“The Larsons treat the little guy with just as much respect as a company with a bunch of trucks.”
Written by Edie Salter
Daniel Hofer of Doland, South Dakota was only 24 years old when he was in the market for his first new truck.
In December of 1986, he drove his 1973 Cabover to Sioux Falls for some test driving. But he was unimpressed with the trucks and even less impressed with the way he was treated by salespeople he ran into along the way.
After, Hofer drove down the block to a little building on Cliff Avenue where he was introduced to Glenn Larson. In 1986 Glenn was a salesman. Fast-forward to 2018, he's actively involved in every aspect of The Larson Group as its President and CEO.
Once introductions were made, Hofer began describing his dream truck. Glenn looked out the dealership windows to catch a glimpse of Hofer's truck and told him that he had no interest in trading in the used Cabover. Glenn was sure it was a good truck, but it would be better to sell it outright, he told him.
Glenn explained that he was ordering six new Peterbilt 379s before the end of the year and he would order one with Hofer’s desired specs.
Hofer said, “Glenn said, ‘I'll order it and when it comes in I'll call you to come down and look at it. If you want it then it's yours, and if you don't, then that's fine too. No money down whatsoever.’ I looked at Glenn and said, ‘Get it ordered.’”
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Official new truck sales order documents from December 1986.
Hofer continued, “[They did] all this for just one guy who wanted to have a custom truck built for himself.”
The following year, the Larson family, including Glenn's trucking enthusiast father, Claire, headed to Springfield, Missouri to start their own dealer group, which now has grown to 20 locations across the Midwest and eastern United States.
Hofer continues to have work done out at the Tea Shop (dealership in Tea, SD). Referring to the Sioux Falls dealership the Larsons were once a part of Hofer said, “Vern and his crew are a great bunch of guys. I’ve never left there not pleased with Vern's work. It's truly a fact that the Larsons treat the little guy with just as much respect as a company with a bunch of trucks.”
“I'll never forget what Claire and–for sure–what Glenn Larson did for me 30 years ago," said Hofer.
Pictures of Hofer’s truck below:
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