I usually see Kevin every morning on WBRC touting the slogan, “Where the Dealer Makes the Difference!”
But today as I walked into Honda of Jasper, he was waiting in his office with a jar full of Tallulah treats. Everyone in the dealership had a treat in his/her hands for me ... yes, everyone! Then my friend, Amanda Cordell, took me all over the building to collect those treats.
This friend, those treats, and the family that work at Honda of Jasper wouldn’t be possible without Kevin and Pam Callahan. In 2009, the Callahans bought this dealership after Kevin’s first retirement from the automobile industry. Moving from Memphis and relocating to Jasper, just 2.5 hours down I-22, was one of our community’s best wins, and not just because of the immense amount of treats.
Kevin’s first retirement lasted about three months when he was staying home too much and interfering with Pam and Riley’s usual activities. Riley, my very spoiled Black Labrador counterpart to the Callahan humans, and Pam insisted that Kevin get a job; hence, Honda of Jasper was created.
When Kevin arrived, the struggling store was full of great people, most of whom are still employed at the dealership. Most office employees have been at Honda for 15-plus years, and half the sales staff and the technicians for have been there for 10-plus years; it is a true work family. This second act for Kevin has not only been a fun business, but it has been beneficial to the Callahans and to the community.
But to really know how this dynamic duo landed in Jasper, you have to know how they met. Right out of college, they lived in the same apartment complex in Memphis where Pam’s balcony was used as the 9th Hole of the Frisbee Game, now called Disc Golf. Interestingly enough, they lived “just two doors down” from each other…yes, you hear Dolly Parton in the background singing. The rest, as they say, is history.
Just having moved into the newly renovated Gen-3 dealership completed in late 2020, less than 10% of the Honda dealers in the United States have gone through this remodel. The Callahans are very proud to have this in Jasper, but their real pride comes in their community involvement.
Kevin is a board member of Walker Area Community Foundation (WACF) and the Jasper Industrial Development Board; Pam serves as a grant reviewer for WACF and has served on the boards of Jasper Main Street and the Walker County Arts Alliance.
However, one of their favorite activities of the year comes at Christmas when they give away bikes to the students in the Walker County School’s Headstart Program. While the Callahans will tell you that they are nothing special, we all know a different story.
They will tell you that they are nothing except the caretakers for the Sherer home on Gamble Avenue which they bought in 2017. This is the home which longtime Jasper residents Dr. and Mrs. Jerald (Billie) Sherer built and lived in throughout their married and family life. Many residents will remember that Jerald was a dentist in Jasper and like the Callahans, a community builder.
Visit Honda of Jasper for your new and used cars needs at www.hondaofjasper.com.
Say hello to the family, and ask for a treat!
The Link LonkJanuary 26, 2021 at 08:00PM
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Tallulah Leads to Honda of Jasper - Daily Mountain Eagle
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