In 1947 Charles H. Betts, Sr. purchased the Cadillac franchise in Des Moines from the Hardy family. In 1958 his son, Charles H. (Chuck) Betts, Jr. came to work at the dealership, later becoming the dealer principal. While attending Simpson College in 1972, I began working at Betts Cadillac.
I learned having good people who care about putting the needs of the customer first from my father, a Chevrolet dealer in Delaware, and Chuck Betts. In 1988 I began a process to purchase the dealership. That process was completed in 2000. Chuck and I have always discussed that the time would come when we would transition the name of the dealership from his family to mine. As I begin my 36th year at the dealership with my sons, Jason and Matt, who are in the business now, the time for transition has come.
Our 60th Anniversary last year was a celebration of the traditions the Betts family established. Those traditions will now continue as the Willis Auto Campus.
Respectfully,
Rich Willis President
