Arizona republican. [volume], April 13, 1920, Section Two, Image 13

About Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930

Image provided by: Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records; Phoenix, AZ

                
AEI
NA REPUBL
Afii INDEPENDENT PROGRESS3VE JOURNAL
THIRTIETH YEAR
(Section Two)
THE ARIZONA REPUBLICAN, TUESDAY MORNING, APRIL 13, 1920
Section Two)
VOL. XXX., NO. 352
TODAY
N AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY HERE
EN NEW BUILDING OF
FEUE
zo
ICAN
MESSNER B
FORMALLY OPENS
EPOCH
MARKED TODAY WH
NEW MESSN
PRODUCT
CREATED
The new building erected
ER
OF
II
ner of Fourth avenue and Adams street is the last word in
constructions of that sort. There is not a thing left undone
which should be done to make it complete. Not a thing
has been overlooked to make the interior decorations
harmonize, and above all no expense has been spared to
make the furnishings on an equal basis with the rest of the
interior.
Taking it all in all it is the most beautiful automobile
show room in the southwest.
days of patient effort on the
carefully overseen every detail no matter how slight or
insignificant. He was constantly on the job during the en
tire process of construction, and he has put his own per
sonality into it.
As a matter of fact the building is a dream come true.
It is the culmination of several years of patient and at
times heart breaking effort on the part, of Messner. He
has seen his business grow from a small hole in the wall to
its present pinnacle where it stands at the top of the re
tail automobile business in this state.
James M. Hall
1 A? K
-a.
-4
As salesman for the G. M. C. truck,
James M. Hall has had more to do with
the putting of the many trucks of that
marke or. the road's of Arizona than any
other individual of the Cal Messner or
ganization. Time was when Hall was service
manager for Messner, but seeing: the
possibility of selling G. M. C. trucks,
he forsook that occupation and started
selling trucks. That he has been
eminently successful is apparent by the
rapid strides made by Messner in put
ting O. M. C's out.
Hall has been with Messner for two
and one-half years. He is one of the
best known automobile and truck men
in the city. He knows his product thor
oughly and is always in a position to
diagnose truck . problems for potentiaJ
owners.
o
In inviting the people of Phoenix to
visit his new building tonight, Cal
Messner is giving everyone an oppor
tunity to visit probably the most com
plete place of its kind in the southwest.
f.:.:iV.:::.:-:':':-.iii:-;s:i
'-ft
An Invitation
The people of Phoenix, men, women and
children are to be the guests of Cal Messner
tonight.
The occasion is the opening of his new
building at the corner of Fourth Avenue
nd Adams street. Mr. Messner is extend
ing an earnest invitation to everyone to call
and inspect the new home of the Hudson,
Essex, G. M. C. and Trailmobile.
w There will be refreshments and entertain
ment. There will 'be much of interest for
everyone who is interested in the advance
ment of Phoenix, for in creating this build
ing Cal Messner has marked a milestone in
the housing of retail and wholesale indus
tries, i
BUILDING
ENTERPRISE
THIS VALLEY
for Cal Messner at the cor
It is the result of days and
part of Messner who has
I In the new building will be housed
! the Hudson, Essex, O. M. C. Truck and
the i raiimooiie. In addition acces
sories of merit and a large stock of
tires, will be carried.
The entire building covers a space
of over 20.000 square feet, and has cost
over $50,000 to construct. It is the
only automobile place in the city which
embodies a mezzanine floor used for
the purpose of housing offices and a
rest room for patrons. When, one
mounts to the mezzanine floor and
looks down on the great expanse of
shiny enamelled floor, flanked , by
woodwork tinted in old ivory, one can
not help but think that it is indeed a
great business enterprise ' which can
originate and push to a conclusion
such a magnificent place.
There is ample room on the fhow
room floor for at least a half dozen
automobiles. In the rich setting of
that show room, an automobile no
matter what its make is going to be
seen at its best. Truly the show
room as conceived by Cal Messner
proves a fit setting for the class of
automobiles he handles, and there are
none higher in their class than - the
Hudson, Kssex and G.M.C.
As one enters the building he is im
mediatelv struck by the rich simplic- j
ity of the entire affair. . There is
nothing brazen or loud about the man
ner in which the place has been de
signed or decorated. A rich harmony
has been carried out in all of the color
effects. Its very richness is simplic
ity itself, and in its simplicity it has
struck a popular chord with every
one who has visited the place.
Two stairways lead to the mezza
nine floor. In between the two stair
ways on the mezzanine is a small rest
room, fitted up with desk and chairs,
to be used by patrons of .the place.
At the west end of the mezzanine are
to be found the main offices of the
concern, housing the auditing depart
ment. Ot the east end of the mezza
nine floor Mr. Messner has his private
office. The office is richly furnished
in golden oak installed by the Fields
Parker company while the rug on the
floor, which blends with the other
rugs in the building, is a perfect
combination with the general harmon
ious color effect.
The furnishing. decorations and
equipment for the place cost well over
$10,000, but the money spent and the
efforts - used to make the place one
(Continued on Page Four)
MESSNER S THRO
'TMIIS DAY marks an epoch in the business world of
j- of the leading business men of the city and a man who has ever striven for better
things here, is announcing the f ormal opening of his new building at the corner of
Fourth avenue and Adams
be proud. Into it has gone
to make it a place of beauty, a place in which the employes might work with every
convenience and a fair chance that the maximum of light and air will enter, "and a
place which will be . a credit
wasted. A visit to. the new building, no matter how short, will clearly demonstrate
that insofar as being modern, well laid out and a place of beauty,-Messner has suc
ceeded in all his aims.
This Is Cal Messner
$ f
1 ' f
When one wanders far from Phoenix
and it makes little difference how far
and meets a stranger who has visited
these parts in times gone past, the
conversation invariably turns to the
climate. After that ever ready sub
ject has been exhausted, the ' line of
talk will veer to persons. Having
reached that point, there is usually one
Question , which is asked.
"Do you know Cal Messner?"
"Yes," will be the reply, "everyone
in Arizona knows Cai Messner."
And that happens to be almost the
truth. If there is anyone in Phoenix
who has not heard of Cal Messner he
is deaf, dumb and blind. If there is
anyone here who does not know him
it is high time they came around to
get acquainted. And by the way this
is an excellent opportunity because
Messner is going hold an "at home"
party this evening at the comer of
Fourth avenue and Adams street. He
is celebrating one of the most auspi
cious occasions m his career, none
other than the culmination of years'
This Is
Si1.
4
VHV,& r "r
4t
,jy.
If there is anything in
the soutii-
j west which boats it.
Cal Messner
wants to know where.
He must have
overlooked it in his travels about the
country, for he made it a point, to in-
vestigate every good looking automo-
bile plac in this section o the uni-
t 4
1 ' "
WN
OP
street. The new building is
months of labor, planning and concentration in an effort
to Phoenix. And these months of labor have not been
A x ins
4
of effort on his part to build up a bugi-
ness vand an organization second to
none in the state.
Cal Messner is a man with a per
sonality. Some people say he has
been lucky. That the Goddess of For
tune has smiled too warmly on him.
Perhaps this is in a measure true,
but anyone who has talked with Mess
ner day after day and week after week,
will soon change his opinion. He has
built up a big business, chiefly because
he has been selling honest merchan
dise in a manner commensurate with
the goods handled. He has also been
fortunate in the men and women who
he has gathered around him. When
there has been an opening in the
Messner organization, the first man
who came along has not been selected.
After a careful survey of the field an
effort has been made to secure the
services of the man best fitted for the
position.
In this manner and in a thousand
and one other ways has Cal Messner
found himself able to occupy one of
the handsomest places of business in
the southwest.
Cal Messner's
i&L$Z&S!'?-?
-- - I' m,!, niMsimrT"
I i
..I I
I i
verse before he started luiiidhi. Hi
believes as do others who have gone
through the building that h has the
most modern place of lusiness to be
found between Los Angeles and some-
where east of here, no matter how far
one goes. The new building is located
EN TO PUBLIC
Phoenix. Cal Messner, one
one of which any city might
Occupation of this building marks the
culmination of several years of un
tiring and ceaseless effort in Phoenix
on the part of Cal Messner. It was
not so very long ago that his operations
were confined to the merchandising of
a few accessories i a small corner par
titioned off in the corner of a trentrai
avenue parage. .Later he obtained
slightly larger quarters on the same
street, and when he finally leased the
room at the corner of Van Buren and
Central avenue he thought he had
reached the apex of a busy career. Hit
he had not. Through the combination
of sound business judgment, hard work,
efficient and courteous service, he has
succeeded in bringing his business to
that point where today he commands a
position in the automobile business of
Phoenix second to none. The erection
of his new building and the occupying
of it with his Hudson, Essex, G. M. C.
and Trailmobile agencies, has come
only after years of work, but it has
been worth the effort.
o
Auto Game To
Be Prosperous
Says Messner
And as to the future.. No man
knoweth what it contains espe
cially in the automobile game, but
Cal Messner is willing to bank his
future on the prosperity and
growth of Phoenix. He is confi
dent that the future contains
great things for the automobile in
dustry. l look for a shortage of trucks'
and automobiles for the next two
years" said Messner yesterday in
speaking of the events which are
to come in the automobile busi
ness. There will be no period dur
ing that time when the demand
for autos will not be great, and I
expect to see excellent business
for all automobile men for the
next five years. What will come
after that no one knows.
'There is a great deal of talk
about a reduction in prices within
a short time. This in my opinion
is a great mistake. There will be
no reduction in the price of autos
and trucks for the next two years
in my opinion, and I believe that
a great many automobile men will
agree with me.
"As to our business, we did over
a half million last year and we ex
pect to double that the coming
year. We see every prospect of
one of the biggest years the auto
mobile game has ever known and
we are rapidly preparing ourselves
to cash in on it.
"We have lately taken on a new,
line in the shape of the Trailmo
bile, a trailer which has been tried
and found not wanting in any re
spect. We are indeed enthusiastic
over the outlook for this line and
believe we have found what the
people here who . use trucks have
been waiting for. We investigated
the trailer market for 18 months
before we took over the distrib
utorship of the Trailmobile, and
we believe we have the best thing
along those lines to be put out.
Our investigations in the trailer
world have lead us to the conclu
sion that the trailer -is about the
most practical form of transporta
tion there is. Using m trailer is
not an experiment. It is a down
right reality and a factor to be
(Continued on Page Four)
Building
MP
4
4-
' - 't t! o
cviic-.- ci Fourth avenue and
strii tv i. the heart of the fast
growing west end section. IU- is a.-
.iacent to a number of other automobile-
concerns, and it is only a question of
a short time before he will be in the
center of the automobile industry in
Phoenix .
CAL MESSNER'S STRUGGLE
FOR BUSINESS SUPREMACY
READS LIKE A FAIRY TALE
Frank Hedlee
Frame Heaiee. sales manager tor ai
Messner, first came into the life of the
Messner organization on October 13,
1916 when as wholesale manager for
Harold L. Arnold of Los Angeles, he
signed Cal Messner as distributor, for
Hudson cars in this territory.
Hedlee is a man of worlds of exper
ience in the automobile game. He had
had 15 years' experience in the mer
chandising of automobiles and is a man
who knows every angle of. the game.
He has been sales manager of the An
thony organization in Los Angeles, and
in addition to being wholesale sales
manager for Harold L. Arnold, has held
many other big positions in the auto
mobile world.
Following his leaving the Arnold or
ganization in Los Angeles, he decided
that Phoenix was the place for him.
He had visited Messner here several
times and was aware of the aggressive
manner in which he put things over. He
made up his mind Messner was a good
man to tie to and he accordingly be
came associated in the distribution of
Hudson, Essex and G. M. C.
He has a wide acquaintance over the
state. He travelled the territory for the
Arnold organization for several years
and knows practically every automobile
man in the territory. His greatest as
set according to those who know him
is the satisfied customers with whom
he has done business.
o
Mrs. Mary Purtymun
Mrs. Mary C. Purtymun has been
with -the Cal Messner organization
almost since its inception. She is in
point of service the oldest employe in
the big force now maintained by Mr.
Messner.
She? Joined the Messner organization
when it was not dignified by such a
name. It was merely a small group of
people, painfully small in fact dedi
cated to the selling of tires and car
buretors. That was only three short
years ago, but since she arrived on
the scene, the business of Cal Messner
has grown . by leaps and bounds until
today it is domiciled - in one of the
handsomest buildings in the south
west. Mrs. Purtymun has a large variety
of duties. She is the person who prop
erly squelches . the advertising men
when they grow too persistent: she haa
charge nT everything which Messner
himseif cannot look after, and that is a
great deal. She ha3 no fancy title to
make her work e.ssler, but she is &
factor to be counted in the building up
cf the wc.ivlerf.ii Messner organiza
tion At times Mrs. Purtymun hardly is
able to reaJi- that she really belongs
Jr. her th'vrot.'fr' ly jr. ederr; anu-up-to-date
office ii th mw Messner bjild
inr. Sh. remembers when the entire
iloor jn -'r rr. il r Mr t -..'u-
pany was about the size of her own
office now, and the great and constant
growth of the business at times leaves
tier in a more or less dazed condition.
I U ,,.!, I MP Ml yW-VTr
ft" r
f
i
It is a long cry from a small two
by four store room on North Central
in which was installed a few carbu
retors and a few tires to the present
palatial automobile palace operated by
Cal Messner. It was a hard task for
Messner to reach this pinacle. . It
has been a long, hard pull, and like
most men he glories in the fight he
has made from obscurity to afluence.
from a position where be was the one
third owner of a few carburetors to
where he is the head of one of th
most complete automobile organiza
tions in the southwest.
It has been a long hard pull from
the bottom to the top, but it has had
its humorous side too. Think of Cal
Messner today, distributor for Hud
son. Lssex. G. M. C. and Trailmobile.
with a building at the corner of Fourth
avenue and Adarcs street, second to
nome in the southwest, and try an-l
imagine that" one time his sole capita
in the business world consisted of ;.
third interest in the Southwest Car
buretor .company, and that the stock
In trade of that company was so small,
as to be negligible.
Many a night Messner went horn?
from that company's headquarters,
feeling that the next day would bring
the inevitable crash. Many a night
he wondered if they would last through
the next day, and the few grey hair.-
which Messner now carries around can
probably be laid to those sleeple-sj
nights.
Messner got into the automob:"
game through more or less of an ac
cident. He was in the real estate
business when, the opportunity came
knocking at his door in the shape cT
two men who desired him to put up
the money to pay the C. O. D. on a
shipment of Master carburetors. Mess
ner advanced the money and fre
quently thereafter put more cash in tc
keep the business going.
Finally things looked so bad and h
had so much interest in the baby con
cern that he gave up his real estata
business and moved in to take pos
session of his third share.
Messner tells his story in a humor
ous sort of a pathetic manner which
brings many a smile to his listener.
W. Catlin let us have a few
feet of space in the rear of his place
on North Central avenue. I suppose
that in all we had six or eight feet.
We fenced it off from the rest of the
place the best way we could, acquired a
few second hand chairs, a desk and a
box. and set out to make our. names
in the world of business.
"Our stock was on a par with our
assets, just a little bit above nothing.
Occasionally by a rare run of luck and
some extremely keen financing we
would manage to get as much as $"oo
worth of carburetors on hand all at.
the same time. And it was thos
nights that I was afraid to go home. I
actually worried for fear some on
would break In and put that entire
stock ' in a suitcase and walk awav
with it.
-The worst part of the whole propo
sition was that people shunned us.
They had a positive dread of putting
those carburetors on their cars. I
didn't know much about them, but I
had a lot of faith and that seemed t
carry us along.
"Finally I had a wonderful idea. I
decided to send my two partners out
over the state to get rid of a whole
lot of carburetors and thus put us on
a sound . financial basis. They took
that trip alright, but the only thing
they got rid of was the few remainirg
dollars I had. After that tour I had
nothing to worry about, I had nothing
to lose, because it was all gone. So
everything was plain sailing. But to
look back at that wild adventure now
is to get a good laugh. We were des
perate. We had our backs to the wall
and had .to do something and do it
darned soon.
"There was going to be a 50-mii
track race here with a $1,000 prize and
we realized there was one chance for
sorne easy money and believe me we
seeded it. We went into that race or
rather my partners did, and they were
racing for their lives, for we needed
that thousand worse than anything
else in the world. They took all the
chances that a man ever heard of
and won. But here comes some more
humor. The judges claimed we did
not meet aJI requirements and refused
to give us the thousand. We finally
compromised on $G0o and again we
had a new lease on life.
"Finding that the racing game was
more profitable than selling, carburet
ors we decided to enter the 1919 El
Paso-Phoenix road race. We mad
every preparation in the world to make
sure that we won that event, for we
ctrtainly needed the money. We were
somewhat afraid that we might smash
a steering knuckle, so we even went so
far as to provide ourselves with an
extra one.
"We got started fine In that rae
and everything looked wonderful for
us to win. Our car had gone 230 miles
and was well in the lead. We had 4J
minutes .on the next car and believa
mo I was counting that prize money
already. No one realized how des
perate we were and how badly we
needed the cash. And then fate over
took us and over a stray bump that
car went- turned over, smashed the