02 Broadcaster Press December 9, 2014 www.broadcasteronline.com The Art of Success Series: Marts in business for nearly 50 years By Alan Dale alandale@plaintalk.net At the end of next summer Larry and Rose Mart will celebrate an anniversary. No, it won’t be a day to celebrate when the two were wed, but instead it will a time to look back and embrace what has been such a big part of their live for five decades. It will mark the 50th year the two have owned and run the Mart Auto Body & Marine shop located at 1122 West Main Street in Vermillion. But in between his days of growing up in Wakonda to now running a business that has done well for him, Larry Mart has evolved from a kid with a dream to becoming the guy with a gateway to so many other peoples’ dreams. After graduating high school in 1955, Larry went about looking for work before latching on with Duane Brunick at what is now Mart Auto Body & Marine. “I wanted to own my own shop and I was pretty young,” Larry said. “I got out of school in 1955 and started working for Duane in 1957. I first started farming out of school and it wasn’t good for me so I told my dad that I was going to town and started working for Duane.” After working with Brunick for almost a decade the day came for Larry to make a big decision. As Mart was toiling between working for Brunick and across the way at Bunyan’s Duane came calling. “He asked me to buy it because he wanted to work at the county,” Larry said. “I was thinking about buying it. I went to my bank and they turned me down. They wanted massage for HEALTH Give the gift of health this holiday season. Open Monday thru Friday Lois Hazen, LMT 624-6732 g massageforhealth@midconetwork.com Duane to co-sign with me and I said no. I wanted to do it by myself or I don’t want to do it at all. Then I went to Vern Holter at National Bank and he gave me a loan.” Some would think that a young man, not even 30 yet, would find it difficult taking over a business, but Larry Mart was ready. “I had been doing it all along and had been doing a lot of the estimating and a lot of the working for Duane,” he said. So Larry Mart took over a building that had been around since the 40s – starting as a Kaiser Frazer dealership, then becoming Al Russo’ plumbing before Brunick took over. Now it was the Marts to own and make special. Soon after buying it, Larry says that he came upon the ‘boat’ side of things in 1969 by “accident.” “A guy asked me to get him a boat trailer,” Larry said. “I went down to Iowa to bring back a boat trailer.” It was suggested during this trip back and forth to Iowa that the Marts might want to look into selling boats. “I was a marine mechanic not a marine salesman,” Larry said of his initial thoughts on the subject. Ultimately Mart took a shot at it and sold 18 boats right out of the sales book. It was a marriage made in marines. Things took off quickly as he had the biggest such inventory in town while another store was more about fishing boats, the Marts were about a multitude of different sea vehicles to sell. “It did pretty well for me and got bigger,” Larry said. “I was pretty much by myself in the marine business here. It was a quite a bit bigger than I expected it to be.” “When we took on the boats and services then we really expanded,” Rose Mart added. “After the first of the year we start to see more people looking for boats. Especially the farmers since they have more time now.” Larry Mart attributed people wanting to get out of town and just see something different than the land they look upon most of the year. “And the river is near here and there used to be a lot more water skiing down here than there is now,” Larry said. “It started selling pretty fast for me. I was making about 50-50 (profits) on the boats and the body shop.” The Vermillion Area Dance O g Organization Presents: Sugar Plum Fa Tea m Fairy Tea airy a Sunday D Sunday, December 14 y, y De Tea sitting: 2 itting: 2:00 – 4:00 pm ttin Old Lumber Company Banquet Hall Company mp Tea, app , appetizers, cr appetizers, crafts, and performances! rs, Tick Tickets: $15 children/$20 adults To purchase, contact fundraising@vermillionareadance.com fundraisi g ing@vermillionareadance.com or stop by the studio at 19A South Plum Street. The Vermillion Area Dance Organization is a non- Larry and Rose Mart have built Mart Auto Body & Marine Shop over five decades as they began as young business owners and now are very happy with how things turned out. ALAN DALE / THE PLAIN TALK It didn’t hurt that the Marts took up an enjoyment of boats too. “It’s relaxing and you can go out there on the water and no one bothers you,” Larry said. “You can fish and fishing boats has been my strongest point here lately. It sells well.” He could sell boats or just give away money and still no matter how cool the item for sale it doesn’t necessarily equate to success. So something has to be working for them. “It’s a normal body shop but we don’t do any oil changes or that kind of stuff,” Rose said. “Then we do the boats motors and trailers. We sell them and service them. When they purchase a new boat we want it water ready for them.” Then there is the pride in taking care of their customers. “I’ve been fortunate to have good service men and we have one of the better service departments around for the area here,” Larry said. “One of them is my son Doug, and the other is Gary Sedivy. They go to school and have to meet qualifications every year. They are naturally handy and do quite well. We take care of the customers, give them service, and threat them fairly.” Larry says that the business get a lot of referrals as customers spread the word about the shop and how it conducts its business. Boats become an item of interest after the New Year as people gear up for 0 8 the warmer months. Usually the peak sales time is July 4, but lately sales have worked their way in as far as September. “The little fish boats aren’t as popular anymore,” Larry said. “I sell between 20 and 40 boats a year which is pretty good for a small town like Vermillion.” What started with pleasure boats is now a hybrid demand for fishing-pleasure combos with ski pylons attached as companies are making boats universal and it tends to be selling. That’s one of the biggest thrills for Larry Mart. “It’s writing the contracts,” he said. “Selling the boats and meeting the people. It’s something you can’t forget. “The hardest part is sometimes satisfying the customers. I have been very fortunate to not have many unhappy customers give me any static.” Rose notes that business has remained good as they have good connections to get the best product to local consumers. “The long boats come out of New York Mills, the G3 comes out of Lebanon, Missouri, and the skeeters come out of Texas,” she said. “It’s been a good business, I will say that and it’s been a good year.” For more information contact Mart Auto Body & Marine at 605-6243814 or email them Mart_marine@qwestoffi ce.net. JEAN MAE PETERSON’S JEAN MAE P TERSON’S PE RSON S 90 HOUSEthday! BirEthday! Birthday! r OPEN th Wakonda Heritage Wakonda Heritage Manor r Greetings may be sent to may ? Smile. 515 Ohio Street Wakonda, Wakonda, SD 57073 Wanted OWNER/ OPERATORS With Good Driving Record & 2 yrs. Experience Call: 877-626-4658 The The 7th Annual Celebration The 37th Annua Celebration h Annual Celebration al elebratio of the St. Luci Tradition f the St. Lucia Tradition h St Lucia Traditio Luci radition ia ra i ion iti Sat rday, December Saturday, December 13th aturday atur ay, tur m Dal Dalesburg Lutheran Church Dalesburg Lutheran Church rg Luth an u 30595 University Road University ad n ty Scandanavian ood Scandanavian Foo Scandanavian Fo d and Program Scandanavian Food and Program can anavia n Progra rogram Fre will Collection Freewill Collectio Freewill Collection reewil ollection Fo Information For Informati or in case of or nformat tion inclem weath cal inclement weather call: 605-253-2575 clem weat ment ther all: Christtma he M our Chrisstmas the Misssouri Christmas on th Misssouri hri mas Missouri A Concert to remind us of the True Meaning of Christmas December 1 th at 7 pm 12 20 Mickelson Dr. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Concert followed by desert and nativity scene displays