A 'lifer' in Kitsap's auto business proves there's more to life than work
There is a rich history to Brad Salley’s life. The finance manager at Advantage Nissan in Auto Center Way in Bremerton is sometimes referred to as a “lifer” in the auto business, and while that may be true to some extent, he really is a lifer in many ways.
He was once a promising golfer at the college level, and remains a board member of the Shank City Invitational Golf Tournament that in May will celebrate its 54th anniversary.
The bottom line, though, is Salley is all in on family. He and wife Karen are parents to four boys, all involved in sports as they moved through high school at Central Kitsap. They were the center of attention for the Salleys. Brad changed his workdays at Advantage Nissan so he could watch his boys compete in CK sports.
Salley, 61, was born at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tacoma in 1962. His father, James L. Salley, a graduate of Stadium High School in Tacoma, collected his law degree from the University of Washington in just four years, and at 21 was the youngest to do so.
Mother Pam Salley became the first stockbroker in state of Washington and was the first woman to be invited for lunch at the all-men’s Rainier Club.
When his dad set up a private law practice in Kent, Salley went to high school at Kentridge where he played golf and soccer. The family lived along the 14th hole of the Meridian Valley Country Club
“Golf was my thing,” says Salley. “I could walk out my back door and start playing. Junior golf was very limited back then.”
But he played some tournaments in Eastern Washington, Vancouver, B.C. and in northern Oregon.
He became a plus-1 golfer at Meridian Valley. He was team captain for three years and helped Kentridge make state golf tournament all three years.
“We were always in the top three but never did win the damn thing,” says Salley, who said they would sometimes practice in bare feet to help with balance on swings. “Playing in bare feet you have to slow down to hit the ball solid.”
Salley once shot 32, 4 under par, over the first nine a Meridian record (high school matches were nine holes).
It should be noted Salley’s father and grandfather were both members of the Tacoma Golf & Country Club, and his grandfather (Dillard, but went by Dick) donated the land that is now Browns Point Lighthouse Park, and lived in the house above the park.
His grandfather, a veteran of World War I, was a boxing instructor in the Army.
“He taught us how to box,” Salley says with a laugh.
Salley also went to high school with Greg “Mutt” Haugen, a rugged boxer who won two world boxing championships – IBF lightweight and WBO light welterweight.
Salley went to UW and walked on to the golf team, back when scholarships were not offered for golf. He was No. 4 on the Huskies and played in four matches before injuring his hand in a motorcycle accident. He wanted to continue with the team but got into a dispute with the coach who wanted him to redshirt. He refused, and that ended his golfing career at UW.
“I wanted to graduate in four years and offered to play later in the season,” says Salley, who got two degrees, marketing and accounting, in four years.
Does he regret not continuing on with golf?
No.
It’s possible if he had continued on he may have become a pro, and spent hours at courses or traveling. That would have meant he probably would not been around for what he calls four beautiful boys on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula. Family means a lot to him, and not pursuing PGA Tour dreams allowed him those relationships.
Salley’s last work position before going to Advantage was as financial director for Courtesy Auto Group in Poulsbo. He was working 50-60 hours a week as his four boys were beginning to be involved in CK sports.
“I missed a lot of their sports that I didn’t want to miss,” says Salley.
So he took his current job, which promised Friday and Saturday off, as well as Sunday, to attend church with his family at Holy Trinity in Bremerton.
His oldest son, Brandon, is 35. is deaf. He ran cross country and competed in the javelin in track & Field and then went to RIT in Rochester, NY. He is a work leader in Shop 51 (nuclear electrician) and the first deaf employee to be crane certified.
Cameron, 33, was a tight end/defensive end and pitcher/first baseman for CK for three years. He played football as a freshman at University of Puget Sound.. Recruited to UW by Dick Baird, Cameron was a tight end for the Huskies. He left the team after suffering four concussions.
Ethan, 30, played tight end/defensive end and basketball at CK. He played freshman baseball as a pitcher/outfielder and his junior and senior years was on the track & field team, throwing the javelin and running the 110 and 300 hurdles. He attended Washington State on an ROTC Army Scholarship and now is a bartender at Silver City in Silverdale.
Mason, 24, was a tight end/defensive end for three years, and basketball for two years at CK. He threw the javelin in his junior and senior years, took third in state as a junior and sixth as a senior (he was injured, but still competed). He went to Western Washington where he threw the javelin for four years.
Family is obviously very important to Salley, and he will for the first time have his four sons playing with him in May when he once again plays in the Shank City Invitational to be held May 16 at Canyon Lakes Golf Course in Kennewick and May 17 at Columbia Point Golf Club in Richland.
There is a blind draw on May 15 to make up the 11 4-member teams invited.
This tournament is a big deal. It’s meant to bring friends together for a good time. Will Thompson, one of the board members, grew up with Salley, although he’s four years younger.
“We played golf when we were younger, and we went skiing together,” says Thompson. “My dad and his dad started going to Shank City probably 40 years ago.
“Brad is a good family guy. His four boys are really important and he’s very outgoing and very sociable.
David Meek, also a longtime player in the tournament, says, “It’s a fun time. Our motto is ‘friends gathering for a very, very good time.’ It’s all love.”
Meek and Salley obviously are front and center in the fun department. He says, laughing, that Salley is, “A crazy SOB. He and his kids are just a bunch of really good folk who go out of their way to help you. Brad is Sargent of arms for about as long as I have been going.”
Meek added Thompson when he was a young kid lost his right foot toes to a lawn mower accident but doesn’t show it on the golf course.
“He played golf at Central Washington and still is a four-handicap.” Meek says.
Nothing stops these guys, and the name of Salley will probably be associated with Shank for many more years as sons of Brad make the trek over the Cascades to participate.
Terry Mosher writes a regular feature for the Kitsap Sun on local sports personalities and history. Contact him at bigmosher@msn.com.
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Brad Salley loves cars and golf, but his sacrifices come for family
