Full run

ST. CLAIR SHORES — Every time C & G Newspapers advertising sales representative David Rubello stepped inside Uncle Harry’s Deli Restaurant, it wasn’t just to hustle a sale.

“He’s more like a friend than he is a salesman,” owner Rick Meltzer said. “When he stopped by here, it was more like a visit than a sale.” 

He’d sometimes pick up lunch, too, usually a corned beef sandwich with extra Russian dressing. It was that type of approach that helped Rubello become a successful salesperson at the St. Clair Shores Sentinel newspaper. After zipping around town selling advertisements for the past four decades — occasionally while wearing blue suede shoes — Rubello retired in December. He’s had a “full run,” which at C & G Newspapers refers to an advertiser running its ads in all of the company’s newspapers for one week. 

“I loved my job. You couldn’t do something for 40 years unless you loved it. It was a huge part of my life. I met a lot of great people. I worked for a great family,” Rubello, 63, said. “There is still more for me to see and do out there. As you get older, they become more important to do. I know you got to move on.”

At C & G’s offices, Rubello was known for singing in the hallway and talking about his favorite sports teams. 

“I’m going to miss some of the people I worked with for a long time. For sure. I’ll miss the Demers Family,” the St. Clair Shores resident said. “I was very lucky to work for somebody like that. They just wanted hard work from you, and I gave it to them. We had a lot of good times. A lot of laughs.”

 

‘The hard way, the long way is the right way’
Meltzer first met Rubello in January 1986 when Rubello began working for C & G Newspapers and Meltzer’s dad, Harry Meltzer, owned Uncle Harry’s. Meltzer appreciated the originality behind the ads they designed with Rubello’s input.

“We always did creative stuff,” Meltzer said. “We would change things up.”

Meltzer congratulated Rubello on his retirement. 

“It’s well-deserved,” Meltzer said. 

Rubello was hired when the C & G Newspapers building was located on Nine Mile Road, east of Van Dyke Avenue, in Warren. In 1997, the family-owned business relocated to its current location at 13650 11 Mile Road at Schoenherr Road in Warren. C & G publishes 21 newspapers that cover 46 communities.

Rubello graduated from Central Michigan University with a degree in broadcasting and cinematic arts. While looking for a job in his major, the 1980 Lakeview High School graduate asked C & G Newspapers owner Gil Demers about hiring him in the meantime. Rubello’s parents, Frances and Joseph, knew Gil through St. Isaac Jogues Catholic Church. Gil hired him, but he had his concerns. If it didn’t work out, how would he fire him? 

He didn’t have to worry, as Gil trained Rubello to be the best salesperson possible.

“I made a little money the first year, more than I had ever made before,” Rubello said. 

He thought he’d work at C & G for a while, but once he began earning a good living he decided to stay. Rubello always took Gil’s advice to heart. Gil died in 2019.

“Keep out on the streets. Keep calling people. Be persistent. I remember him distinctively saying that. Stay out in your area. Don’t come back early. Keep calling on people even when they said ‘no.’ Find out what they’re in need of. Ask a lot of questions and don’t talk so much. Let them do the talking,” he said. “We were on-the-road salespeople. You go visit them in person. The hard way, the long way is the right way.”

 That was before the days of pagers, cellphones and email. Rubello built a rapport with restaurants, businesses, stores, medical offices and more in St. Clair Shores. He also had a few clients in Harrison Township and Grosse Pointe Woods. At one point during his career, he was so busy the company hired assistant Amy Carlisle to work with him.

“She helped me for over 20 years. I was able to produce as much as I did for having her back at the office,” he said. “She was a great partner.”

 

‘St. Clair Shores is everything to me’
Rubello said his first-ever ads came from two longtime customers: Emily’s Deli and Fleetwood Collision. He also remembered when Sabby’s Lounge began advertising.

“I can still see Mr. Sabatini cooking back there,” Rubello reminisced while having lunch at Sabby’s Jan. 13. “I walk into places and I can’t help but think about the old faces you used to see in there. You remember certain people that worked there. You think of all these people that have come and gone. You go into some of these buildings and you remember they were different businesses, too.”

Rubello can’t go anywhere in the city without running into somebody he knows. That was proven during his Sabby’s lunch when several people stopped by his table, including Bob MacKenzie, of Real Estate One, and Stanley Lee Jr., of Stan Yee’s Collision in Eastpointe.

Rubello grew up in the community and has remained a staunch cheerleader for the city.

“St. Clair Shores is everything to me. I stayed put. I never wanted to leave.”

C & G Newspapers Sales Manager Jeff Demers recognized Rubello’s work ethic.

“He worked very hard to build his territory. Through his hard work, he was very successful,” Jeff Demers said. “Selling is a combination of things. You have to put in the work. You have to have a likable personality, which Dave definitely does. I think he’s a sincere man. Those are very important. They make a very successful salesperson.”

Rubello proved “invaluable” to the company.

“He’s been a member of the C & G family since ’86. I’m going to miss him. There’s no doubt about it,” Jeff Demers said. “I wish him the best.”

Emily Demers, the daughter of C & G Newspapers Editorial Director Gregg Demers, has taken over Rubello’s territory. He took her out on the road for training, just like Gil did with him when he first started. 

“I think she’ll do well,” Rubello said. 

 

‘He’s a wear-your-heart-on-your-sleeve kind of guy’
Rubello witnessed St. Clair Shores change over the years and even remembers back when people parked on Harper Avenue. 

“That would be one of the biggest changes. There was parking where the grass is now. You’d come up the curb,” he said. “The Nautical Mile, that was a huge change when the TIFA district came in to transform Jefferson. The changing of the landscape on Nine Mile and Mack. All changes for the positive.”

Rubello said he has eaten at every restaurant in St. Clair Shores, past and present. The Jefferson Colonnade. The Red Barn. The Athenian. Gaudino’s. Travis Coffee Shop.

“All these little mom-and-pop restaurants and businesses, from brick and motor to office buildings, I’ve been in all of them, rain, sleet or snow,” he said. “When I would be in these people’s places, they would tell me stuff about some of the difficulties they were experiencing from permits to signs to all kinds of stuff from the (city) administration.”

That motivated him to run for public office. He has served on the St. Clair Shores City Council on and off since 2007. He was reelected in November 2025 for another four-year term. Some issues he and the council vote on make front page news. 

Always full of energy, Rubello brings his personal touch to the annual Memorial Day parade, volunteers with several local charities, rarely misses a concert at Music on the Lake in the summer, and helped to get the city’s social district off the ground. Every winter, he seeks volunteers to shovel snow for senior citizens through the “Snow Brigade.” For more information, email daverubello@netscape.net. 

Others noticed his contributions. 

“Dave has been a solid force in the city for a long time. He always has St. Clair Shores at the forefront of his thoughts. What you see is what you get. He’s a wear-your-heart-on-your-sleeve kind of guy,” fellow City Councilman Ron Frederick said. “He has an instrumental role in making sure what we do is going to be a positive thing for St. Clair Shores. He’s involved. He tries to help people as much as possible.”

Frederick also knows Rubello on a personal level. 

“He’s certainly a very animated character,” he said. “That’s what we love about him.”

Rubello hopes to travel more in his retirement. He already got started. In late December, Rubello visited Key West, Florida, with his wife, Greta Guest, and their daughter, Sasha. 

“I never felt more relaxed in my life,” said the retired salesman, who no longer worries about deadlines and “all the numbers you have to hit.” 

Rubello will be a grandfather for the first time this February. His oldest son Nico and wife Rosie are expecting a baby. He also has a son, Adriano, who resides out of state with his wife, Pamela. 

Rubello, too, is a music historian who can tell you everything about the Beach Boys, Hall and Oates, Dick Dale and Elvis Presley. He has met many celebrities including Hulk Hogan and Priscilla Presley. Another highlight was getting his picture taken with Henry “Ayyy” Winkler, best known for playing the Fonz on “Happy Days.”

“He was so nice to me. He was so nice to my daughter,” Rubello said. “I thought back to growing up with the Fonz.”

The pair share a common bond: They’re both one of a kind.