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One man's desire, a stamp, and two MG's ...
That’s how it all began. In 1949 Bill Wood decided he’d like to own an MG TD roadster but was unable to find a dealer in his native Detroit. When he wrote the factory for information he was informed that, yes… they would very much like to sell him the car but, “if you’d like to buy two, well… you could become a dealer.”
By the time the two cars arrived, Bill and his brother Jack had sold those and several others. They were in the car business. Don Wood joined his brothers in 1952 and, three years later, the Dealership moved and added the Volkswagen line. Growth demanded two subsequent moves and saw the further additions of Mercedes Benz in 1965 and Honda in 1976. 
Wood Motors had quickly become the largest Import Car Dealership in the state of Michigan.
Take a close look at that lineup in the picture. You’ll find an XJ 150 Jaguar. At that time, a replacement motor for the Jag cost twice as much as a new Volkswagen.
Tom Wood bought our present dealership in 1979. At that time it operated as a Volkswagen and Honda franchise and though many changes have occurred since then, he has continued to move this company forward with the same principles used by his father and uncles: “Meet the transportation needs of our customers with top quality automobiles, fine service and exceptional treatment.” As Don Wood said many years ago, “ We’re committed to your 100 % satisfaction. 100 %.”
As our industry continues in its second century, we now serve the fifth generation of consumers. Though our commitment and principles are unchanged, the challenges we face in serving this sophisticated buyer are absolutely new. To thrive in this new world we need to adapt. Did you know that the average consumer will spend twenty– five minutes each and every day on a keyboard. Those keyboards are now accessed by seventy percent of American consumers!
Sound like a whole new world? It is.
Our challenge as a company is to both understand and commit to the consumer now operating within this “virtual world“. It is time to raise the bar not only for our own purpose but also for the customers’ expectations; to become closer aligned within this relatively new market.
Gateway Honda has made several important decisions over the past few months to do just that. And, we are all a part of it. As technology has evolved so has the opportunity for more consumers to become aware of our company. That now creates a very real obligation for us to both become more aware of what drives that consumer and to even more aggressively venture into this new frontier. We need to bring with us those same fundamental principles that have provided the foundation of our success so far, but now we need to bring even more to the table.
When Don Wood said, “ 100 % satisfaction… 100%”, we need to broaden that to include, “...from the moment of first contact, even before you’re our customer!”
We can do that.
Last September marked the start of the 26th year of operation for Gateway Honda and Tom Wood states without reservation that “… the secret to that longevity has everything to do with our employees treating customers the right way.” In order to grow our company in this changing world we must rely on each other.
“ We all look forward to the next twenty-five years. | 