Having opened their first store in 1975, Kenwood Dealer Group is marking 50 years of providing great service to Ohio auto customers this year. One sign of their lasting success is that, for 41 of those 50 years, they have been included among the select group of businesses honored as part of the Deloitte Cincinnati 100 — an annual listing of Greater Cincinnati private businesses making a significant contribution to the economy and community in the region.

Kenwood tallied an impressive 25,034 total retail vehicle sales last year and over $1 billion in overall group revenue. Automotive News ranked them among the Top 150 Dealership Groups for 2024.1 Understanding that maintaining that level of success demands having the best talent, Kenwood invested more than $1.2 million in a partnership with Cincinnati State Technical and Community College to help address the labor gap of auto technicians prepared to service today’s modern vehicles.2

Chief Operating Officer Bob Huser oversees Kenwood’s 15 stores, which include Buick GMC, Dodge Chrysler Jeep, Ford, Kia, Lincoln, Mazda, Subaru, Toyota and Volkswagen franchises. For Huser, his career is truly a case of someone living out his childhood dream.

“I grew up around a number of car dealers, so really from the time I was pretty young, I knew that’s what I wanted to do,” said Huser. “I had a passion for cars as a child; I could tell the difference between years of the cars. And once I got into the business, I couldn’t think of anything else I’d rather do.”

Huser achieved his goal to lead a dealership in 2000 when Bob Reichert, President and CEO of Kenwood Dealer Group, hired him to run a Lincoln-Mercury store he was purchasing. He was named Chief Operating Officer for Kenwood in July of 2023 and now, 25 years into his career with the group, the business has more than lived up to the promise he saw in it years ago.

“Bob Reichert, our founder and chairman, is just a good person,” Huser said, “And Kenwood has always been an organization that treats the customers well, treats our employees well, and does everything above board.”

Except for a short time in Florida, Huser has spent his entire career in his home state of Ohio, raising his family there and cheering on his beloved University of Cincinnati Bearcats. His lifelong ties to the community have been valuable in his contributions to Kenwood’s success. As Huser noted, despite fast changes in dealership technology, his work is still all about the people.

“I’ve never been afraid of trying the newest technology and tools, but what hasn’t changed is that this is a relationship business,” he said. “A customer contacts you, and you have to build trust with them so they know you truly have their best interests at heart. No matter what technology you have now, people still want to do business with people they trust and like.”