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Old 07-06-2011, 04:00 PM   #1
XDCX
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Unhappy Dick Inukai has passed away

A newspaper report indicates that Dick Inuaki, owner of Dick's Country Dodge and Dick's Mackensie Ford, passed away earlier this week due to complications from lung cancer. Mr. Inukai was 68 years old.

Here's a link to the news report - click here

I had the good fortune to get to know Mr. Inukai when I was working in the Portland Zone Office. Mr. Inukai was well known and well liked among his fellow dealers - he will definitely be missed.

As a side note, while I don't know the facts I remember hearing Mr. Inukai's first dealership closed in the late 70s when Chrysler was on the brink of going out of business. Mr. Inukai worked hard to re-establish his finances and he bought the dealership that currently operates as Dick's Country Chrysler Jeep Dodge. In my opinion it's a testament to Mr. Inuaki's perseverance and a reflection of a time when Chrysler changed their rules to accommodate dealers who were wiped out in the recession of 1979-80.
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Old 07-07-2011, 08:54 AM   #2
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Very nice to make such statements about one of our fallen members of this elite group of capitalists. I'll pray for his business family. God bless them all! In this day and age 68 is young. maybe not so true, once Obamacare kicks in! Do you know if his children are in the wings to step to the plate??
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Old 07-07-2011, 10:07 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 57years View Post
Very nice to make such statements about one of our fallen members of this elite group of capitalists.
When I was calling on Mr. Inukai's dealership I was a fairly young DM who was fiercely loyal to Chrysler. I remember one occasion shortly after Mr. Inukai bought into the neighboring Ford dealership he insisted I take his Ford Thunderbird TurboCoupe for a test drive. He was frustrated that Chrysler didn't have a car like that in their lineup.

I also remember being at his store when he had his in-ground fuel tank removed. He feared the tank may have been leaking and told me he couldn't sleep the night before because he was worried what the contractor would find. Back then I didn't know dealers ever lost sleep worrying about their business.

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Originally Posted by 57years View Post
Do you know if his children are in the wings to step to the plate??
He has two children and they're both fully capable of running his stores. I haven't kept up on the latest with the Federal Estate Tax laws but hopefully they'll be able to keep both stores.
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Old 07-07-2011, 07:27 PM   #4
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Good report, thanks............
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