Brandtford dealer Forbes Bros celebrate milestone anniversary
How do you measure success? For Bob and Jim Forbes, brothers and dealer principals of Forbes Bros Chevrolet Buick GMC Cadillac, it’s easy to measure success in decades — nine to be exact. Forbes Bros celebrated their official 90th Anniversary on February 1, 2011, and held a party June 8 to mark the occasion. The dealership even dressed up for the party, having recently received a new semi-circle extension, helping add a number of windows, allowing the cars to bask in natural light. The addition was completed three weeks prior to the party, with the new space being big enough to house much of the celebrations. The Forbes Bros dealership runs on the cornerstones of fairness, honesty, and hard work. With these principles in place: “I don’t think you can go wrong,” says Jim Forbes.
A proud legacy
The Forbes family started their legacy selling Fords. In 1921, Stanley C. Forbes and Russell A. Forbes opened up a Ford dealership in Tilbury, Ont. It was a small operation, with only one other employee. However small, the operation was successful and the family name continued to live on.
While the Forbes family found initial success in Ford dealerships, for the last 56 years they have remained with the GM family. Over the years, Forbes Bros have had dealerships all across Ontario.
They’ve been in their new location at 19-21 Lynden Rd., since December 1, 2010, with Forbes Bros requesting the unique address due to the year of their founding. The dealership itself is in a prime location, on the corner of Brantford’s Lynden Rd. and Wayne Gretzky Pkwy.
While the brothers cherish the family legacy and continue it with pride, they know that they must have a foot in the future as well.
Celebrating success
At the celebration event, the door of the
dealership had the ‘Forbes Bros 90th Anniversary’ insignia on it. A musician played ballads on his keyboard, and a giant cake in the shape of the Chevy bowtie caught the attention of guests. To round it out, weighted
balloons were placed on top of each
car, while waiters sporting black ties offered hors d’oeuvres and refreshments. After all the guests had arrived, Bob Forbes began the speeches.
Bob thanked many of the guests, even noting Canadian Auto Dealer and our “Focus on Fixed” columnist Jim Bell for attending. Bob’s speech was followed by words from others including Brantford Mayor Chris Friel (who drives an AWD Chevy Traverse from Forbes Bros), GM exec John Bailey, and Bob’s brother Jim.
After the speeches the crowd watched Bob and Jim carve up the bowtie cake.
Lessons learned & successes
Canadian auto dealer met with Bob and Jim to discuss their secrets of success. Both cited their team as the pivotal factor for the dealership’s success. “Over the years it’s been our staff. They are the main reason for our success,” says Bob. Bob and Jim both stressed that they wouldn’t be able to celebrate a 90th anniversary without such a strong supporting team. “I don’t think there’s a better management team anywhere around,” says Jim.
They also noted that while sales were of the utmost importance, dealers must establish a strong a connection to their community. The brothers have been in the Rotary Club for 30 plus years, the Boys’ & Girls’ Club, as well as most recently sponsoring the Walter Gretzky Street Hockey Tournament (Hockeyfest). Bob says that a renewed appreciation for customers and a golden rule mentality are key for customer relations. “I think of The Golden Rule, and how I would like to be treated.”
Go extra mile for customer
“People are looking for that extra hook. If your people will go that extra mile for [clients], then they will continue to be your customer,” says Bob. When asked about a successor Bob and Jim say they love their jobs, but don’t want to be carried out of the dealership head first. “I don’t like people thinking were heading out the door,” says Bob, “because we’re not.”
