in November 2005, and his family remains involved in the business.
Both John and his brother Sam Roberts Jr., who handles the workflow for the service department, began working at the dealership as teenagers.
"They mowed the lawn, picked up trash and pulled weeds," Sam Roberts said. "It kept them out of trouble and gave them allowance money."
Although neither son set out to join the family business, they both decided to give the dealership a try and have never regretted their decisions.
"It's been a good opportunity for me," John Roberts said. "I enjoy talking to our customers."
The dealership moved to its current location at 4350 Alby St. in April 1974. They have carried Ford, Jeep, Eagle, Chrysler and Plymouth over the years, adding brands, eliminating others and adding some back again. As a result of the government bailouts, the company was one of the 789 dealerships that lost Chrysler and Jeep franchises last year.
John Roberts said he believes part of the reason Ford is gaining respect is that the automotive giant didn't need to participate in the bailout program.
"A lot of public sentiment is in Ford's favor," John Roberts said. "Ford is doing it on its own through good management and people respect that - we think Ford will emerge as the dominant franchise."
In keeping with their longstanding commitment to their customers, Roberts said they will continue to service all vehicles.
As for the future, John Roberts said he expects to continue to see improvement in fuel efficiency with each model year, but he doesn't expect to see hydrogen-powered cars for some time.
"The technology is available, but it's still very expensive right now," he said. "A hydrogen-powered vehicle would cost about $100,000, so we won't see those until the technology becomes more affordable."
Roberts said the non-hybrid Fusion is rated at 34 miles per gallon.
"We recommend hybrids to people who do a lot of city driving or are concerned about the impact on the environment," John Roberts said. "There will be some great models coming out in 2010, including the C-Max, which is a Focus-based minivan."
As part of Ford's repositioning to become a global presence, the automobile giant is taking some of their more successful designs and making them even more fuel-efficient.
Even with these innovations, father and sons believe that their continued success depends on meeting the needs of their customers.
"It's not always about price - even though we need to be competitive," Sam Roberts said. "It's about letting the customer know that we value their business and that we want them to come back again. We want people to know that they will be treated well when they come here."
