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This typifies my relationship with Jerry Rogers, as it was a short 16 years ago that we got together to grow the commercial tire business in West Michigan. Between my father, and Jerry, they both taught me the importance of service in our business. He invited me to go along on many of his sales calls and was always prepared with marketing materials, pricing, and a tenacity to, “Always ask for the order.” If you have been to his office, he was a huge John Wayne fan and had an abundance of books and tapes of Dale Carnegie, he practiced what he preached. He was very tough on salesmen and service techs if they failed to follow up with customers, but when he over stepped his bounds, he was the first to apologize. I had several occasions to take Jerry to Goodyear conferences and he was highly regarded throughout the industry as the, Best Commercial Salesman, by his peers. It didn't make a difference where we were, he always wanted to know where you bought your tires and what it would take to make a deal. When things were not right, he wrote some pretty tough emails (without the use of spellcheck), but usually the recipient knew Jerry and his passion to get his customers the information they needed.
His memory was astounding. He could remember names and businesses and was very good at keeping up with customer's birthdays or special occasions. Jerry lit up the room with his stories and was one of the most honest people I have ever met. If you were ever around him when he sang Happy Birthday, you will never forget it. It could happen in person, over the phone, or in the middle of a bar. To say that Jerry was ever boring is a huge understatement as he was definitely the “Livewire” wherever he went. In his later years he frequented Monelli's Bar and was regarded by many as the “Mayor.” Jerry was a book that everyone should read as he had a passion for life, whether he was talking about his family, or his historical career as a salesman. He was a legend that will never be duplicated and I will always be proud to say he was a colleague, but mostly, one of my best friends.
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