Community Support and Quality Workforce Help Christiansen Motors Thrive
Pat Kaiser, owner of Christiansen Motors, a General Motors dealership on the north edge of Audubon, knows he’s got a good deal of competition when residents in his area are considering purchasing a car. There are many communities, large and small, offering a wealth of choices in the 50 - 75 radius surrounding Audubon that he considers his service area.
“People are mobile; Des Moines is a little over an hour’s drive in one direction, and Omaha’s about the same distance in the other direction,” Kaiser acknowledges. Yet his business has survived and thrived for more than 35 years in his hometown of 2,000 residents.
“Our community is good about supporting their local businesses,” he states proudly. “You have to support local business; everyone knows it and everyone pitches in when they can.”
Kaiser, a lifelong resident of Audubon, is living the story many communities in Iowa hope to replicate — small-town boy starts working at business in high school and goes to college; owner recruits him back to work at business and he ends up owning the company. For Kaiser, this is the Cinderella story he hopes plays out for his son who has plans to come back and join him in the business when he finishes college.
It’s all part of the Western Iowa quality of life that people like Kaiser, who has essentially worked at the same place for 30 years, appreciate on both a personal and business level. It explains his personal choice and how it has translated into his business success.
“My wife and I knew this would be a great place to raise a family,” he said. “You know the people, the cost of living is less, the schools are good and health care is accessible. But it is really the quality of the people that make you appreciate where you live and work.”
In his dealership, Kaiser sees the quality in his small workforce. Out of 18 employees, most have been with the business for 10 - 20 years. When new employees are needed, Kaiser looks for local people whom he can train. He acknowledges a better success rate in hiring local people, because he finds they are honest and hard-working. Plus they have a better connection to the area, he says.
“Employers in this area have to draw from a multi-county area,” Kaiser also acknowledges, adding that the region supports the business and the workforce development, and everyone works together and has a positive attitude. “We’re all here for the same reason — to make this a better place to live and that makes it a better place to have a business.”
