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Staff

Click on one of the people below to find out more information.

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  • Chuck Butler
    Founder & President
    Chuck Butler
    541.482.2521

    Chuck wasn't born into the auto industry but it was close. Having been born in Buffalo, New York, his father moved the family to California and soon went to work in the car business, allowing 12-year old Chuck to wash cars on his lot. Because of Chuck's height at the time, he earned 15-cents for cleaning the bottom half, a quarter for the whole car. Over the next few years he worked in all departments, drove a parts truck and moved into sales. He also served six years in the Air National Guard and on active-duty in the Air Force. After graduating from L.A. Valley College and UCLA (where he played water polo) with a degree in business administration he took over his father's business in 1966.

    It was at that dealership in Torrance, CA that Chuck met Linda. He recalls how he made sure he was in the right place at the right time when she stopped by to pick up a friend, and the way he was mesmerized by her waist-length blonde hair. On their first date he took her to a Neil Diamond concert. He says it took him three years and eight proposals to convince her to marry him.

    Together, they bought the Ford dealership in Ashland in 1976. That endeavor has since grown into the four dealerships that currently make up the Butler Automotive Group in Medford and Ashland. Chuck is also a partner in Steelhead Finance in Medford, a nationwide commercial finance company and CPM Real Estate Services with locations in Medford, Ashland and Grants Pass. In his spare time he pours energy into a number of volunteer endeavors, including the Ashland Community Hospital, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Southern Oregon University Athletics and the YMCA.

    When asked who he is when he's not working, Chuck doesn't hesitate. "I'm a captain", he says. He and Linda bought their first boat, a canoe, as newlyweds. Now, they get away from it all on a slightly bigger vessel they've named "Comme Je Trouve", which, when translated from French means "as I find things" or, "take it as it comes".  Chuck's also a family man; He and Linda have four children and five grandchildren.

  • Linda Butler
    Co-Founder
    Linda Butler


  • Warren Cooper
    Managing Partner
    Warren Cooper
    541.482.2521

    You can't miss Warren Cooper, for two reasons:  At 6' 5" he towers over almost everyone.  And he always has a mischievous smile on his face.  Maybe that's because, as an admitted "workaholic", he loves what he does!

    Warren is a Medford native and Crater graduate who played forward for the Raiders basketball team back when Southern Oregon University was Southern Oregon College. Since he "enjoys business" and has "always had a mind for numbers", he studied accounting, going to work for a CPA firm directly out of school.  Warren's lightning-fast computation skills took his career to LTM (now Knife River), then into partnering in two businesses ? a video rental shop and appliance store - where he fell in love with retail.

    But as fate would have it ? he wound up in the auto industry.  Warren met Chuck Butler in 1978 upon buying his first new vehicle: a Ford Conversion Van.  Not only did they strike up a friendship but Warren became a repeat customer when he bought a truck from Butler a couple years later.  His friendship with Chuck turned into a position with the company in the late 1980s, then into a business partnership in 1998.

    In the rare moments when he's not at one of the dealerships, Warren enjoys spending time with Paula, his artist wife of 30 years whom he says he married within a month and a half of meeting.  They like to travel and have their sights set on South Dakota's Mt. Rushmore and Alaska.  There's also lots of family to attend to:  four children and three grandchildren.  In his free time, Warren indulges in art appreciation, reading - he especially likes history - and golf, which he says he doesn't play nearly often enough.

  • Bill Shevlin
    General Sales Manager
    Bill Shevlin
    541.482.2521

    Bill's one of those people who knows the automotive industry inside out and backwards.  He'd better!  He's been immersed in it for more than thirty years! 

    The Navy took him from his hometown of Canton, Ohio to sunny San Diego where he worked in a shipyard.  Eventually, he transferred his energies into studying business/economics at Cal State Northridge and landed a gig selling car parts and commercial truck tires for Sears Roebuck.  He met his wife, Anne, in Los Angeles but, when it came time to think about starting a family (twins Christine and Tim came along in 1979), they decided they'd better move north.  His history with Butler dates back to 1977.  We are proud to brag that Bill is one of just a handful of certified used car appraisers in Oregon. 

    When he's not perusing Butler's six stores or appraising vehicles, Bill likes to golf.  When asked about his level of ability, he humbly responds, "Anywhere from a scratch to a 12."  But he says he finds his greatest joy visiting with his toddler granddaughter and spending time with his wife.

  • Curtis Hancock
    Service & Parts Director
    Curtis Hancock
    541.482.2521

    Curtis has literally spent half his life at Butler Automotive Group.  Born and raised in Ashland, he played Center and Middle Linebacker at Ashland High School (he says his team saw just 3 losses in 3 years). Shortly after graduating Curtis started washing cars for Butler.   A couple years later, he joined the Army National Guard, service that allowed him the freedom to continue his employment.  Along the way, Curtis married Jennifer, a neo-natal intensive care unit nurse.  Together they're raising five kids!  Curtis describes his clan as a "boating family" and says they love spending time on their houseboat at Lake Shasta.  He also adores coaching Ashland Pop Warner football, and being an officer with the Ashland Football Club.   And, as if that weren't enough to keep him busy, he and Jen recently took up ballroom dancing.  His favorite dance is Tango.

  • Guy Fowler
    Body Shop Manager
    Guy Fowler
    541.482.2521 ext.354

    One of 10 children, Guy hails from Ohio.  Shortly after graduation he followed one of his brothers to the San Francisco Bay Area to work on cars.  For a while during the late 70's and early 80's the Fowler boys serviced nothing but 1967-'69 Camaros.  A self-described "tinkerer", Guy says he can fix just about anything. 

    Eventually he moved to Santa Cruz where he met and married his wife, Lisa.  She had family in Southern Oregon so it wasn't long before they bought land in Eagle Point and built a house.   Guy says, there came a time when they sold that house and moved to Northern California but, they missed Eagle Point.  So they repurchased the house they'd built and, with their son and two daughters, moved back home.   When he's not rebuilding the '56 Chevy in his garage or fiddling with the plumbing, Guy says he's hanging out with his family, riding dirt bikes with his son, or training his youngest daughter in competitive horseback riding, a sport he participated in when he was in school.

    Guy Talks About His Life With Horses

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  • Richard Parker
    Rental Manager
    Richard Parker
    541.488.7285

    Rich is one of those people everyone seems to know.  Maybe that's because he tends to stay in one place for a long, long time.  Born and raised in Medford, he went for work for Quality Market not long after graduating from Phoenix High.  He stayed with Quality for 26-years, working his way up from clerk to store manager.  When it came time to switch careers, Rich knew he wanted for work for another family owned business, and Butler Automotive fit the bill.   We've been lucky to have him since 1999.

    Rich and his wife, Donnis, have three grown kids and eight grandkids, all of whom live locally.  He says his life is all about family.  In fact, he spent 20 of his last 21 vacations with his family at Disneyland!  Which is fitting because Rich's philosophy is what he calls "Pollyanna-ish", referring to the book Walt Disney turned into a movie in 1960 about a girl who seems to be able to find a silver lining in anything.  Rich fits the bill, saying, "If you look for the good, you'll find it."

  • Shannon Young
    Spokesperson/Marketing Coordinator
    Shannon Young
    541.482.2521


  • Mark Zinn
    Sales Manager
    Mark Zinn
    541.482.2521

    Mark's traveled a lot of roads? as is fitting for someone who's been in the automotive industry nearly 30 years! His journey started in Augusta, Kansas, a tiny town boasting brick streets, one high school, and a single stoplight. At the age of 19 Mark decided he needed more than Augusta could offer, so he ventured all the way to Seattle where he scored a draftsman job at Boeing. As "an artist at heart", Mark says he's always loved architecture. (To this day he still sketches, and builds and paints remote-controlled cars to indulge his creative side.)

    From there, destiny steered Mark into the Marines, then back to Kansas where he compared his exhausting work at an oil refinery with his brother's gig selling cars. The decision to move into car sales was easy. "I bought a tie," he says. That was 1982. Since then, he's lived in Santa Cruz, CA; Eugene (where he met his wife, Kathryn, while shooting pool); Las Vegas, NV; San Jose, CA; and Andover, Kansas? at least until an F5 tornado tore through. The disaster was enough to drive Mark and his family back to California, and eventually to Southern Oregon, where, he realized, he belonged. "It had everything I liked about everywhere I'd ever been," he says.

    When he's not working the Acura showroom, Mark's spending time with Kathryn, their two daughters, and five grandkids? or golfing "constantly. If there's daylight between getting off work and bedtime, I'm on the course." He's easily recognizable, too? just look for the Miami Dolphins golf cart. Mark's a huge fan? Just check out his collection of 1600 ball caps? nearly 300 of 'em sport the Dolphins logo.

  • Joel Nickerson
    Butler Ford Sales Manager
    Joel Nickerson
    541.482.2521

    Joel's journey with Butler began in 2003 when he started in sales.  Since then his career has included specializing in inventory management, vehicle ordering, customer finance and fleet management.  He was promoted to Ford Sales Manager early in 2011 and describes his management style as "direct and transparent". 

    After growing up in Oregon City, Joel moved to study business at Southern Oregon University. A self-described "country boy at heart", he remembers standing on his deck in Talent, gazing at the snow-covered hills and thinking, "People in Portland would pay for this view and I'm getting it for free."  That was when he knew he'd found his home?  that and the fact that Holly, the woman who would become his wife, lived just next door.  Their family's now expanded to include son Jack, an event Joel calls a "game changer".  An avid outdoorsman, he takes his son with him on his outdoorsy exploits.  Joel loves being a dad and glows with pride when talking about mealtimes, bath times and endless hours at the park.  The family motto is "Have truck, will travel."  Ford Motor Company would be proud!

  • Peter McFadden
    Internet Sales Manager
    Peter McFadden
    541.482.2521

    The next time you visit Butler's Ashland stores be sure to shake Peter's hand; He might just be running the country someday.  Born and raised in Medford, Peter's passion for politics was sparked by a government class he attended at St. Mary's High School.  His Junior Project found him crafting a brief on the recently implemented Oregon Health Plan that former Governor turned teacher Mark Hatfield liked enough to print and distribute.  

    After graduating, and being recruited by every Pac 10 football program but one, Peter attended Oregon State where he obtained his Bachelor's in Political Science  (but never played a game thanks to a blown out ankle).  He then followed up with a Masters in Politics and Public Policy from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia.  He had the knowledge to enter politics but, there was just one problem.  "I was so shy,  I couldn't talk to people.  So I got in the car business.  Now I can talk to anyone", Peter says.  He figures in another 20 years he'll have learned  enough about the wants and needs of the American public that he can finally throw his hat in the ring for office.

  • John Oliveira
    Sales Consultant
    John Oliveira


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  • Chris McDonald
    Sales Consultant
    Chris McDonald
    541.482.1489


  • Joe Butterfield
    Service Advisor
    Joe Butterfield
    541.482.2521

    Like so many others born and raised in the Rogue Valley, Joe had to leave to realize how much he appreciated his home town.  After graduating from Medford Senior High he headed for the University of Oregon to study music (he cops to playing mostly string instruments but can also tickle the ivories).  But the lure of performing proved too great and Joe moved to Southern California where he and his wife, Valinda (whom he says he's "known longer than he hasn't") made up two-thirds of a trio.  Their music career even saw them performing with Princess Cruise Lines!

    When it came time to raise a family, though, Joe and Valinda decided to move back home.  He brought with him experience from working at the third largest Ford dealership in the U.S.  After having been in the automotive industry since 1984, Joe says it's the relationship he has with his customers that makes his work rewarding.  When he's not in the Service Center you'll find him skiing, learning about new music from his grown sons and appreciating the classics of blues, bluegrass and rock-n-roll.

  • Jack Kenyon
    Acura Technician
    Jack Kenyon
    541.482.2521


  • Randy Tolbert
    Lot Manager
    Randy Tolbert
    541.482.2521


  • Chris May
    Acura Technician
    Chris May


  • Greg Mosby
    Technician
    Greg Mosby


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  • Oscar Malfavon
    Technician
    Oscar Malfavon
    541.482.1489