Eleven thousand cars sold in 31 years. By one man. Garry Lillpop.
For more than three decades, salesman after salesman was outworked on the Don Moore parking lot as Lillpop added to his legacy. He was the king, and it wasn’t by coincidence. Lillpop had a work ethic that was unrivaled by just about anyone, let alone his coworkers.
But Lillpop’s journey was about more than selling. It was never about the money for him, though he did work hard to provide for his family. That’s what it all came down to in the end. For Lillpop, family always came first, and now it’s just about the only thing that matters.
After a 55-year career in sales that dates back to Anderson’s Department Store, Lillpop has retired happily. It’s bittersweet, he said, but he’s all smiles about being free to spend all his time with family.
Going Way Back
Lillpop grew up on a small farm across the river in Rockport, Ind., where he developed a workman’s mentality at a young age. He eventually made it to Owensboro and attended Kentucky Wesleyan College, where he completed his education in six years and was a debt-free graduate.
While he was a full-time student, Lillpop took a part-time position with Anderson’s. He slowly worked his way up to 40 hours per week and then started taking on larger and larger roles.
Starting with being the buyer for the boys’ department, Lillpop soon found himself also in charge of men’s furnishing, men’s clothing and the young men’s departments.
Anderson’s had become his life, Lillpop said. And then the mall came to town.
Anderson’s opened a second location, giving them one on Frederica Street and one downtown. Sales were starting to trend downward, and Lillpop rightfully became concerned.
Through a few connections, Lillpop got an interview with a 26-year-old Don Moore, Jr., who had just bought Sturgeon Pontiac – Nissan.
Joining Don Moore
Moore, along with 27-year-old sales manager Rick Freeman, knew he had to find the best staff at the time. Moore said he knew Lillpop was a great salesman, but he had no idea what would take place for the next 31 years.
“What he brought to the table, in a lot of ways, he brought us all up to a level of maturity,” Moore said. “I don’t think our company would have grown like it did without Garry in the middle of it all. It’s interesting because he set a different standard for everyone. He never wanted to be a manager. He always wanted to sell. He said he didn’t want all the red tape of trying to manage other people. But by the same token, he was a leader. It was so important for the growth of our business because of the standard the Garry set for everyone.”
It was a tough transition for Lillpop, though. Lillpop was leaving behind a job that was a set 40 hours per week with four weeks vacation and a nice salary.
With his wife Diane and young son Todd at home, Lillpop was ready to reverse course.
“I literally went home and cried,” he said. “I said ‘Diane and Todd, I have made the worst mistake that I have ever made in my life. I’m not used to this car business, and it’s just so many hours.’”
He actually did try to get his old job back, but the manager at Anderson’s told Lillpop the store had less than two years left before it would fold. So, car sales it was.
“I started off selling 11-12 cars a month, and it just multiplied from there,” Lillpop said. “Really and truthfully, I didn’t have much of a choice. I was going to make a living for my family.”
From Fiero to Accent, plus one giant tent sale
It all began with a black 1988 Pontiac Fiero. Last Saturday, it ended with a 2019 Hyundai Accent, the first of its kind Lillpop ever sold.
The years in between are stuffed with unbelievable records and stories, perhaps none greater than the Don Moore tent sale in 1991. It was one of the biggest months in the dealership’s history, and Lillpop played no small role.
Lillpop was running his own mini-dealership in the parking lot. He had customers at multiple tables, and he’d bounce from one to the next while he sold one after the other. Lillpop even hired a secretary to handle all the paperwork so he could move on to the next client without wasting time on trivial signatures.
“Garry had a level of energy that was unsurpassed,” Moore said. “There was nothing comparable to the energy that he brought every single day to the dealership. Because of that, we had no idea that he would be the salesman that he was.”
Lillpop went on to sell more than 180 cars in a three-month span, a number many salespeople don’t hit in a year. For his career, Lillpop averaged around 30 sold cars per month, but that figure took a sizeable hit as he slowed his pace in his latter years.
Why He Succeeded
Sales quite simply came naturally to Lillpop, but he was also a different type of salesman. It wasn’t just about the car with him — it was also about the relationship.
Bob Meythaler, who retired from his general manager position at the Chevrolet location last year, said Lillpop truly stood out in every way.
“For one, he outworked everybody,” Meythaler said. “His work ethic was second to none. He knew everybody in town and he loved to sell. He’d sell their whole family cars and they’d come back. He was truly the hardest worker, and he was just so friendly. He was a true, professional salesperson. He was one of a kind.”
Lillpop was always on the clock. He’d run into people at Wal-Mart and work on a deal at 8 p.m., or he’d stop by on Sundays and hand out his business cards in the parking lot. He’d go home every night and start preparing for the next day. He did whatever it took to make every sale.
“I’ve been very fortunate, but I worked hard,” Lillpop said. My follow up was really strong and my work ethic was tough. At the time I didn’t really think it was hard, but now as I look back I did work hard.”
Lillpop always wanted his name to be at the top of the leaderboard, too. An ever-growing client base and a passion for the job certainly helped.
“It never was a job with me,” he said. “I loved what I did. I loved the challenge of sales. I was blessed that way and that’s the way it turned out. I just kept growing every year. I wanted to be the best at what I did. With my fellow employees, it was my challenge to always be on top. I always wanted to sell as many as I possibly can.”
No Obstacles
There were always plenty of hurdles in car sales, whether it was the constant change in technology or the simple rivalry at the dealership. Nothing fazed Lillpop.
“Other salesman were envious,” Moore said of Lillpop’s numbers. “A lot of people wanted to see him not have the best month. Any time that there was conflict, others would not stay focused. They would get worried about the conflict. He’d stay focused on selling cars.”
Lillpop also knew every car on the lot, what the price was and who would buy it. Meythaler said no one else was that prepared.
“He knew the inventory better than anybody,” Meythaler said. “He knew it better than the managers. You can come in and have a certain budget for you teenagers or yourself, and he could take you right to that car.”
Moore said the car business in not a revolution, it’s an evolution. He said since he took over in 1983, the difference in the business is night and day, but it happened a little bit at a time.
“No matter what the change was, Garry adapted to that change,” Moore said. “Where others would say they didn’t like it, he adapted to it and made it work for him. Let me tell you this, it always worked for him.”
Lillpop fully admits he didn’t know anything about the high-tech systems used in most vehicles these days, but he said it didn’t matter.
“Technology wasn’t my cup of tea,” he said. “I probably knew less product knowledge than anybody at Don Moore. That wasn’t it, it was relationships with my customers that was important to me. They trusted me. I had a lot of trust with people, and I tried to live up to that. I think that’s what went toward my success.”
The Man Outside the Dealership
When Lillpop isn’t talking shop, he’s usually bragging about his son or grandchildren. Todd is the head coach for the KWC baseball team, and together with is wife Audrey they have two sons, Ty and Ace.
Todd said he’s grateful for the work ethic his dad passed on and for the sacrifices Lillpop made.
“It made me a better person,” Todd said. “You can’t teach it. He was born to do what he did, and he passed that along to me. The harder you work, the more you’re going to get out of something. He and my mom both worked extremely hard to make sure I was taken care of. That didn’t go unnoticed, and I’m trying to do the same thing with my family now.”
Todd joined the sales team at Don Moore for exactly one month before he was named the head coach of the Panthers, and that was plenty of time for him to appreciate how difficult it is to achieve Lillpop’s level of success.
“There’s no way I can find anybody else who had done what he’s done in that business,” Todd said. “I really appreciate what he did for my mom and our family to set us up to be successful. There’s no way I would have been able to mirror what he did.”
Lillpop has also been a longstanding active member of the community. He’s been president of the Kiwanis Club, he’s a deacon at Walnut Memorial Baptist Church, and he spends countless hours helping maintain the KWC baseball field.
“As an employer, there’s nothing more rewarding than somebody who works hard at their job, who has a great relationship with his wife and family, and who is very involved in the community,” Moore said. “To me, it’s like the triple crown of an employee.”
Saying Goodbye
The grind is over. Lillpop is ready to step away, but it almost feels unnatural.
“It’s bittersweet for me,” he said. “I’m excited about what we’re doing now. It’s bittersweet not to go in today because I didn’t know how I was going to react. I wanted to get up and put my tie on and walk around the house. I’ve had a tie around my neck for 54 years.”
It was a long journey for Lillpop, but it’s one in which he paved his own path. He set himself up to be able to reap the rewards.
“It’s how hard you work and the effort you put in,” he said. “Everybody wants to be successful. But you’ve got to put feet on and work. In today’s market, it’s hard to find people that want to do that. The car business isn’t any different than any other job. You get back what you put in it, and that’s what I tried to do.”
Over the years, Lillpop had his chances to leave and take other jobs, but he valued loyalty and relationships.
“I thought the Moore family was the best at what they did,” Lillpop said. “I stayed with them. They’ve been good to me. I made a living for my family at Don Moore. I had a lot of opportunities, but I never thought that was necessary.”
Moore said Lillpop was an ambassador for the company and showed great integrity throughout his career.
“I always tell my kids there’s a few defining moments in our life that determine if we have integrity or not,” Moore said. “The problem is we don’t know what those defining moments are until they are passed. In other words we have to have integrity every day.”
Lillpop said the final decision to call it quits has been on his mind, and he decided he didn’t want to waste any more time away from his family.
“It worked out great,” he said of working for Don Moore. “I’m not sorry about anything. But it was time for me to retire. I’ve got grandchildren now and they’re my life.”
Lillpop doesn’t even try to fight back a smile when talking about where he’ll be and who will be by his side these days.
“If you’re looking for me, I’m going to be with my family,” he said. “I’ll either be at Kentucky Wesleyan’s baseball field, or I’ll be with Ty and Ace at one of their fields. Then I’ll be traveling a little bit with my wife. I’m free to do what I want, so it feels pretty good.”
