J. Michael Reichenbach
Florence, South Carolina
Mike Reichenbach is Owner and President of three Automotive Dealerships that include Mike Reichenbach Ford Lincoln, Mike Reichenbach Volkswagen and Mike Reichenbach Chevrolet.
Originally from Ohio, Mike graduated Valedictorian from Bluffton High School and earned an academic scholarship to Bowling Green State University’s Honors Program majoring in Accounting. After graduation, Mike worked for two Fortune 500 Companies, State Farm Insurance and Owens Corning.
In 1996, Mike married Charisse Edwards, and went on to obtain his MBA from the University of Michigan – Ross School of Business. After graduation, Ford Motor Company recruited Mike to join their Automotive Strategy division. After years with Ford, Mike left to pursue a dealership. After graduating from the NADA Dealer Academy in McLean, VA, Mike and Charisse realized their entrepreneurial dream of owning a dealership and living in the Carolinas when they purchased what would become Mike Reichenbach Ford Lincoln in Florence, SC in 2008.
Due to their success with the Ford dealership, the couple was awarded the Open Point Volkswagen dealership in Florence in 2013, and the Open Point Chevrolet dealership in Hilton Head/Bluffton that opened in 2014.
Active community involvement is a major priority and focus for Mike. In 2011, he was honored by the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce as “Businessperson of the Year” and was voted Florence’s First “Dancing with the Florence Stars” Winner. He was appointed as a member of the inaugural Board of the Francis Marion University – School of Business, Center for Entrepreneurship. And in 2015, Mike was honored to be named a Charter Member of the Florence-Darlington Technical College’s Entrepreneurial Forum.
Mike currently serves on the following Boards of Directors:
- Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce – Chairman
- McLeod Health Foundation – Vice Chairman
- Coastal Carolina Hospital – Vice Chairman
- Florence-Darlington Technical College Foundation
- Florence School District 1: Southside Middle School Advisory Council
- Francis Marion University School of Business Advisory Board
Law enforcement is one of Mike’s passions, and he earned his law enforcement commission through the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources as a Game Warden/Deputy Law Enforcement Officer. In 2012, he was selected for the U.S. Army War College’s National Security Seminar, and in 2018, he was promoted to Major in the South Carolina Military Department’s Joint Services Detachment.
Most recently, Mike was nominated and selected for Leadership Florence Class of 2020, Leadership South Carolina Class of 2020, Liberty Fellowship Class of 2019 (an Aspen Global Leadership Network Fellowship) and The Riley Institute’s Diversity Leadership Initiative Class of 2018.
In November 2019, Mike successfully launched a program called “Helping Florence Work”, with a mission to make Florence 1 Schools Guidance Counselors and Career Development Facilitators more aware of the significant career opportunities available in the Pee Dee requiring less than a four-year degree, and to empower them to guide students toward rewarding career pathways via quality technical education.
Mike and Charisse have two children, ages 19 and 18.