Boots get their kicks with move

• Sean and Jayme Boots

New Worthington residents Sean (right) and Jayme Boots have joined the Marthaler Ford and Marthaler Chevrolet team as general manager and controller, respectively.

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WORTHINGTON — About a month after Marthaler Chevrolet and Marthaler Ford hung their signs, Sean and Jayme Boots say they’re settling into their new life in Worthington.

Sean, general manager of the Ford dealership on Oxford Street, and Jayme, controller at the Chevrolet location on Humiston Avenue, both said that relocating from Morris to Worthington has been a good choice for them.

“One thing we’ve found is that people are really nice here, and we’ve gotten lots of words of encouragement from people,” Sean said.

Owner Aaron Marthaler purchased the two dealerships — previously Kruse Motors and K & S Motors — in February, and also owns a dealership in Glenwood.

While Marthaler Ford and Marthaler Chevrolet are both still hiring for a wide range of positions, Sean said he and his wife have already found a great staff at both locations.

“We were fortunate, Aaron and I, and inherited some really great people here,” he said.

When Sean and Jayme decided to move to southwest Minnesota, they were surprised to find they already had a connection to the area. Sean’s grandfather grew up in Worthington and is buried in Rushmore.

"It's kind of strange," Sean said. "A lot of my relatives are down here - a lot of people I've never me, but I know I'm related to."

As the son of an auto mechanic shop owner, Sean has been around cars his whole life, he said, but he got his official start in the car business while in high school.

“I started when I was 16 years old, washing cars all summer long,” Sean said.

After high school, he was promoted to the parts room. After four years he moved to sales for 11 years, and then into finance and eventually sales management.

A Starbuck native, Sean also has a background in racing go-carts and snowmobiles.

Jayme, on the other hand, is originally from Morris. She explained she has a background in accounting and used to work for a “company that does software for counties, helping with property tax statements, and payroll,” adding that Nobles County used to be one of her clients.

“I kind of got roped into all of this in December,” she said with a laugh, referring to her new career in the car dealership.

With her financial background, the Bootses said it made sense for her to join the Chevrolet team and take the place of the previous accountant who was retiring.

“I pretty much do accounting work and spend most of my days in my office,” she said.

The pair said they have been working hard to get the two dealerships “up and running,” as they get staff trained and increase their inventory.

“Basically, we get here about 7:30 in the morning, we work all day and then go home and eat and go to bed,” Sean said.

Jayme and Sean said they are currently working to increase their inventory and have about half of what they would like to have on each of the lots.

“We’ve had a lot of compliments about how much inventory there is on each lot, and we aren’t even close to where we want to be,” Sean said, adding that Aaron Marthaler bought more 50 cars the first day he got on the Ford purchasing website.

“The sales people were pretty excited to see that happen — they weren’t use to it,” he said.

Customer service is Marthaler Ford’s and Marthaler Chevrolet’s number one priority, and the Boots’ goal for the business is to supply a wide range of vehicles to meet any customer’s needs.

"Customer satisfaction is first, then employee satisfaction and then profitability, but the customer always holds the most weight," Sean said. "Our goal is to always do what's best for the customer."

Ultimately, they try to treat everyone fairly and make “repeat business,” and not give people a reason to go out of town to buy or service their vehicles.

"Repeat business has really built our Glenwood store," Sean said. "They've taken care of people over the years, and the people have taken care of them back."

After moving from Morris, Sean and Jayme said they are enjoying living in Worthington.

"We really love it here," Sean said. "It's a nice town, but the people are still so friendly - that just shocks me. For us, this is a big town (compared to Morris)."

One of the main reasons they moved to Worthington, Sean and Jayme agreed, was to be involved in the community.

“We want to be a part of the community and feel that if you’re going to be doing business in a community, it’s important that you live here and are part of the community,” Sean said

Both remarried, Sean and Jayme have two sons, ages 15 and 11, and a daughter, age 9, who attend school in Morris.

Tags: news, worthington, business, automotive