For Commonwealth’s Charlie Daher, every day is Father’s Day

25TH ANNIVERSARY: Instead of paperwork, Commonwealth Motors president Charlie Daher found a celebratory cake on his desk. Daher family

By Bill Griffith @MrAutoWriter

June 19, 2016

6 minutes to read

You could say that every day is Father’s Day for Charlie Daher, patriarch of the Daher family and president of the family business, Commonwealth Motor Group.

Doubtless you’ve heard the dealerships’ trademark commercials.

“Daaaaaaaaaddddddd!’’

Familiar sound of a bell ringing.

Then one of the Daher family is on camera advising viewers to “Shop us last … you’ll love us.’’

The ads catch you with a quick story, then a slight variation on the theme that “we’re constantly checking the competition so we can guarantee you the best price every day.’’

The cast usually consists of owner Charles Daher and two of his four children, Kimberly Daher Millman and Charles III.

These days, the doting father/grandfather, who creates the commercials himself, often includes his eight grandchildren (ranging from 3 to 11) in the spots, two each thanks to Melissa, Kimberly (Kim), Allison, and Charles.

One of the cutest ads features the kids taking over a dealership, answering the phones, making intercom announcements, showing cars to customers, and closing deals.

BELL CAPTAINS: The Daher siblings (from left), Allison, Kim, Melissa, and Charles are ready to ring the bell for Fathers’ Day.

It’s funny, it’s cute, and there’s a family story involved that illustrates why Father’s Day means so much to the boss. This year Commonwealth—purveyors of Chevrolet, Honda, Kia, Nissan, and Volkswagen vehicles—celebrates its 25th anniversary.

The melding of business and family makes Father’s Day special for the patriarch—enough that his “kids’’ wanted to surprise their dad with a Father’s Day story.

“I’m proud of the way everything’s turned out,’’ he’s often said in the past. “You can have the best plans in the world, but you need the people and, in our case, the family to make it happen.’’

Kids Being Kids

It’s not easy for all four siblings to be out of the boss’ sight for long, but we managed to get together in the lunchroom of Commonwealth Nissan for a group interview while dad was being “monitored’’ via a webcam as he was working at the Chevrolet dealership next door.

Before Charlie Daher bought the former English Chevrolet in Lawrence in 1991, he spent 14 years working for the Ira Motor Group.

FAMILY HEADQUARTERS: The Commonwealth dealership in Lawrence was where Charlie Daher started the family business, which is still going strong.

The plan always was to have his own dealership.

Then, as now, he was a seven-days-per-week worker, but often on weekends, Liz (Mrs. Elizabeth Daher) would bring the kids by to visit and share lunch.

On one occasion, the kids actually did take over…in a manner of speaking.

“They locked Charles’ office door and figured out how to work the intercom,’’ says Brian Hesse, whose been working with Charlie Daher for 32 years, apparently in an untitled role similar to the one Ernie Adams has with Patriots’ GM/coach Bill Belichick.

“He was my first boss, and I hope he’ll be my last … unless the next one is one of you guys,’’ Hesse says, nodding at the Daher siblings.

Then, as now, Daher always had a plan.

“I remember him reaching into his desk drawer one day (at Ira) and pulling out a mockup for the ‘Shop us last … you’ll love us!’ slogan. He’s always got a plan ready to go.’’

A Family Business

“The kids’’ were part of the plan from Day One.

They remember a dad who rarely was home for dinner, but was with them every morning at breakfast and somehow managed to coach their church basketball teams and make all their youth sports events.

“I was 15-and-a-half years old when we opened here,’’ says Melissa Daher Taylor, the oldest of the four and now operations manager for Commonwealth Motor Group. “But I was the cashier on Day One.’’

“On my first day, it was about 90 degrees out. He gave me a legal pad and told me to go out and inventory every car on the lot with its stock number,’’ says daughter Kimberly. “When I came back, he said, ‘Good job,’ then ripped up the paper. It was his way of teaching me that [working for him] wasn’t going to be easy.’’

For Charles and Allison, it was counting O-rings in the parts department, again ostensibly for inventory.

But those who pass the test tend to stay.

“Our employees are all part of a big family,’’ says Melissa.

“We have a half-dozen people who’ve been here all 25 years,’’ says Melissa. “And another group of people who’ve been with Commonwealth more than 20 years.’’

Talking About Dad

And Dad’s still a central figure in everyone’s lives, especially the family’s.

“We still have lunch in his office every day,’’ says Kim.

“I’m in charge of ordering the food so I get the complaints—for ordering too much, too little, or from the wrong place,’’ says Charles.

Talking about food brought the kids back to the family’s restaurant endeavor—“1 Mill Street’’ in Lawrence.

“The auto business has lousy hours, but owning a restaurant is worse,’’ says Kim, who spent most of her time at the restaurant after Dad convinced her to come home after pursuing an acting career. “But it was a great experience. We had fine dining on the second floor. It was named Elizabeth’s for our mom. Plus, there was a cigar lounge for dad.’’

“He used to have hair, and he loved his hair,’’ says Kim. “One of our favorite commercials is when he was pretending to have his hair done and misses the commercial.’’

“He’s doing the same [youth activities] with the grandkids now,’’ says Melissa, but he’s a lot more mellow.

“I think part of that is because we never knew either of our grandfathers,’’ says Kim. “And I think Dad worried that he’d never know his grandkids.’’

Asked how their dad relaxed, they said, “By working, but he also loves cookouts at the beach house.’’

“Cookout hardly describes it,’’ says Daher’s brother-in-law, judge John Harris. “He’s a great cook, and he loves to cook.’’

The beach house, the siblings recall, was Daher’s mother’s cottage in Seabrook, NH. “It had to be close because he always was working,’’ says Kim. “I remember all six of us sharing one room. We (girls) got the beds and Charles slept on the floors.’’

They know dad as a sports fan, too.

“He’s had Celtics season tickets since Pitino arrived (1997) and Patriots’ season tickets since Parcells arrived (1993),’’ says Charles. “But he always talks about going to The Garden in the old days.’’

All call their dad a born salesman at heart, probably even before the days he sold bologna sandwiches out of his dorm room at Boston College. “He charged extra for cheese,’’ says Charles.

They describe a dad who’d rather be on one of his sales floor than at a national convention.

“He loves the competition more than schmoozing,’’ they explain.

“The old Presidents’ Day sales were his favorite time of the year,’’ says Charles. “Everyone’s gotten away from the cherry pies, but he still loves ringing the bell, being on the intercom with the music and balloons in each showroom.’’

“Dad hasn’t slowed down at all, but he does turn his attention in different directions these days,’’ says Allison.

“For example, he’s discovered emojis and he’s into texting his grandchildren.’’

You have to think he signs off with the emoji of a ringing bell.