Don and Cheryl met in junior high school and have been together ever since. They were Logan’s 1970 prom king and queen, and Don still calls Cheryl his ‘Queen’.

Cheryl graduated as a Licensed Practical Nurse from WWTC in 1971. Eventually, she became an RN, working at St. Francis Hospital in the Nursery/Infant ICU and Gundersen Lutheran Hospital in Same Day Surgery.

Don and Cheryl were married April 22^nd, 1972 and in 1974, Don obtained a Finance degree from UW-La Crosse. He took a job as an accounting supervisor for JC Penney Catalog in Milwaukee. Shortly after their move to Milwaukee, God blessed Don and Cheryl with twin sons, Matthew and Scott. Three-and-a-half years later, their third son, Nicholas, was born. As the years flew by, their sons became adults, starting their own families, giving Don and Cheryl seven grandchildren. Their pride, joy, and hope for the future includes Paige, Hannah, Danica, Elaina, Sawyer, Brock, and Walker.

Don’s automotive career began at Dahl Ford when they moved back to La Crosse in 1975. It soon became Don and Cheryl’s dream to own their own dealership. On August 30, 1991, they purchased Curly’s Chevrolet in West Salem. Their family business has now grown to include six dealerships, a body shop, and two car washes, comprising the Brenengen Auto Group.

Don and Cheryl’s involvement with the Boys and Girls Club began in 2001 through the West Salem non-profit Village People Organization, of which Cheryl was a founding member. Together, their focus turned to creating and supporting a Club in West Salem. Don and Cheryl have been champions in this endeavor ever since, resulting in a brand new Club within the West Salem Middle School.

Over the years, Don and Cheryl’s community involvement has been extensive. Their favorite example other than the West Salem Club, was purchasing and donating 24 acres of land for a paved trail to connect the Village of West Salem with Veterans Memorial Park. Don and Cheryl have also personally raised beef cattle, providing hundreds of pounds of meat for food pantries and their fellow Brenengen staff.



Don and Cheryl have been honored for their hard work and philanthropy with several awards. Their most prestigious include: Ford Motor Company’s ‘Salute to Dealers’ award in 2001, being one of six dealers from Ford Motor Company’s world-wide dealer organization to be recognized for outstanding vision, leadership, and philanthropy; Upper Mississippi Valley Chapter, National Philanthropy Day, ‘Volunteer Fundraisers’ Award in 2008; Time Magazine’s WI ‘Dealer of the Year’ in 2008; and one of four finalists (out of 19,500 dealers) for Time Magazine’s national ‘Dealer of the Year’ in 2009.