After 102 years with the Raduenz family at the helm, Stillwater Motors is in the rearview mirror and in its place is Cornerstone Chevrolet Stillwater.

Cornerstone Auto Group, which is also a family-owned operation, has five dealership locations near the metro area and its sixth, Cornerstone Chevrolet Stillwater, kicked off its grand opening Tuesday with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“We’re excited to be here and we know this is a great town and we bought a really great store,” Rob Powell, president and CEO of Cornerstone Auto Group, said Tuesday.

While the name on the front of the store has changed, Powell said nearly all of Stillwater Motor’s staff has stayed on and the community has received the new ownership with open arms.

New improvements to the dealership located at 5900 Stillwater Blvd., include software and technology upgrades, and most noteworthy, Powell said, is the inventory which has grown nearly four times thanks to Cornerstone’s other locations.

Family legacy

Founded in 1922 in downtown Stillwater by Arthur Franklin Raduenz, Stillwater Motors would go on to employ four generations of Raduenzes.

Arthur’s son Frank Raduenz ran the dealership for nearly 40 years before passing it on to his son, D.J. Raduenz, in 1995.

D.J., who car enthusiasts will recall purchased Edward “Flaming Eddie” Erickson’s prized 1928 Chevrolet Capitol truck, announced his retirement earlier this year along with the sale of the business to Cornerstone Auto Group.

D.J.’s son, Bobby Raduenz, now carries the family torch as an estimator for Cornerstone.

Gus MacDonald stands outside Stillwater Motors in October 2017, when he was celebrating 68 years on the job. He died on April 24 at the age of 92. (Scott Takushi / Pioneer Press)

In addition to the Raduenz clan, Stillwater Motors employed beloved service manager Gus MacDonald for nearly 70 years before he died in April 2023.

“When I retire, it will (be) because an ambulance has arrived to take me away,” MacDonald told the Pioneer Press in 2015.

It took a few more years but in 2018, at the age of 87, MacDonald’s family was finally able to convince him to retire, but not before he had enough stories to fill a book — literally.

MacDonald’s long service spurred the Raduenz family to commission the book, “The Stillwater Motors Legacy: Yesterday and Today” about the car dealership and MacDonald’s time working with founder Arthur Franklin Raduenz.

As part of the grand opening, Cornerstone Chevrolet Stillwater is offering daily drawings, giveaways and other promotions through Sept. 7.

Why the three-week-long celebration? “This company hasn’t had a grand opening in over a hundred years,” Powell said.

Other Cornerstone Auto Group locations can be found in Monticello and Elk River, Minn.

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