The Putnam family name has been synonymous with new car dealerships and used cars in the San Francisco Bay Area since Joe Putnam began his business in Burlingame, CA over 63 years ago. Joe was born on a small farm in South Dakota in 1934, he found himself growing up in one of the more troubling economic periods, the Great Depression. Joe began his career in the auto industry in 1958 when he became a partner in his own Buick, Cadillac, and GMC dealership in Devils Lake, North Dakota. Seven years later Joe moved to California and opened Putnam Buick, purchased from Charlie Howard, most famous for his ownership of the racehorse, Seabiscuit.