The History of Lester Glenn Automotive Group
Three Generations Of The Lester Glenn Experience
The automotive industry has experienced a number of changes throughout the years. Despite these industry-wide changes, Lester Glenn Auto Group has remained focused on its future, while proudly reflecting on its past. More than 60 years since its beginnings in 1956 and three-generations later, Lester Glenn Auto Group continues to operate as a hands-on, family-run automotive organization focused on taking care of the customer.
Where It All Began
In March of 1956, more than sixty years ago, Lester Glenn opened the doors to our very first dealership.
Lester Glenn founded what would become known as Lester Glenn Buick, we
welcomed customers to our home on Flint Road in South Toms River, New Jersey.
Our first showroom had just enough room for one car and its service department
only had room for three!
Within the confines of these small walls is where the
Lester Glenn philosophy of taking care of our customer not only was founded,
but wildly flourished.
After seven months of developing a solid foundation, Lester Glenn Buick was poised to move on to bigger and better things. We moved our dealership to a new, and much larger, location on Route 37 in Toms River where we watched our new car sales climb from a mere 50 per year to an unprecedented 1,000 per year.
The Second Generation
Growing in both sales and ambitions, in 1966 Lester Glenn
asked his son-in-law, Stanley Kraushaar, to join the organization.Â
This "temporary" position for Kraushaar, a pharmacist at
the time, later became a permanent change.
Early into Kraushaar's tenure, Lester Glenn Auto Group
would look to expand its footprint further onto Route 37 in Toms River,
acquiring another storefront where the Lester Glenn Buick GMC location sits
today.
In 1972 Stanley Kraushaar became a Partner and the
Manager of Operations of Lester Glenn Auto Group. His foresight would help lead
Lester Glenn Auto Group into the future as the Glenn and Kraushaar families set
sights on continuing to grow.
In 1984, with great sadness, our organization mourned the
loss of its founder and first president, Lester Glenn.
Glenn's foundational
principles of taking care of the customer and doing everything possible to
ensure the customer continues to choose to do business with us lives on today
as what we refer to as the "Lester Glenn Experience."
After Glenn's passing, Stanley Kraushaar would succeed
Glenn in overseeing all operations of Lester Glenn Auto Group. During
Kraushaar's many years of leadership, Lester Glenn Auto Group would continue to
grow in sales, number of team members, franchises and locations, all while
maintaining what made Lester Glenn Auto Group unique - the customer experience.
The Third Generation
In 2007, after a successful career in the financial
industry, Lester Glenn's grandson and Stanley Kraushaar's son - Adam Kraushaar
- joined the family business.Â
From early childhood, Adam grew up in the Lester
Glenn dealerships, spending time in every department and learning, hands-on,
what it takes to operate an automotive group.  Â
With Adam on the team representing Lester Glenn's third generation, ambitions to expand the Lester Glenn Auto Group footprint had never been
higher. Together, with his father Stanley, Adam would pursue purchases of
additional properties and franchises to add to the growing list of options
Lester Glenn Auto Group would be able to offer its customers.
 Â
After Stanley retired later in 2007, Adam would assume his
present role as President and Owner of Lester Glenn Auto Group. Under Adam's leadership,
Lester Glenn Auto Group would expand into multiple new towns and a whole new
county.Â
With respect to the organization his grandfather founded and his father
operated for many years, Adam continues to preach and practice the same
founding principles of doing everything possible to take care of our customer
and treating them with dignity and respect.  Â
A Look Back, And To The Future
The Lester Glenn Auto Group Locations
The Lester Glenn Auto Group Locations
1992
The year of Subaru. Our third-acquired brand helped us to Share the Love in the Toms River community and would become an essential part of our growth for many years to come. With a vehicle focused on quality and safety and a brand message similar to ours, Subaru was the right fit for our auto group.
1997
Hyundai joins the family. What would become the number one Hyundai store in New Jersey (and the entire eastern region!) made its Lester Glenn debut in 1997. We built our first store on Route 37 and its growth was astounding. Hyundai provided us with a huge opportunity for growth and we swiftly took it.
1998
Pontiac was added on to our Buick store in 1998 and it contributed to our goal of providing our customers with a wider variety of brands and vehicles.
1999
GMC joined the Buick/Pontiac family just a year later in 1999 and offered a bigger selection of larger SUVs and trucks to fit the continuously evolving needs of our customers.
2007
Our state of the art, insurance approved and manufacturer certified facility, the Lester Glenn Collision Center, opened its doors in Toms River. The Collision Center was an important step in our story because it allowed us to further assist our customers in new and exciting ways.
2010
An exciting year for our auto group, we acquired Mazda, our seventh brand in our lineup. Later that year, we added Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram. To make more room for all of our dealerships, we moved our Hyundai location further down on Route 37 and opened Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM where Hyundai used to be. Lots of big and exciting changes defined 2010 for Lester Glenn!
2011
After 2010, we saw nothing but consistent growth. In 2011, Chevrolet was added to our auto group with a brand new, state of the art showroom and service center. The addition of the Heartbeat of America proved to be a smart move for our auto group.
2012
To better fit the needs and lifestyles of our customers, we knew it would be smart to have a large fleet of loaner vehicles available. We launched our Rental Hub in 2012 so customers would never be without a car if theirs was being repaired. Convenience and accessibility were the goal and we achieved it!
2013
In 2013, we officially expanded into Monmouth County with the grand opening of our Ford dealership. After nearly 60 years of being primarily in Ocean County, we knew it was time to take the next step. Ford was the perfect domestic brand to help us do this and we're still going very strong!
2016
In order to celebrate our 60th anniversary the right way, we added a new brand to our selection: FIAT. The FIAT brand helped us add an affordable brand with personality to our Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM store.
2018
After purchasing and demolishing an existing Chevrolet dealership in Freehold, NJ in 2016, Lester Glenn would work tirelessly to design and build a new, state of the art, Chevrolet Showroom and Service Center located in the heart of Freehold Township. With Lester Glenn Chevrolet of Freehold becoming our second store in Monmouth County, we were proud and honored to offer the Lester Glenn Experience of buying and servicing Chevrolet vehicles to our neighbors in Monmouth!
2018 (continued)
So much happened in 2018 that we had to break this into two sections. In addition to adding our 8th store in Freehold in 2018, we set our sights on creating the right space for one of our booming brands and stores to grow and reach its maximum potential. We made the move west with our Lester Glenn Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM FIAT store, who found a new home in a state of the art and truly massive showroom and service center located on Route 37 W in Toms River. This new building would give us the space and tools to provide a better overall experience to our existing customers, as well as grow our customer base!
2019
With the Lester Glenn Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM FIAT store making the move to Route 37 West, it opened up a prime spot on Route 37 for our Mazda dealership to move into. Having thrived on Route 9 for many years, it was time to bring the dealership back to the "Lester Glenn Mile" that is Route 37, joining the rest of our family of our dealerships. This larger space, located off a main road, can more adequately serve our customers and allow our Mazda team to truly grow!
2020
Later in 2019, we made the decision to move forward with an extensive renovation to the Mazda showroom that was now on Route 37. A new state-of-the-art showroom and service center would be built in place of the existing location. This showroom would offer our guests a seamless sales and service experience in a completely new and updated facility with new amenities and welcoming environment. Our beautiful new facility opened its doors in December, 2020!
2021
On June 17th, 2021, Lester Glenn Auto Group acquired its third showroom in Monmouth County, Coast Honda. The store re-opened as Lester Glenn Honda of Sea Girt the following day. We are proud to add another manufacturer to our portfolio of new and certified pre-owned vehicles for our customers to choose from! Our new Honda location in Sea Girt, NJ is in a beautiful city, surrounded by an amazing and growing community. We look forward to serving our neighbors for years to come!Â
2022
After 12 years of making memories at our Hyundai store at the 386 Route 37 E address, it was time for something new. Lester Glenn Auto Group created a plan to completely renovate the existing Hyundai showroom to make way for a new, state of the art Hyundai facility. Last remodeled in 2010, construction on the new renovation began late 2022, with expectations to re-open late 2023/early 2024. Our goal is always to bring the best, latest and greatest experience to all of our customers. This new facility will allow us to deliver the Lester Glenn Experience in new and exciting ways!
2023
Just over a year after construction began, our state-of-the-art Hyundai sales and service facility reopened! On December 4th, 2023, we welcomed back customers to our home located at 386 Route 37 E, Toms River, NJ to enjoy the beautiful, new showroom. This new sales and service facility features a completely refreshed design and updated amenities to ensure all of our guests are comfortable for years to come!
From our inception in 1956 all the way through our most recent projects and developments, our mission has always been the same:
Complete Customer Satisfaction and Dedication to the Community
With the help of all of our amazing team members and the loyalty of all
of our customers, we have been able to establish a truly wonderful
relationship with the residents of Ocean and Monmouth Counties and
beyond.
Over the years, we've had great opportunities to contribute to
organizations - both small and large - and help to make a difference in
the community that helped build us. We look forward to continuing that
community service as well as serving our communities with the treatment
they deserve and the experience they have come to expect from Lester
Glenn Auto Group since 1956.
With a sincere dedication to social responsibility and unparalleled customer service, Lester Glenn Auto Group is just getting started!Â
Lester Glenn Auto Group's Leadership Through The Years
 
Lester Glenn
Years Providing The Experience: 1956 - 1984
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Stanley Kraushaar
Years Providing The Experience:Â 1966 - 2007
Adam Kraushaar
Years Providing The Experience:Â 2007 - Current
Meet The Rest Of Our
Lester Glenn Team
The Lester Glenn Family Of Locations Today
 
