BROOKINGS — Like father, like son — Matt Einspahr has been named South Dakota’s Franchised Dealer of the Year by the South Dakota Auto Dealers Association, a distinction that his own father, Ron Einspahr, achieved 25 years ago.

The announcement was made June 13 at the association’s annual convention in Sioux Falls.

“As they’re getting ready to announce this thing, I’m looking around the room going, ‘I wonder who it’s going to be?’ The one thing I was sure of was, it was not going to be me,” Matt said.  “So I’m looking around, you know, OK — he’s already had it, he’s already had it. I wonder who it’s going to be? And then they announced my name, and I go ‘Oh, my god. What?’ And unbeknownst to me — my kids, and my mom, and our management team and their spouses, they all snuck in right behind me in the Ramkota, and they were all standing right behind. So they announced it, and I’m just shocked. And then I turn around, and here’s the whole crew. And I mean, geez, I bawled like a baby. And it was very special because, you know, this is a year after my dad passed, and this is 25 years after he won the award.”

The award also means Matt is now a nominee for the national Time Magazine Quality Dealer Award, which recognizes car dealers who display exceptional performance and outstanding community service. The national award will be announced at an upcoming convention in New Orleans. Each nominee receives a poster-sized mock-up of a Time Magazine cover featuring their photo.

“After the convention’s over in January, they’ll ship that picture back to me, and I’ll have one to hang right next to dad’s,” Matt said. “The business has changed so much in 25 years, but my dad always really believed strongly in doing business the right way. Everything up front. No games, no hidden agendas, anything like that.”

Ron Einspahr opened the Einspahr dealership in Brookings in November 1969. In 1980, the dealership moved to an expanded location on Eighth Street South, where it remains today. Ron died May 19, 2023, at age 81.

“Honestly, my first thought was of him. And how he would be very proud. And it got very emotional for me,” Matt said. “He left us a good blueprint on where to go and what to do, and I think trained me well. And we just continue on working that same thing. It’s kind of like he would say, ‘It’s doing business by the golden rule.’ And that just isn’t something that goes out of style. It might not be flashy, it may not be exciting, but it’s the right way to do it. And over time, people come to trust in you, and it’s served us well for 54 years.”

Matt said the entire crew at Einspahr Auto Plaza deserve recognition through this award.

“While it’s an individual award, it is really an accumulation of how you do business and a reflection on the dealership as a whole — all of the people in the building. You know, you’re being recognized for doing business the right way. Having a positive impact on your community,” Matt said. “In many ways I think it should almost be the dealership of the year, not the dealer of the year, because it’s really about your team, and your people, and the culture and the place. And I’m really proud of our crew.”