'Gosh, is he a wonderful man': Jordan Love was quick to impress as Bergstrom Automotive's newest Packers quarterback partner
NEENAH - Upon his first meeting with Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love, John Bergstrom was immediately struck by two things.
How tall he is.
How nice he is.
“Gosh, is he a wonderful man,” said Bergstrom, chairman and co-founder of Bergstrom Automotive. “Just a really neat guy, and he’s perfect for what we at Bergstrom want.”
The 24-year-old Love, who takes over starting quarterback duties for the Packers this season, is following in the footsteps of the team’s two previous star quarterbacks as a brand ambassador for Bergstrom Automotive. The auto retailer, with headquarters in Neenah and 32 dealerships across Wisconsin, has been partnering with Packers quarterbacks for more than 30 years, beginning with Brett Favre in the 1990s and then 17 years with Aaron Rodgers.
The first of the billboards featuring Love went up in late June along Interstate 41 in the Fox Valley. Packers fans can expect to see more of him in TV commercials and on social media. If you call Bergstrom and are put on hold, it’s his voice you hear.
Even with the company’s long history with the Packers, it wasn’t automatic that Love would make the roster. John Bergstrom likes to make sure the man fits the brand, so he asked first to spend some time with Love. He was quickly impressed.
“Just as a human being, if he were my son, you’d be proud as hell of him,” Bergstrom said. “Shake hands, respect, look you in the eye, thank you, ‘I want to do something that’s mutually beneficial.’ It wasn’t all about him at all, and he’s excited about having the opportunity to be the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers.
“Within 15 minutes, I was a Love fan.”
He won over Make-A-Wish Wisconsin children and their families
Bergstrom found No. 10 to be humble but confident, straightforward and “very much a gentleman.” He also couldn’t help but notice that at 6 feet, 4 inches, the Packers’ 2020 first-round draft pick seemed noticeably taller and also wider than Rodgers and Favre when he stood next to him.
Love recently joined Bergstrom Automotive for a Make-A-Wish Wisconsin event in which there were eight wish families with a critically ill child in attendance. He was easily a big hit with the children in the first few families, but the other two or three were frightened by his size and an unfamiliar face.
It didn’t deter Love.
“He had a huge smile. He worked so hard to get those kids happy,” Bergstrom said.
As Favre and Rodgers did during their time with Bergstrom Automotive, Love will also talk to kids at local Boys & Girls Clubs as part of the company’s partnership with the organization. John Bergstrom, who already has two appearances with Love scheduled, likes to make sure that time is all about the quarterback and the children — not the media, not the parents, not the staff.
“I’ve had some of the most positive experiences with these three quarterbacks over 30 years. The positive impression they make on these kids is just amazing,” Bergstrom said. “I have to tell you, some of the most amazing communications I’ve ever listened to between an adult and children, Aaron was in the middle of it.”
Packers partnership is about a similar brand, doing things the right way
That kind of community outreach is important to Bergstrom Automotive, and it’s why the company founded in 1982 doesn’t use Packers players to “hawk cars,” John Bergstrom said. You won’t hear Love on a TV spot hyping a $329 payment per month or 0% financing for 72 months.
“What we talk about is we want to be a quality partner for people when they buy a car or a truck, and they can trust us. Our people, I want them to be proud of the company they work for and with, and to have someone like Jordan that they’re proud to be a part of, yeah, we’ll use him a lot for that,” Bergstrom said.
He likes to think his company’s longstanding partnership with the Packers has worked so well because of how well their brands align.
“The Green Bay Packers organization, the way they conduct business, the way they play the game, the culture, the brand, it’s all about respect and doing things the right way,” he said.
“I feel the same way about Bergstrom Automotive. There’s 1,800 of us and they all have a family, and they don’t want anyone representing them that they’re not proud of or that they wouldn’t want to have as part of their bigger family.”
Matt LaFleur took Bergstrom's GMC Hummer electric pickup for a ride
One of the perks of his partnership is that Love gets a nice new ride to get him to and from work at Lambeau Field.
“You bet your life,” Bergstrom said.
For obvious reasons, players don't usually publicize what they drive. Rodgers asked often to change vehicles when people would recognize him, Bergstrom said.
But he can tell a funny story about Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, who helps Bergstrom Automotive in its work with nonprofits. One day he asked John Bergstrom if he could use his GMC Hummer electric pickup truck.
“I thought he was going to use it for the day. I had to play hide-and-go-seek with him for a couple weeks to get my car back,” Bergstrom said, laughing. “He was having more fun. He just thought that was the greatest deal.”
Most Packers players are partial to a Chevrolet Suburban, he said, because it allows plenty of room for all their stuff and can accommodate family and friends when they come to Green Bay for a game.
“But they also like to have fun, giddyup-go cars, too,” he said.
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Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KendraMeinert.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Jordan Love an easy fit as Bergstrom Automotive's new Packers partner
