Don Fleming, a longtime, well-known leader of the Valencia Auto Center, an influential group of car dealers in the local business community, died Tuesday. He was 84.
Don Fleming and his wife, Cheri, were stalwarts in the local philanthropic scene, both recognized by the local hospital foundation and College of the Canyons for their generosity.
The couple was ubiquitous together throughout Santa Clarita, often with their dogs, “Scooter” and “Sparkplug,” advertising their Acura “Friendship Dealership.”
Cheri Fleming died in November 2020, and in recent years, Don Fleming took on a less visible role at community events, although he’s still listed as the president of the Santa Clarita Automobile Dealers Association in recent records.
Through his work with Auto Row, COC’s foundation, the Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Foundation, the SCV Child & Family Center, the SCV Boys & Girls Club and the SCV Chamber of Commerce, among others, Don Fleming became a well-known and well-connected leader, using his gravitas to co-found the region’s Economic Development Corp. with John Shaffery, managing partner of Poole Shaffery, about 16 years ago.
It was through that effort that Shaffery got to know Don Fleming.
“I didn’t know Don that well, at that point, but everybody knew him,” Shaffery said, sharing the story of how Fleming used his community connections to solicit participation from board members, as the EDC started as an offshoot of an SCV Chamber group both were in.
“There would be no board without him,” Shaffery said in a phone interview Wednesday, adding that when Fleming called, you returned that call if you missed it.
One of his favorite stories, he said, was a time when the two arrived at Salt Creek Grille for dinner while Fleming was trying to raise sponsorships for a golf tournament. Shaffery recalled how Fleming would be able to go up to an associate, put a hand on his arm, and say, “‘Hey, baby, I need your support for a golf tournament. Can I put you down for $5,000?’”
By the time the two had walked from the back entrance, past the bar, to their table, Fleming had managed $15,000 in pledges of support, Shaffery said.
He and Cheri Fleming were also well-lauded for their giving, with both receiving College of the Canyons’ Silver Spur Award, its highest honor for supporters, as well as the SCV’s Man and Woman of the Year, an award given annually by past recipients.
Don Fleming was born and raised in Texas and served in the U.S. Marine Corps, before eventually getting into the car dealership business.
In 1997, he and wife, Cheri, became co-owners of a then-struggling Valencia Acura, and turned it into a leader in customer satisfaction for the brand’s dealerships, according to a previous bio.
“Don Fleming was a car dealer, a philanthropist, a community leader and a friend,” said Signal Owner/Publisher Richard Budman upon hearing of Fleming’s death. “He cared about this community and he understood that a community is built one relationship at a time. He helped build this community, and he understood that success came with an obligation to give something back.”
