Auto parts manager retires
By Robert Cloud
John Hewitt remembers when he searched through loose-leaf catalogs looking for automotive parts for the maintenance department at the General Motors dealership in Waupaca.
“We had 8 feet of them,” he recalled. “Once a year, we got a new catalog and then we would get pages to add to it.”
Hewitt first began working for Kerm Hansen in December 1972. He left for a higher-paying job at White Pines Campers, which offered $2 an hour, then returned in November 1973 and was paid $2.25 an hour. He retired in November of this year.
Lou Neuville purchased the business in 1975.
“John came with the building,” said Tim Neuville, who began selling cars at the dealership in July 1975 and retired as the owner in June 2021.
In addition to searching through pages and pages of catalogs to find where he could order car parts in the days before computers, Hewitt also remembers using a flashlight to look for parts in the company’s inventory.
Hewitt said the lights were hanging from an 8-foot ceiling and the parts bins were 7 feet tall.
“It didn’t help to see what was in the bins,” Hewitt said.
Updated building
Since then, there have been four expansions of the building where Neuville Motors is located.
“Now, it’s a modern space,” Hewitt said, regarding where the inventory is kept. “With the computer, we can find parts all over the country.”
Through the network, if Hewitt ordered a part from a GM distributor by 3:30 p.m., he could usually receive it by noon the following day.
“Some parts aren’t in stock because they have stopped making them,” Hewitt said.
Since 1975, Neuville Motors has grown from 11 employees to nearly 60 full- and part-time employees.
The parts department has gone from Hewitt being the sole employee to four full-time people.
Hewitt said one of the biggest challenges of his career was when Neuville’s added Chrysler, Plymouth and Dodge in 1981.
While GM, Chevy and Buick parts were categorized according to group numbers, Chrysler provided an illustrated parts catalog.
Hewitt noted that cars were simpler to maintain 50 years ago.
“You can no longer fix a car without high-end equipment,” he said. “They all had round headlights and the wiper blades were the same except for the length.”
Trip to Hong Kong
One of the highlights of Hewitt’s career was a trip he won to Hong Kong as part of a GM parts sales contest in the 1980s.
“I loved the trip, but not the food,” Hewitt said. “I couldn’t get past the suckers on the raw octopus.”
Hewitt has no plans to travel after retirement.
“I have a lot of stuff to do that I haven’t done in the last 20 years,” Hewitt said, including cleaning his shed.
He also plans to pursue his hobbies of welding, computers and amateur radio.
“We were really blessed to have John here for those 50 years,” Neuville said, “He was a great team member and a good friend.”