Driving Miss Annie
This brings us to Annie. Van den Hurk and wife Niki always have taken in strays, but none ever wriggled its way into their hearts like Annie has. Van den Hurk found her in a Makaha parking lot half-starved, eating cast-aside McDonald’s wrappers. He scooped up the 1-year old pit bull mix in his arms and took her to his vet, who did not hold out much hope for the mutt.
“I told him she was going to get better, and he said, ‘So you are a vet now?'” recalls van den Hurk.
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If you've seen an Aloha Kia commerical, then you recognize Annie, faithful companion of Aloha Kia's Bill van den Hurk, who, as president of Hawaii Auto Dealers Association, welcomes all to the 2015 First Hawaiian International Auto Show March 13-15 at Hawaii Convention Center | Photo by Nathalie Walker
Sure enough, he was right, and Annie came home with him and into his bed.
“I have never been closer to a dog; she becomes like part of you,” says van den Hurk. “Every morning, when I get up, she looks at me. It’s a bond. What irritates me is when people fight dogs like this, mistreat them. I don’t understand it. There is no such thing as a bad dog, just horrible owners.”
To this end, he donates heavily to Oahu SPCA, specifically because it has a no-kill policy with strays. He hopes in the near future to acquire a van that he wants to outfit as a mobile spay and neuter station, and use it to bring inexpensive sterilization to needy communities around Oahu to stem the tide of new strays.
He knows he cannot find owners for all strays, but he hopes that seeing Annie will help people get over their fear of pit bulls when it comes to adopting dogs.
“One of the things that Annie has done … when I talk to people about adopting, because she was a stray, a pit bull mix, and she wouldn’t harm a flea,” says van den Hurk, who also keeps horses on his ranch on Hawaii. “I tell people she is a ‘pitiful bull’ not a pit bull; she will lick you to death. She is one of the few females in my life who gives me no trouble!”
More than just problem-free, she has become the face of his dealerships. In the past 18 months, she has become the star of his KIA commercials, perhaps second only to Alex from Central Pacific Bank in canine Q rating.
“People like it when you make a little fun of yourself, don’t be so serious in life, then we brought in Annie for the commercials, and now she is loved by everybody,” says van den Hurk, before finishing with a laugh, “Anywhere I go, it is always, ‘How’s Annie?’ not ‘How are you?'”
While he likes to give Annie a lot of credit, van den Hurk did have a little bit to do with building the KIA brand in the state. He brought out the original dealership of this once-unknown Korean-made vehicle and has now built it to be the fifth-largest brand in the Islands.
Every morning, when I get up, she looks at me. It’s a bond. What irritates me is when people fight dogs like this, mistreat them. I don’t understand it.
So how did a man who spent years selling Porsches in California end up with an economy brand like KIA?
“When I was between jobs, I drove a KIA Sephia from a friend of mine — I drove the daylights out of this thing, beat it up,” explains van den Hurk. “So when I came to Hawaii and I saw there was no KIA, I pursued them, but they were not interested. There was something about this car that I liked. It wasn’t spectacular, but the way it drove and the way it handled, it was like it was bulletproof, like it was a little tank. I kept persisting and they eventually gave in.”
He credits the 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty KIA offers with helping to push the brand into the top five here, and hopes to watch it grow more as, at the auto show they will unveil the new KIA Soul EV, which, with its 93 miles per charge range, puts it second behind Tesla in the market.
Business has been good for van den Hurk. Last year, the company had $86 million in sales, and it is on track to break the nine-figure mark this year. But to him, all this means is that the size of his family has grown.
“My business is my passion. I love our business and I love our employees,” he says. “We used to have a little ohana, and now with 186 employees, we have a big ohana.”
2015 FIRST HAWAIIAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW
Hawaii Convention Center | March 13-15
More than 350 of the newest cars, crossovers, trucks, SUVs, luxury cars and classics will add to the family fun at this year’s show. Everyone’s dream car will be on display over the weekend, featuring high-end exotic vehicles including Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini, car-club displays of classic models and the new hydrogen fuel cell Toyota Mirai.
There will be pizza giveaways to the first 500 attendees to test drive one of the selected models, and all the newest technological advances will be on display, from crash-avoidance systems and inflatable seat-belts, to integrated smartphone apps and 360-degree cameras.
Admission: $13 for adults, $8 for military, $7 for seniors (62 and up), free for children under age 12. Purchase E tickets in advance at HiAutoShow.com and receive a $1 discount off regular adult admission. Discount coupons are available while supplies last at Oahu branches of First Hawaiian Bank. For additional information, visit above website.
Military Two-Fer Day — Saturday only, all Department of Defense reservists, National Guard and retired with a military ID can gain admission “Two for the price of One”: Buy one $8 military admission with a military ID and receive a second military admission free, with a second valid military ID. Must present two military IDs at the box office. Not valid with any other offer.
Shop at Ala Moana Center, visit the Auto Show and present a receipt from any Ala Moana merchant and get $2 off one adult admission. Valid all show days.
Receive a FREE one-year subscription to Motor Trend magazine just for showing up! Simply sign up at the auto show and receive 12 issues of the world’s No. 1 automotive authority direct to your mailbox.
First Hawaiian Bank is the auto show’s title sponsor, along with sponsors Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association and Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
