‘IT TAKES SOME DEDICATION’
Hired out of high school, Carl Rummer set to retire after 48 years in the local car business
After nearly a half-century selling new and used vehicles in Ithaca, Carl Rummer is calling it a career.
His last day at Betten Baker Chevrolet of Ithaca is set for Dec. 24.
Although it’s been known by several names over the years, Rummer has spent most of his 48 years in the car business at the same location, even owning the dealership from 1994-2011.
“I never left Ithaca,” he said. “I never wanted to.”
Rummer began his career in Oct. 1973, at the age of 18 and just a few months after graduating from Ithaca High School.
At the time the dealership was owned by the late Den Cooper.
“He offered to hire me right out of high school,” Rummer said. “He thought I could do the job.
“But back then every salesman wore a suit, sports coat and tie. I spent my first month’s pay buying clothes from Jcpenney when it was located in downtown Alma.”
He also had another reason to purchase a new wardrobe.
“I needed to look older so I had to dress the part,” Rummer said laughing.
However, his new career didn’t start off all that smoothly.
“A month after I started the oil embargo hit,” Rummer said. “It was not all peaches and cream.
Den kept me on and we took down and cleaned all the ceiling tiles (in the showroom) and I helped out in the office just to keep busy.”
Cooper also didn’t wholesale many of the used vehicles he received in trade back then so they took that inventory and moved it to the front row and sold them for $999 or less.
“That kept us going,” Rummer said.
In a business that can be quite volatile at times, he considers himself “pretty lucky” to last this long.
“It takes some dedication,” Rummer said. “It’s all I know how to do. I don’t think anyone goes their whole career without thinking about doing something different but I was never really tempted. I got good at (selling cars).”
He recently sold a new car to a 24 year old woman, whose parents, grandparents and great grandparents had also purchased vehicles from him in the past.
“When I started I never thought I would be selling a car to someone born in 1997,” Rummer said smiling.
Another longtime customer
also just purchased a new vehicle from him.
“I sold him a new Z28 Camaro in 1973,” Rummer recalled. “He now lives in Dewitt but he stayed with me.”
It’s building those types of relationships and trust that has made the past 48 years in the automobile business worthwhile.
“I’ve really enjoyed the customers,” Rummer said. “I took care of them and they took care of me.”
He was considering working a couple of more years but the lack of new vehicle inventory caused by the chip shortage changed his mind.
“I was going to shoot for 50 years,” Rummer explained.
“But it’s not as fun as it once was. Just one more thing you can blame on the pandemic.”
He doesn’t have any big plans for retirement with the exception of spending more time at his home on Rainbow Lake that he purchased in 2002.
“I’ve basically just been sleeping there,” Rummer said. “Now it’s time to enjoy the water and the great fishing. You have to live before you die.”
To celebrate his retirement, Betten Baker Chevrolet of Ithaca, located at 1031 E. Center St., will be giving away a big screen TV. Everyone is invited to stop by anytime during December to enter the drawing and say good-bye “to the legend.” The winner will be chosen at the end of the month.