He was born and raised in Texas, and joined the U.S. Marine Corps just after high school. She was a girl from Ohio who, after graduating from Ohio University, made her way west to sunny Southern California. But it wasn’t until 1980 when Don and Cheri Fleming’s paths crossed. Blame it on fate, blame it on their entrepreneurial spirit, but one thing’s certain…they have found a successful partnership both in business and in life.
 Having left her career in banking to explore her entrepreneurial spirit, Cheri took interest in tanning booths. “At the time when tanning salons were popular and safe, I would use the tanning booth at my dentist’s office. It was then that I thought about opening a tanning salon of my own.” Cheri continues, “I asked the dentist where he bought his amazing equipment, and his answer was life changing….it was purchased from an entrepreneur residing in Austin, Texas. His name… Don Fleming.” Don made his way to Valencia to meet Cheri and discuss business opportunities, and the two hit it off immediately. “It was like a silver bullet hit us both the first time we met.” Shortly after purchasing tanning equipment from Don, Cheri opened up one of the country’s most successful tanning salons in Encino. Having lived in Texas, Don’s visits to California became more frequent, and soon thereafter, the couple realized they were more than just business partners. They were life partners. After a trip to Ohio to visit Cheri’s parents, Don made a promise to Cheri’s father before he passed away that the two would marry. On the flight home from her father’s funeral, Don asked Cheri for her hand in marriage. Just two weeks later, on Valentine’s Day, the two were married in a simple ceremony in their home in Agoura Hills. A relationship once sparked by entrepreneurial spirit certainly ignited throughout the years. “We’ve owned various businesses, however the car business ‘hooked’ us in 1985,” states Don and Cheri. In 1997, the couple purchased Valencia Acura which, at the time ranked dead last nationally in sales and customer satisfaction. With no place to go but up, Cheri and Don began treating customers the way they would want to be treated, and became a vital force in the Santa Clarita Valley. Today, Valencia Acura is a high producer in sales and one of the highest-ranking customer satisfaction dealerships in the country, and their success is attributed to their commitment to their business and each other. Not only do they share a love for each other and their business, but the Flemings also love their community. “We feel it is so important to give back to the community that we live and work in and that support us. The various non-profit organizations in the Santa Clarita Valley are the back bone of what makes our community the amazing place that it is.”
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