Jerome Adams, man who brought Saab to the American state of Iowa, passes away

Saab cars were first brought to the United States 55 years ago this month. Ralph Millet was the American importer. Initially, the dealers were only in the northeast part of the United States. In 1964, the first Saab dealer west of the Mississippi River was opened by Jerome Adams.

Jerome Adams passed away on April 28, 2011 at the age of 72 having suffered a stroke in 1996 that forced his retirement.

Shortly after his marriage in 1962, he moved to Minneapolis and worked as a Saab mechanic for Borton Motors. He developed an interest in ice racing and stock car racing, which he continued to pursue throughout his life. In 1964, he moved back to his hometown of Meyer, Iowa. There he started the first Saab dealer in the American state of Iowa, located in the central United States.

Jerome figured that farmers were comfortable with two stroke engines, which Saab was using at the time. He also thought that Saab's winter capability was desirable in Iowa.

Meyer Garage was unusual in that it was an exclusive Saab dealer and located in a very small town that does not even appear on some maps. The dealer notes that it was the first authorized Saab dealer west of the Mississippi River (though Borton Motors is in Minneapolis, which is located on the banks of the Mississippi River). The dealership won several awards for customer service. Jerome was even interviewed on the "Today Show", a breakfast news and features show on NBC, a major American television network. Jerome achieved the unthinkable, growing a dealership and a fan base in a rural area from scratch. Steven Wade, founder of the SaabsUnited blog, describes Adams as having nurtured the Saab brand in Iowa and southern Minnesota.

Meyer Garage later expanded with the opening of a second dealership in the much larger city of Iowa City in 2000. Iowa City was the original capital city of Iowa in the 1800's and is where the University of Iowa is located. Meyer Garage later suffered a devastating fire but was rebuilt. The third generation of the Adams family continues to operate Meyer Garage.


Thanks to Mike (eggsngrits) of Nashville, Tennessee
Meyer Garage open house in 2009

Recomended further reading about the Meyer Garage open house in 2009 featured at Saabs United http://www.saabsunited.com/2009/09/m...ouse-2009.html

Limited time obituary link: Jerome Adams Obituary: View Jerome Adams's Obituary by Globe Gazette