SALT LAKE CITY — Utah has lost a local icon in the car business. Jerry Seiner, founder of the Jerry Seiner Dealerships, died Thursday at age 75.
Seiner opened his first Utah dealership — a Chevrolet franchise — in 1980 with 60 employees and eventually grew the business into 11 dealerships on four campuses with 350 employees.
Gerald John Seiner was born in December 1941 in Dearborn, Michigan. His father was a Ford Motor Co. electrician who became auto magnate Henry Ford's personal electrician. After graduating high school in Detroit, Seiner went to work for the Detroit News and the Wall Street Journal in advertising. Upon seeing the success he could achieve in the auto business, he purchased his first dealership in Cadillac, Michigan, in 1975.
Five years later, Chevrolet offered him an opportunity to grow his business and he relocated to Salt Lake City, purchasing Duaine Brown Chevrolet. Under his motto, "Making friends to last a lifetime," his business in Utah flourished.
Along with Chevrolet, the Jerry Seiner Dealerships include Buick, Cadillac, GMC, Kia, Nissan and Isuzu commercial trucks. Over his decadeslong career, Seiner served as a member of General Motor's President's Council for 18 years and earned the GM "Dealer of the Year" award in 2004. Last year, Seiner was inducted into the New Car Dealers of Utah Hall of Fame.
In 2012, he sold majority ownership of the dealerships to his son-in-law, Chris Hemmersmeier, while his son, Jerry Seiner Jr., serves as marketing director for the dealership group.
Seiner also took leadership roles with many local charitable organizations, including serving as president of Make-A-Wish of Utah and president of the advisory board of the University of Utah’s College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. He was also honored for his contributions to the local homeless and refugee populations.
He is survived by his wife, Shari, three children, four grandchildren, as well as 350 employees of his business family.