“We all know him as a businessman and entrepreneur and, at first, he was a professional golfer. That was his first love,” Blackburn said. “He thoroughly enjoyed the car business -- he said he always wanted to be car dealer. And we’ll all miss him.”
Along the way, Palmer opened GM stores in California and Kentucky and Fordstores in South Carolina and Latrobe. His stores became major players in the fleet business in the late 1980s. Blackburn said Palmer revised his strategy and exited the business in the early 1990s.
Massey sold Arnold Palmer Cadillac in 2001 to Sonic Automotive. Only Arnold Palmer Motors remains open.
Ron Paluzzi, general manager at Arnold Palmer Motors in Latrobe, said Palmer was an active owner, although the store hadn’t seen him much in recent years. Paluzzi said many people may connect Palmer with golf -- or, for the younger crowd, iced tea -- but he said Palmer was a good businessman with a passion for the automotive world, too.
“He would beam when people started talking about the auto industry,” Paluzzi said. “He really loved the industry. It was something he was really proud of.”
Paluzzi is unsure of whom the dealership will be passed onto.
Cadillac issued a statement Monday mourning Palmer’s passing.
“Throughout the years he was a great friend to those at our company and to our dealership partners through our involvement at the Masters and the Arnold Palmer Invitational,” a Cadillac spokesman wrote in an email. “He was truly a special person who instantly created a genuine connection with people and will be greatly missed.”
Hertz partnership
In 2014, Hertz celebrated its 30-year partnership with Palmer by donating $30,000 to the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando. Their partnership started in 1983, when Palmer appeared in commercials alongside O.J. Simpson as well as in print and radio ads.
Palmer was born in Latrobe on Sept. 10, 1929, and started to play golf when he was 4 years old. He was working as a caddy by age 11. Palmer went on to win two Pennsylvania high school championships and the West Penn Amateur Championship at 17.
