Lechner, Gingerich united at Chariot after 50 years
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Warner Bros. used to produce cartoons about a pair of “Goofy Gophers.” Mac and Tosh would go about their business, complimenting each other and show great politeness and affection for each other to the point of ludicrousness.
Last year, much was made of the performative friendship between Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande as the pair traveled the world on a press junket for the hit movie “Wicked.” They gushed over one another almost sickeningly.
Mac and Tosh. Elphaba and Glinda. They ain’t got nothin’ on Leck and Rex.
Kevin Lechner and Rex Gingerich are well-known leaders in the community. Lechner parlayed a stellar high school athletics career into a similarly successful career in human resources at Stellantis. Gingerich elevated his family’s automotive dealership into a regional car sales empire.
And they are the type of best friends that Hollywood can only try to emulate.
“Rex and I grew up together from the time we were 10 years old,” said Lechner. “Rex was at UCT at the time I was at Northwest Little League. But you knew all the city players. Rex is one of the few people who won a city championship and American Legion regional to go to the World Series.
“I think early on, we always had that admiration of each other, and then we went to Lafayette Park Middle School together. We’ve really been the best of friends since then.”
They were teammates on the Kokomo High School baseball team as well, but after school, their paths diverged somewhat. Lechner went to Wabash College as an undergraduate and then to Notre Dame for a master’s degree while Gingerich graduated from Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management. Both returned to Kokomo and stayed in touch, and both got involved with the automotive industry; Gingerich with Chariot Auto Group and Lechner with Stellantis.
“I had close to a 30-year career in manufacturing through people development and training, human resources,” said Lechner. “But I decided to retire, and Rex saw that. At the same time I retired, Stellantis began offering the UAW a company car lease program.
“That is a big deal for the UAW. The executives and the salaried people already had the program for the last 35 years. When the lease program was negotiated for the UAW, it became a game changer, for sure, because it's such a great deal.”
Indeed, extending the lease program to UAW members has huge benefits. For one price, the member gets an insured and registered vehicle with plates and unlimited mileage and no credit check. Lechner called the lease a “no-brainer” for UAW members looking for a vehicle. But there was a problem: who would oversee the program for Chariot?
“Rex put two and two together and called me,” said Lechner. “He said this could be the perfect opportunity for us to get back together.”
Lechner jumped at the chance to work with his childhood friend. He calls it his second career, not a retirement job.
“I couldn’t pass it up,” said Lechner. “Rex has been kind of my idol my whole life, not just in sports, but just a role model. The chance to collaborate, work together, and lead this division for him … I broke down in tears just thinking of the opportunity!”
The offer wasn’t just a favor to a friend. For Gingerich, it was a strong business decision. Lechner already was familiar with 90 percent of the UAW members who could become customers. He deflected his friend’s praise, claiming that Lechner was his role model.
“He always won everything,” said Gingerich. “He's a winner, and he's a leader people follow. God just made him to be a natural born leader who loves people and cares for people. We all wanted to be around him.
“When we got to middle school together, I got to really witness how he led by example, by caring for people. So really, since sixth grade -- 48 years -- I've known that he's had my back, and he's known that I've had his back. It's been a great friendship.”
The opportunity to work together was a dream come true, Gingerich said. And the decision is paying dividends. The lease program is operating smoothly under Lechner’s watch, and customers are driving away happy.
“Kevin couldn't have done a better job of putting that department together,” said Gingerich. “All the customers are extremely happy. The program was designed so they're supposed to deal directly with a computer and just pick the car up in our dealership, but we've inserted our own department to be involved, to help their process.
“Some of these people had never even been online before; never been on their online employee dashboard. So, Kevin walks them through it and helps them select their vehicle. They can even test drive the cars. We do everything to make it easier, and people know that Kevin is on their side. He's a Hall of Famer.”
It is impossible to forget that the two men forged their friendship in the world of competitive sports. The pair continued to compete throughout the interview, each offering praise and compliments for the other; not to the point of hyperbole, but out of a true sense of boundless admiration.
Lechner praised Gingerich’s generosity, citing a promotion where he posted a new vehicle as the top prize for a United Way fundraiser within the then-FCA plants in Kokomo. Gingerich returned the compliment by detailing Lechner’s service to the community through United Way.
They talked of taking their children to Dad Camp together and how they built up one another in front of those young eyes and ears. They praised each other’s athletic prowess. Lechner pointed out Gingerich’s four-year career as a starting pitcher for Purdue. Gingerich hailed the Kokomo High School football records still in Lechner’s name nearly 50 years later.
“Our connections are pretty strong,” said Lechner. “Our faith, our love of the community. And 50 years later, here we are. We're serving people together.”