Lloyd E. Reuss, a former president of General Motors Corp. who devoted his retirement to civic causes, died Friday at the age of 86.
The father of current GM President Mark Reuss, Lloyd Reuss began his 36-year run at GM after serving two years in the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers, a career capped by his ouster as president amid a months-long boardroom coup more than 30 years ago. Yet the widely publicized shakeup didn’t define his retirement.
“Lloyd Reuss was a talented executive and leader of GM and was also a strong force for good in the community with his service, dedication and tireless efforts on behalf of others,” GM CEO Mary Barra said in a statement. “My thoughts and deepest sympathies, along with those of everyone at General Motors, are with Mark and the entire Reuss family.”
At GM, Lloyd Reuss was chief engineer at both Buick and Chevrolet and served as Buick’s general manager in 1980, leading the brand to an all-time sales record in 1983. He also led GM’s North American passenger car groups before taking over responsibility for all North American operations and worldwide automotive components.
He became GM president in 1990. During his tenure as president, he championed the GM Impact, a concept car that became the EV1, the predecessor to today’s electric vehicles. The same year Lloyd became GM president, his longtime colleague Robert Stempel was named CEO.
Stempel tried to gradually reorganize a company suffering significant financial and market share losses, but GM’s board lost patience, according to The Detroit News’ archives. Reuss was pushed out as president in April 1992 and Stempel resigned in October of that year in what the Washington Post at the time called “the biggest boardroom revolution in recent U.S. corporate history.”
Reuss retired from GM in 1993 and committed himself to the community. He joined Focus: HOPE, a Detroit non-profit that aims to combat racism and injustice by providing education in mostly minority communities. At Focus: HOPE, Lloyd helped create the Center for Advanced Technologies, that led to more than 300 underserved students earning associate and bachelor’s degrees in engineering.
The Automotive Hall of Fame, which awarded Lloyd a Distinguished Service Citation Award in 2006, wrote that Lloyd’s achievements for the nonprofit were praised. Focus: HOPE CEO William F. Jones said Reuss “set the standard for corporate leadership. As successful as he was in the auto industry, he has been equally successful in providing education and training opportunities to thousands of Detroiters.”
Reuss was honored as a “Hero for Hope” at Focus: HOPE’s gala fundraiser in 2015. He was awarded The News’ Michiganian of the Year award in 1996. These awards are given to outstanding citizens who’ve helped make living in Michigan a richer experience by either their good works or by the example they set.
In a profile honoring Lloyd, The News wrote that after his career ended early at GM, “he was determined to use his decades at the company, his business connections and his ties to universities to help young people learn.” That’s what led him to Focus: HOPE.
“They needed someone who could bring industry in and had established some rapport with the educational institutions,” Reuss told the newspaper at the time. “The people we are graduating are not just engineers. We’re putting a lot of emphasis on people becoming entrepreneurs.”
Lloyd served as a trustee and board chair for Lawrence Technological University. He was also a trustee at Louisville Presbyterian Seminary, Vanderbilt University, Cranbrook Educational Community and the Detroit Symphony. He served on the boards of US Sugar, International Speedway and was an Elder for 1st Presbyterian Church of Birmingham, according to a family Facebook post about Lloyd’s passing.
Warren Browne, who was head of North American automotive forecasting when Lloyd led North American operations and worldwide automotive components, recalled the GM leader as “a very intense listener and understood all of the implications of putting a North American program together.”
Browne hasn’t forgotten a note Lloyd wrote him in 1991 before he left to work for GM in Brazil: “’Warren, I appreciate everything that you did, and good luck down in Brazil.'”
“That was rare,” he said. “He was an intense listener in every presentation I gave and he treated everybody in my group and in the meeting with respect. He was very respectful to everybody no matter what level you were at (in) General Motors. And that’s how I remember him.”
He was also “incredibly well dressed,” Browne said, “the best dressed guy in General Motors by far.”
In the Facebook post, the Reuss and Grandelius family wrote of Lloyd: “He worked hard, yet always had time for us. A role model of integrity, fairness and will be remembered by many for giving back. He lived an amazing life and for that we are eternally grateful.”
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The Reuss family has four generations of ties to GM. Lloyd’s father ran a Chevrolet dealership in Illinois. His son was named president of GM in January 2019; his daughter, Charlene Reuss Grandelius, previously worked in GM purchasing from 1982 to 1995; and his granddaughter, Amanda Reuss, has held several positions in GM communications and marketing.
Dates for the service of remembrance will be determined at a later time.
khall@detroitnews.com
Twitter:@bykaleahall