When Eugene and Velda Keller built a house on Highway 51 South outside the city limits of Perryville, MO, they had no idea that many years later they would be the owners of a successful automotive business. In 1967, they returned to rural Perryville, where both had spent their childhoods, to raise their six children—four sons and two daughters. The Kellers bought some land from Eugene’s parents and built a house just a pasture away from them.

             Eugene had spent many years working with his family’s trucking business hauling and selling fireplace wood during the winters and watermelons during the summers. In June 1971, the Keller family automotive business began when Eugene parked the first car for sale in the front yard of the house. He then started an automotive repair business in a garage built behind the family home. The sales and repair business continued at that location until 1975. During these early growing years, Interstate 55 had been built just a quarter mile away from the dealership. Traffic increased as other businesses began building around the interstate in what had previously been a rural area.

             Once again, more land was purchased from Eugene’s parents and part of the pasture became the new home of Keller Auto Sales. Over the years, the three oldest sons—Steven, David, and Ricky—had spent time working with all aspects of the family business from detailing vehicles that were to be sold, to sweeping the floor of the garage, to helping with the part-time trucking business. While David went off to college and Ricky joined the Navy, oldest son Steve worked with Eugene as a mechanic in the dealership.

Velda wasn’t immune to helping with the family business. Though busy raising her six children, she worked part-time as a bookkeeper for the Keller family business and stayed on call for any vehicle sales transactions. Steve eventually left the dealership to pursue other interests, but youngest son Tom was getting old enough to pick up where his older brothers had left off in helping Eugene with odd jobs around the garage and the trucking business.

             Over the next few years, business began to develop. Eugene would see more and more returning customers as the automotive sales and repair business grew in annual sales. The pasture between the dealership and Eugene’s parents’ home was leased to a new business—NPS Corporation. NPS Corporation built a Styrofoam manufacturing plant in the open space of land next to the dealership.

             In the mid-1980’s, Eugene decided to retire the family trucking business. Keller Auto Sales demanded more of his time as a few other employees were added to the roster. Velda continued to take charge of all the bookkeeping. Youngest child Tom then went off to college, leaving Velda and Eugene without children in the house for the first time in 30 years. 

Second son David had completed college with a degree in accounting, passed his CPA exam, and was working with a firm in St. Louis that specialized in automotive accounting. He began consulting for the family business and shared the knowledge he gained with his parents to help the dealership grow. In 1988, David formed a CPA firm with two other partners and continued work in automotive accounting—with Keller Auto Sales as one of the first clients.

In the fall of 1991, Eugene called David with exciting news. He had just been given the opportunity to purchase Coad Chevrolet-Chrysler in Perryville and become a new car dealer.  Should he do it? Keller Auto Sales had become a successful and prominent used vehicle dealership and repair shop with five employees. Shouldn’t he be slowing down and working toward retirement since he was 56 years old? Eugene wanted the new challenge. He wanted the opportunity to cap his automotive career by owning a franchised dealership. But most of all, Eugene wanted a legacy he could pass on to his children and their children.

 Keller Motors, Inc. became the new company with the purchase of Coad in the fall of 1991. The dealership now represented the Chevrolet, Geo, Chrysler, Plymouth, and Dodge franchises in the Perryville market. Keller Motors bought out the building next door from NPS Corporation and spent several months renovating it to include a showroom, sales and administrative offices, and a service area. The former Keller Auto Sales building was converted into the dealership’s body repair shop. New and used cars, trucks, and vans were parked in the new lot, which had been the open land space in front and between both buildings.

             Eugene Keller was now the Owner and President of Keller Motors, Inc. Velda Keller became the Secretary-Treasurer of the new business venture. Oldest son Steve had returned to the family business as General Manager and Vice President, supervising the daily operations of the dealership and the 20 employees who worked there. Terry Wibbenmeyer, a longtime Keller Auto Sales employee, came on board as the Used Car Manager.

             Business moved steadily along as Eugene and his team continued to grow the business. Even after more than 20 years in business, he was still seeing the same customers trading in cars they purchased from him a few years before as well as buying cars for their children. In early 1994, Steve moved on to pursue his own used vehicle sales and rental business in Festus, MO. The business was back to a single generation, but with many employees who had stayed with the Kellers for several years.

             The beginning of 1994 brought two Keller sons back to their homestead to join Keller Motors and work with their parents. Rick moved from Kansas City to take over the position of General Manager. Youngest son Tom assumed the position of Marketing & Customer Service Manager. Both worked with their parents that year to help grow the business in their different capacities, but by early 1995 they left the dealership. Rick returned to Kansas City to take an opportunity with his former employer and Tom left to finish his bachelor’s degree at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

             In early 1996, Steve again joined the business as General Manager and Vice President. Even Steve’s two teenage daughters—Ann and Amy—were helping out at the dealership occasionally doing odd jobs in the office. Now, three generations of Kellers were working in the family business.

 Growth continued for the dealership as Keller Motors added the Jeep and Eagle franchises in 1996. Chrysler Corporation presented Keller Motors a Five Star Dealer certification in 1997. To achieve this privilege, the dealership had to show outstanding compliance in customer service, training, and dealership processes. More changes were in store during 1999. Eugene was given the opportunity to purchase the Pontiac and Buick franchises in December 1999 from another local dealership and jumped at the opportunity.

In 2000, expansion continued with construction of a new 11,000 square foot Body Shop, complete with new, state of the art equipment, on some recently purchased land located behind the dealership.  The old Body Shop building, which was the original Keller Auto Sales location, was demolished to make room for some much needed lot space since the acquisition of the Pontiac and Buick lines.  Construction to the main building included a transformation of the front end into two separate showrooms—one for both GM and Chrysler.  Another 6,500 square feet was added to the rear of the main building to expand the service area and include a quick lube and oil change area.

 In the year 2005, Keller Motors holds the franchises for Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep. GM had folded the Geo line into Chevrolet and Chrysler discontinued the Eagle and Plymouth line of cars. With nearly $20 million in sales in 2005, Keller Motors has become one of the most successful automotive dealers in the area.

Eugene Keller was diagnosed with terminal cancer in August 2004, but continued to spend time in the dealership throughout his illness. The employees and customers of Keller Motors had become his second family and the time he spent at the dealership was valuable to him. After battling his cancer for a year, Eugene passed away on August 1, 2005.

 Currently, Steve heads up the dealership, which now employs over 35 people, as President and Dealer Principal. Daughter Teresa joined the dealership in 2001 as Payroll/Corporate Secretary after Velda retired. Second son David is Vice-President and still takes an active role in consulting through his CPA firm—Davis, Keller & Wiggins, LLC. 

Eugene’s dream that started with one car in the front yard 34 years ago grew to a multi-line dealership with an inventory of over 200 new and used cars, trucks, and vans. Eugene felt the immensity of this as he filmed his first television commercial in 1998. The theme? As he looked out over an empty pasture, Eugene had a dream that one day he would have a successful automotive business. Talking to him was one of his oldest friends and most loyal customers with a couple of cows as witnesses.

In 1971, Eugene didn’t realize that the empty pasture would strike gold 34 years later when his dream with one car became a reality with $20 million dollars in sales. His family was there each step of the way to support him through the struggles and triumphs. They each contributed what they could to the growth of the business. And they’re still proudly there…sharing the legacy he created.