Findlay Cadillac’s roadside technician busy 365 days a year

He has seen his share of issues faced by vehicle owners and the woes they experience on the road. In fact, the 60-year-old native of Santa Monica, California, and 23 year-resident of Henderson has been scouring the valley all hours of the day and night reaching out to help the owners of disabled vehicles for the past 33 years.

“Out of all of the calls I answer, I’d say that 60 percent are either bad tires or dead batteries,” Gist said. “When I first arrive, the first thing I do is give the people cold water to help calm them down.”

Needless to say, most people don’t count on having car troubles, so Gist must move quickly to help the stranded drivers, especially during the extremes of the Southern Nevada summers and winters. Over the years, Gist has recorded more than 1 million miles driving new Cadillac Escalades when he’s needed by vehicle owners.

“The Cadillac Escalade is the perfect vehicle for this job,” Gist said. “It has plenty of room and plenty of power. It’s a beautiful truck.”

The need of Gist’s services varies depending on the day of week.

“Having car trouble can really ruin a person’s day or night,” said Gist. “I would say that 75 percent of the calls are for locals. We do get more tourists with car troubles during the weekend, though.”

During one call in about 1997, Gist arrived to find singer Steve Lawrence with a dead battery in one of his vehicles.

“Since then, I have helped Steve several times,” Gist added. “He’s a very nice guy and always very appreciative of me getting to him as soon as possible.

“I have also assisted several other entertainers over the years. When I’m through helping a customer, I want my customer to be proud of owning a Cadillac.”

Assisting customers nowadays has become especially challenging as traffic becomes more of a problem during the growth of Southern Nevada.

“We really need to be careful when going from one end of town to the other,” Gist said. “On one hand, we need to get to people as soon as possible, but the journey can be challenging, for sure.”

Also key is the amount of accidents on Southern Nevada roads nowadays.

“There are a lot more accidents lately,” said Gist. “Traffic is getting heavier and the valley is expanding so much that it’s getting tougher to get from one end of the valley to the other.”

There is no time for delays when the calls arrive, so Gist needs to be ready no matter what the time of day. His productivity was evidenced by the fact that he answered 2,400 calls one year in the late 1990s.

“I have been doing this for so many years that I’m used to only four hours of sleep a night,” Gist explained. “I work seven days a week, but wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Gist said the key to Findlay Cadillac is the fact that the company is family-owned.

“There’s no question about that part of the equation,” Gist said. “The Findlay family has been in Southern Nevada for decades and you cannot help but notice that the Findlay dealerships are involved in so many community activities.

“Everywhere you go, Findlay is involved in the community. It’s so refreshing to be a part of the company.”

Headed by general manager John Saksa, Findlay Cadillac is situated at 993 Auto Show Drive in the Valley Automall. The dealership is part of Findlay Automotive Group, which was founded more than 50 years ago by the late Pete Findlay, whose son, Cliff, now spearheads 28 automobile dealerships in Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Oregon and Idaho.

Further information can be found by calling 702-558-2600 or by visiting www.findlaycadillac.com.