NJ Cops | Page 15

Partnership puts State PBA in the driver's seat Flemington Car & Truck Country provides truck and donation n BY MITCHELL KRUGEL What most people first notice about Steve Kalafer, founding Chairman of the 18-franchise Flemington Car & Truck Country family of dealerships, is that his desk sits right in the showroom. Conversation with Kalafer is enlightening and engaging, more like talking with your favorite teacher than an automobile mogul. Anybody who takes Kalafer up on his special discount for NJ State PBA members might very well walk into one of the Flemington Car and Truck Country stores and wind up dealing directly with him or members of his staff that are equally engaging and hospitable. Here is a guy and a team and a company that is on your side. “Law enforcement is very important to the Flemington Car & Truck Country family of dealerships and to all our employees because we know that a strong New Jersey is dependent on our officers,” Kalafer asserts. “Too often, they are under attack by critics whose agendas are far different from their stated goals. By making this contribution, we are stating loudly and clearly, without equivocation, that our support rests with law enforcement, across the state and in all communities that are represented by the NJ State PBA.” The contribution to the NJ State PBA Kalafer refers to is this: • The Flemington Car & Truck Country Family of dealerships is donating the use of a Ford F250 Crew Cab XLT Truck that will be used to pull a new, all-purpose trailer the State PBA is purchasing to bring to events throughout the area in the near future. • Flemington Car and Truck Country has designated special pricing for all NJ State PBA members. Members only need to present their PBA cards to be extended every courtesy for sales and service. • For any member who purchases a vehicle at a Flemington store and presents a PBA card, Flemington Car and Truck Country will contribute $200 to the NJ State PBA Survivor & Welfare Fund in your name. “I had a good feeling the minute I shook Steve’s hand,” said NJ State PBA President Pat Colligan. “I was shocked when I heard what he wanted to donate over and above the truck, but that tells you tells you what kind of guy Steve is and why I would encourage all members to take advantage of this opportunity to get a great deal and help our Survivor & Welfare Fund.” Colligan connected with Flemington Car and Truck Country through a business relationship he built with Rhonda Calico, an executive at Nissan’s Northeast Region, when he was doing some fundraising for his Local, Franklin Township 154. He reached out to Calico to see about getting a truck. Calico directed Colligan to Flemington, and his initial conversation was like most with Kalafer. They realized how much, and how many people, they have in common. Turns out, Kalafer had a relationship with Colligan’s predecessors, Tony Wieners and Mike Madonna. The initial meeting Colligan had with Kalafer took place in August. The truck will be delivered in October. “I knew Pat from his reputation and through mutual friends, and when we sat down there was an instant rapport and understanding,” Kalafer noted. “I was sitting with Jerry Sheehan, our GM Emeritus and longtime friend of law enforcement officers, and we looked at each other and said this is something we wanted to do, something we must do.” Kalafer entered the automotive industry in 1973 as Business Manager for Coleman Oldsmobile in Trenton. Three years later, he acquired own dealership, Ditschman Ford/Lincoln/Mercury, then located in Frenchtown. In 1979, Kalafer moved that dealership to Flemington and, along with his partner, Byron Brisby, has grown the enterprise to 14 NEW JERSEY COPS n OCTOBER 2015 “Law enforcement is very important to the Flemington Car & Truck Country family of dealerships and to all our employees because we know that a strong New Jersey is dependent on our officers. Too often, they are under attack by critics whose agendas are far Steve Kalafer different from their stated goals. By making this contribution, we are stating loudly and clearly, without equivocation, that our support rests with law enforcement across the state in all the communities that are represented by the State PBA.” showrooms and service centers in eight locations for 18 franchises and what has become the Flemington Car & Truck Country Family of dealerships. The dealerships sell and service Ford, Lincoln, Nissan, Porsche, Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, GMC, Buick, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, Jeep, Infiniti, Subaru, Cadillac and Certified Pre-Owned for each franchise. Sitting at his desk in the showroom, it would be hard to tell Kalafer is as entrepreneurially accomplished as Warren Buffet, Steve Jobs, Mark Cuban and all the rest. He is more like the neighbor you want to hang out with on the weekend. He is also a Time Magazine Quality Dealer Award National Finalist and a People Magazine Award for Outstanding Service winner. He is a former member of the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission and served as an appointee to Gov. Whitman’s Economic Master Plan Commission. He is a three-time Academy Award nominee and the founding chairman of the Some