Robert Mertz
SUNBURY — Friends continue to remember the late Robert Mertz who died Monday. Northumberland County Judge William Harvey Wiest knew Mertz personally, and as a businessman, “I knew him as a private client in my private offices many years ago. Ever since I can remember, we have represented him. Then, he was on the Sunbury Hospital board with my wife for quite a few years. I found him to be a genuine leader, although sometimes a passive leader.”Wiest says Mertz, as one of the owners of Sunbury Motor Company, was a big thinker, “I think they were forward thinking and weren’t afraid to think beyond the box. Obviously, by all the dealerships that have been established, the sub-corporations from the original Sunbury Motors, he was really to take a risk and made it big.”
Mertz was president of SMC for over 40-years and oversaw the exponential growth of the company from 38 employees at the beginning of the 1980’s, to nearly 200 employees today. He was said to be the driving force behind developing more and more customer service and facilities at the two locations. The company is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
Mertz died Monday, after battling cancer for seven years. (Sara Bartlett)