Note that “Bookcliffs Investment Group, LLC” is not be confused with “Bookcliffs Financial Planning and Investments,” which is an entirely different company unaffiliated with Reade and Adams’ business.
Former Red Rock Nissan and Kia managing partner Brantley Reade and the former General Manager of Red Rock’s GMC dealership, Cord Adams, who both left Red Rock under a cloud on the same day last January, opened a financial investment business together last February, shortly after leaving Red Rock.
Reade and Adams were part of the so-called “fraternity” of managers from Tim Dahle dealerships in Salt Lake who came to Grand Junction to help run the Red Rock Auto Group. They were high-management casualties of the large-scale personnel churn that began near the end of 2022, after customers started revealing the illegal and unethical business practices they fell victim to while buying vehicles at Red Rock dealerships.
At first it was thought Reade and Adams were both fired from Red Rock at the same time, but a confidential informant offered more insight into the circumstances under which they left Red Rock last January. The informant said,
“Brantley wasn’t fired. He was told to fire Cord. Brantley is a person who puts loyalty above almost everything. He threatened to quit if Cord was fired. They called his bluff and he resigned within the hour.”
I asked the informant what Adams had done that was unethical enough to get him fired from Red Rock.
The informant responded:
“Cord sold a car at above internet price. I assume his reasoning for this is because the store was negative and he was stressing about it. The salesman on it let another manager know. That manager told Steven Dahle [the boss at Red Rock’s sister company, the Tim Dahle Auto Group in Utah that gave rise to Red Rock]. Steven told Brantley to fire Cord because why the fuck would you break the law so blatantly while you have the state in your accounting office poring over deals? I don’t want to say by how much, but it was a significant mark up. Once the error was discovered, they brought the customer back and made them whole before they ever even noticed.”
While the two appear to have gone into business together right after leaving Red Rock, it’s unclear whether they’re still in business together, as Adams also has a short-term (4 month) real estate license and appears to be selling real estate for Berkshire Hathaway as well.
Cord Adams, from a Berkshire Hathaway Real Estate website
Brantley Reade (at far left in photo)
I am the queen of getting a good car deal on Craigslist. I’ve never purchased a vehicle from a dealership. I just find it crazy to pay all those taxes and fees you get saddled with at a dealership, not to mention the high interest rates. Western Slope Toyota is especially crafty at advertising lower than average interest rates on the radio, then you go out there in person and they act like there’s no such rate. It’s all so wrong. So back to Craigslist, always my go-to for a vehicle. The secret to my success is to never be in a hurry. I decide what kind of car I’m looking for, then I decide on a maximum price I would be willing to pay, as well as a maximum number of miles on the vehicle I would accept and maximum number of previous vehicle owners, which is no more than two. Of course it must come with a Carfax and maintenance records. I search within a 200 mile radius. I seem to always find wealthy older couples who give me a deal. I just do not see myself buying a vehicle from a dealership. Seems like it’s throwing your hard-earned money in the trash. Thank God for Craigslist!! I do hear great things about Fuoco Motor Company here locally. People say they are very ethical and always do right by the community. Probably why they’ve been here forever.
Fuoco was a longstanding locally owned dealership that was ethical and honest, but they unfortunately got bought out by Red Rock in 2021 and that long, valued track record of honest dealing is now in the past.
Oh, what a bummer.
Oh snap. Cindy Ficklin HATES competition….
No I didn’t break the law, nor will I stand around and have you slander my name based on rumors. I quit that company and I’m not involved nor do I want to comment about them. Slander is spreading false and malicious statements to hurt someone’s reputation, which is illegal Anne. I have faced that my whole life being judged because I wasn’t part of a certain group, and even in that company, and I won’t stand idly by when you don’t know me nor have ever worked with me and your spreading a rumor like it’s a fact.
I pride myself on being honest, upfront, and ethical and I’ve always preached that to everyone I’ve worked with. I’m not saying I’m perfect because we all make mistakes and I will always do my best to be better, honorable and a man of my word. The only thing we have is our word. If I make a mistake I will do my best to right it and be better.
I’ve learned in the last couple years that it’s better to speak up than let somebody run all over you. I hope everyone is willing to decide for themselves instead of passing judgement on a rumor.
I apologize I made a mistake, libel is the correct term for what you are doing.
And I can easily prove this.
And not wanting to respond to questions about your business practices leads you open to speculation? If you have nothing to hide then why not answer the hard questions and clear your name because that would be the ethical thing to do?
I’m more than happy to talk about my business practices, I’m not part of their business nor do I want to comment about rumors, I wasn’t close enough to the situation to know facts, I have heard rumors and we all know how things can be stretched from the truth. I managed the Nissan dealership from the end of February 2022 until the end of January 2023 when we quit. I won’t be a scapegoat. I was never a principal with this dealership, hence the ability for us to quit and walk away. One of my goals is to write a training program on the right way to treat people, to listen, solve their problems, help them and how to retain a customer for life. The reason I was successful, not what she is trying to paint Brantley and me to be from a source that lacks credibility and has their own agenda. There is a lot of misinformation mixed with what is true, the investigators in the last article debunked a lot of claims that have been made, and from the affidavits there seems to be truth but we will find out because everyone deserves a proper trial before judgement is passed. Like I said I am not a part of that company nor am I a part of a “fraternity” of managers. I’d never closely worked with a majority of the people running these stores until I came out here. I became a Realtor because they are held to a high moral standard, one that I do my best to embody because it’s my belief system and what I know to be good for my soul not for anybody else. Again I don’t claim to be perfect because everyone makes mistakes and I do too, I just ask that you can judge me for how I treat everyone and who I am, not based off the position I was placed in for a short period of time. I’m happy to tell you what I stand for and your welcome to judge me based off that and my actions, I do my best to walk the walk. We might disagree and that’s okay too, as long as neither of us takes away the others inalienable rights.
I’m not sure what the hell to think about this.
Maybe the moral of the story is to ask for a full résumé from the people who provide services for you on a commission basis, like financial advisors and realtors.
We have other tight fraternities in town. We all know the GJPD and the MCSO. Yassuh Bossman.