Tony Basso celebrates 25 years in business

By Patsy Stoddard

The Carbon County Chamber of Commerce hosted Tony Basso as their luncheon speaker for September. He is celebrating 25 years in business with many special activities and promotions at his Tony Basso GM and other businesses. Twenty-five years ago Basso opened Mad Man Basso auto sales. He now has 20 businesses and employs 160 people from Spanish Fork to Moab. He has a genuine interest in his community and works to make Castle Valley an attractive place to stay and do business.
Basso said he was recently in Las Vegas for the wedding of his friend’s daughter. While there he and his wife decided to go for a walk, but she didn’t have any shoes. So they went and got her some Nike running shoes. While walking they saw a bowling alley and went inside and bowled.
“I hadn’t bowled for 20 years and the first game I shot a 167 and the second game 202. I had six strikes. We paid for our bowling and then went back out walking and we saw a hand bag store she wanted to go in and as we went through the door she hit the marble floor and about fell down. We looked down and she still had her bowling shoes and had left her new shoes at the bowling alley. I’ve found that you have to have a sense of humor.
“In 1989, I bought a couple of cars that I drove home every night. I built our first dealership and it didn’t have any heat, so we used a portable heater. It fluctuated between 60 and 90 degrees in there. We got some new carpet and I left the heater on and it melted the carpet. That carpet was $817 and that was all the money we had. But, it was under warranty and a local business replaced it. I did everything in the beginning, I washed the cars and everything. On Christmas Eve, I was selling cars and Hans Miller was watching from a garage across the street and he was playing cards with his friends. They would call me and say what size rims does that car have and I would run out and measure the rims then go back in and tell them. For two hours they kept calling me and that was their fun.
“In 1992 we bought the building across the street. In 1994, we had a banner year and sold 97 cars. My mom would make all the thank you cards for people who bought a car. Now we sell 150 cars a month. It’s been a lot of fun as the businesses have grown and we’ve been very fortunate. I was fortunate to be adopted and all my parents love went into me. I choose my (work) family. I accumulate talent. I find the most talented people. They deserve much more than we’re able to pay them. I can’t pay them what they’re worth. They work tirelessly.
“In 2008, the economy was failing and I went through a major divorce. We regrouped and reorganized, we didn’t have a choice. We kept going. Jesse and I settled and we’re friends now. I had no choice but to get up and go on. I bought out a partner from a business. I can’t stop growing and buying. I put cash back into the community. I tell everybody that my 401K is Main Street not Wall Street.
“We are teaming up with the hospital to bring InstaCare to Carbon County. Those guys are super to deal with. Price City is great to deal with. We need to do this as a group. I went to Washington DC, don’t care to ever go back. I am going to be the president of the new car association. One thing we’re missing is, built in America. Why not, built in Carbon County. We have a quality college and a quality workforce. We have some Main Street property that we rent. Our county commissioners need to be salesmen for this county.
People who want to create jobs and a lifestyle. When they get in office, they need to sell this town. Why not build it here? When people get together they can do it. One quote I live by is, Let’s not ruin this company by thinking, we’ve made it this far,” said Basso.
Mark Holyoak, chamber president thanked Tony Basso for speaking. “Our community is better off because of his efforts, thanks Tony for all you do.”