From Saturn to Kia, Findlay salesman has seen both brands bloom

Central California native Jeff Lamper moved to Henderson in 1964 at age 7. He has been in and around the automobile industry since the late 1970s and joined Saturn of Henderson in 1996.

In 2005, the 56-year-old Lamper moved to Saturn of West Sahara and stayed. He now sells for Findlay Kia at the same location. He said he saw Saturn’s boom and is enjoying Kia’s success.

“One of the things that attracted me to the Kia brand is that the company put its money and reputation out there for a warranty of 10 years and 100,000 miles,” said Lamper, a former tire salesman for both Burl’s Tire Center and Ted Wiens Tire Center in Southern Nevada. “There is great value in the product. Kia has done a lot of research what the American car buyer wants and needs and done its best to supply the buyer with style and integrity.

“I don’t have to worry about my customers coming back to me complaining about their Kia. I call myself the Maytag car salesman.”

Lamper studied Kia and liked what he discovered.

“In the summer of 2009 when Saturn was going away, Findlay Automotive Group got the chance to acquire a local Kia franchise,” Lamper said. “When they told me this was going to be a Kia store, I did research on what I would be marketing and I found the new Soul and Forte models and future Sorrento and Optima models. All of the models were gorgeous and Kia has great quality. I still feel very comfortable selling the Kia. I get the greatest thrill when I see a customer with a 1-year-old Kia and he or she tells me how much they love their vehicle.

“The main reason I have worked at Findlay Automotive Group is because the company treats its customers and employees like they want to keep us,” Lamper said. “In addition, I always know that Findlay Automotive will stand behind its word when I sell a vehicle and that’s a huge factor when you’re making a living selling anything.”

Lamper said many luxury-car owners have traded in their vehicles for new Kias.

“I see a huge upswing in high-end trade-ins for Kias,” Lamper said. “The Kia offers state-of-the-art features and technology at the best price.”

Findlay Kia, headed by General Manager Byron Klemaske, is at 5325 W. Sahara Ave. The dealership is part of the Findlay Automotive Group, which was founded in 1961 by the late Pete Findlay, whose son, Cliff, now leads new and used car operations in Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Idaho.

For more information on Findlay Kia, visit www.findlaykia.com or call 702-252-8900.