growing UPt o y o t a

By Brin Wall

Dealer Milestone Anniversaries

Nineteen sixty-seven. It was the summer of love and a time of war. President Lyndon Johnson led the country, and a new rock trio, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, filled the airwaves. General Motors enjoyed about 50 percent of the American market while Toyota had a less than 0.5 percent share with just over 600 dealerships. It was also the year a Kentucky dealer named Bill Swope realized the potential of the Japan-based company and on Feb. 9, he entered into not one but two franchise agreements: Swope Toyota (Elizabethtown) and Toyota of Louisville. “Then, my father thought it looked like a good deal,” says Carl Swope, dealer principal of Swope Toyota. “Now it’s the premier franchise in the Swope network. To be a Toyota dealer today is what it was to be a Chevy dealer in the ‘60s—the envy of the industry.” It’s an industry that Swope knows well, as he was raised in it. Other kids wanted to go to the amusement park; he wanted to go to the dealership. “I did a lot of odd jobs,” he says, “jobs no one else wanted to do. When I was eight or nine, I was washing boats (which

the family sold at the time). They wouldn’t let me wash the cars; it was too technical.” As Swope grew, so did his responsibilities. At 16, he began selling motorcycles; by the time he finished college in 1979, he had graduated to selling cars at Toyota of Louisville. When he took over the Elizabethtown store in 1986, it was very different than today’s retail facility. The parts system was manual. The only computer, a behemoth with dual floppy drives, was outside the general office. The bookkeeper, who used calculators and adding machines, didn’t want it in there, says Swope. “Technology has revolutionized the way we do business. Now we can’t sell a car without an Internet connection and at least five PCs.” Over the years, the number of cars the company sells has skyrocketed, but it’s been measured growth, according to Swope. “That’s the thing about Toyota, nothing changes dramatically. It happens consistently and always for the better.” What hasn’t changed is how Swope sells cars, “one-on-one through personal service,” he says. “That’s what keeps me passionate about this business.”

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40 YearsAnderson-Weber ToyotaDubuque, Iowa

Big Two Toyota of ChandlerChandler, Ariz.

Bill Penney ToyotaHuntsville, Ala.

Checkered Flag ToyotaVirginia Beach, Va.

Chester Berg ToyotaBemidji, Minn.

Elmhurst ToyotaElmhurst, Ill.

Fannin ToyotaAshland, Ky.

Galaxy ToyotaEatontown, N.J.

Gambrel ToyotaCorbin, Ky.

Girard ToyotaNew London, Conn.

Halterman’s ToyotaEast Stroudsburg, Pa.

Hiland ToyotaMoline, Ill.

Jack Safro ToyotaBrookfield, Wis.

Jones ToyotaBel Air, Md.

Northway Motor Car Corp.Latham, N.Y.

Queensboro ToyotaJackson Heights, N.Y.

Ralph Hayes ToyotaAnderson, S.C.

Swope ToyotaElizabethtown, Ky.

Tansky ToyotaZanesville, Ohio

Toyota of HackensackHackensack, N.J.

Toyota of LoganLogan, Ohio

Toyota of LouisvilleLouisville, Ky.

Toyota of NashuaNashua, N.H.

Toyota of North HollywoodNorth Hollywood, Calif.

Toyota on WesternChicago, Ill.

Watson ToyotaClovis, N.M.

35 YearsDesert Toyota of TucsonTucson, Ariz.

Glens Falls ToyotaGlens Falls, N.Y.

Gosch ToyotaHemet, Calif.

Graham ToyotaMansfield, Ohio

Key West ToyotaKey West, Fla.

Northbrook ToyotaNorthbrook, Ill.

Planet ToyotaMatteson, Ill.

River Valley ToyotaLancaster, Ohio

Scott Crump ToyotaJasper, Ala.

Stevens Creek ToyotaSan Jose, Calif.

Toyota CarlsbadCarlsbad, Calif.

Toyota of GreenvilleGreenville, S.C.

Westboro ToyotaWestborough, Mass.

30 YearsAllegheny ToyotaFranklin, Pa.

Bighorn ToyotaGlenwood Springs, Colo.

Cornhusker ToyotaGrand Island, Neb.

Coronet ToyotaPeru, Ill.

Don Jacobs ToyotaMilwaukee, Wis.

Ernst ToyotaColumbus, Neb.

Franklin ToyotaStatesboro, Ga.

Glockner ToyotaPortsmouth, Ohio

Jim Robertson ToyotaKirksville, Mo.

Joel Confer ToyotaState College, Pa.

Kolosso ToyotaAppleton, Wis.

Lewis Toyota of Dodge CityDodge City, Kan.

Nassief ToyotaJefferson, Ohio

Phil Meador ToyotaPocatello, Idaho

Prince ToyotaTifton, Ga.

Rudy Luther ToyotaGolden Valley, Minn.

Schaumburg ToyotaSchaumburg, Ill.

Tom Pappas ToyotaSt. Peters, Mo.

Town & Country MotorsSedalia, Mo.

Toyota of KingsportKingsport, Tenn.

Wilde ToyotaWest Allis, Wis.

Woburn ToyotaWoburn, Mass.

25 YearsAlexander ToyotaFranklin, Tenn.

Beechmont ToyotaCincinnati, Ohio

Bob Massie ToyotaWhite Oak, Pa.

Charles Barker ToyotaVirginia Beach, Va.

City ToyotaGreat Falls, Mont.

Colonial ToyotaMilford, Conn.

Dave Edwards ToyotaSpartanburg, S.C.

Del ToyotaThorndale, Pa.

Downtown ToyotaOakland, Calif.

Ernie Palmer ToyotaJacksonville, Fla.

Gates ToyotaSouth Bend, Ind.

Germain Toyota of NaplesNaples, Fla.

Heart City ToyotaElkhart, Ind.

Hobbie Auto CenterOroville, Calif.

Las Cruces ToyotaLas Cruces, N.M.

Lexington ToyotaLexington, Mass.

Maplewood ToyotaMaplewood, Minn.

Marina del Rey ToyotaMarina del Rey, Calif.

Miller ToyotaManassas, Va.

Oak Lawn ToyotaOak Lawn, Ill.

Peterson ToyotaLumberton, N.C.

Pueblo ToyotaPueblo, Colo.

Rogers ToyotaLewiston, Idaho

Rountree-Moore ToyotaLake City, Fla.

Royal Toyota Bloomington, Ind.

Sparks ToyotaMyrtle Beach, S.C.

Straatmann ToyotaWashington, Mo.

Titus-Will ToyotaTacoma, Wash.

Toyota of WestportWestport, Conn.

Vancouver ToyotaVancouver, Wash.

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