Christopher Pfaff, President and CEO, Pfaff Automotive Partners
2014 marks the 50th anniversary for Pfaff Automotive Partners, a Canadian company founded by Hans J. Pfaff in 1964. What began as a small, family-run dealership in Newmarket, Ontario has now grown into a leading luxury automotive dealer group with locations across Canada.
“Celebrating 50 years is a significant milestone for us, one that I know my father, Hans would be extremely proud of,” said Christopher Pfaff, president and CEO of Pfaff Automotive Partners. “My vision for the next 50 years is continual growth while sustaining the same culture that got us to where we are today.”
Pfaff began as a single Volkswagen dealership under the name H.J. Pfaff Motors with just 13 employees. The company quickly expanded by acquiring Porsche in 1966 and Audi in 1971. Pfaff’s primary goal when acquiring the Volkswagen dealership was to provide the best customer service experience in the industry. This vision continues to this day under the leadership of Christopher Pfaff, along with Michael Talmage, Executive Vice-President and Mark Fisher, Chief Operating Officer.
Since Christopher Pfaff assumed control of the company in 1986, Pfaff has expanded from the single dealership in Newmarket to 13 business units across Canada including: Volkswagen, Porsche, Audi, Toyota, McLaren, Pagani, BMW, Pfaff Autoworks, Pfaff Leasing and Pfaff Tuning. Today, Pfaff Automotive Partners employs more than 450 people.
During this growth, Christopher Pfaff has kept his father’s legacy intact by protecting the founding principles ingrained into the corporate culture — a passion for cars and motorsports.
“Everyone at Pfaff has an innate enthusiasm for the brands we sell, if we don’t believe in it, we won’t sell it, and this is what has led us to 50 years of success,” says Christopher Pfaff.
To celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary, Porsche has created five limited edition 911 models in Pfaff’s honour. The sleek all-white design will feature a red stripe over the car and through the steering wheel to signify the bloodline of the vehicle. Audi is also creating two specialized 50th edition R8 models with customized interior features including an illuminated 50th anniversary inlay. The Porsche vehicles have arrived, while the Audi models will arrive late October.
Pfaff Automotive Partners has earned numerous awards over the years including one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies for four consecutive years and Automotive News’ Best Dealerships to Work For in 2013 and 2014.
