Arrowhead Park’s Featured Business of the Month
From the expressway, the all new Brondes Ford Lincoln of Maumee dealership lights up the night sky. The blue LED lights that shine on the back of the building are an attention-getter, especially when it is foggy. On the inside? You’ll see both a spacious showroom and expansive service facilities. What will you feel? A uniquely positive working environment the Brondes team has spent years cultivating.
“I am so happy to be a sales manager at this incredible dealership,” shared Tim Ramsey, New Car Sales Manager since 2005. “The employees and management team are so good to work with. We retain our employees and haven’t even hired a new salesperson in two years. “
Brondes Ford began with the franchise on Secor Road in the early 1950s. In 2000, Ford Motor Company closed the downtown ‘Quality Ford’ and offered Phil Brondes a franchise for Maumee. The new dealership moved into what used to be the Hatfield Oldsmobile location on Reynolds at Dussel. Over the years, the company found that the landlocked property was limiting growth. In 2019 Brondes moved to the new site in Arrowhead Park, allowing them room to grow. “The 10 acres we originally purchased was not enough, so we added another 8 acres to hold more inventory spaces,” stated Mr. Ramsey.
“We love the new location! We get far more emergency service business because of the proximity to the interstate and have double the capacity of our previous location. The body shop has four new state-of-the-art downdraft paint booths that produce incredible paint jobs. It’s the best paint department in the Toledo area. It’s so much more comfortable and efficient for our technicians,” described Mr. Ramsey.
Top Products
The most popular vehicle in the US has been the F-150 for going on forty years. “It is our bread and butter,” remarked Tim Ramsey. “The F-150 truck is an innovation leader, with competitors following the trends set by our gold standard of trucks for a long time.”
“Ford is trending away from manufacturing traditional sedans. But we’re keeping our iconic Mustang. SUVs, like the Escape and EcoSport, replaced the Focus. The new Bronco Sport, a small, crossover SUV built on the Escape platform, has been wildly successful and is currently sold out. The full-size Bronco has been hugely popular and will be a head-on competitor to the Jeep Wrangler,” Mr. Ramsey continued.
Growing Service
The bulk of the Brondes team works in the Parts, Service, and Collision departments. And with the Ford Pass reward system, Brondes customers can use points to make sure their vehicles stay in tip top shape. Accessories? Oil Changes? Service repairs? It’s all covered!
Changes, Changes
Mr. Ramsey shared how the 2020 pandemic needs helped create better options for clients. “When Covid-19 first hit, we had to rethink our processes altogether. From remote test drives to service pickup and deliveries. It was trial by fire, but we met it with success. We still adhere to many of the new procedures implemented during the shutdowns,” said Mr. Ramsey.
Personal Service
“I’ve been in this so long I’ve got second and third-generation customers. Many get so excited when we show them how to talk to their car! We help our customers learn to use the computerized features, like locking, unlocking, starting, and checking your fuel level with your cell phone. Customers enjoy the ability to track their vehicle’s location and schedule it to turn on and warm up before leaving home. One customer brings in their vacation notes to have me program the navigation system for them. We’re happy to help,” recounted Mr. Ramsey.
Community
Ford is the presenting sponsor each year of the Komen Race for the Cure. The week before the enormous event, the Arrowhead Park Brondes Ford turns its showroom over to the Komen volunteers for race packet organization and distribution. Brondes is very proud to be a part of this worthwhile cause. Also, Brondes enjoys contributing to community scholarships, contests, raffles, and Maumee high school sports, music, and art departments. ‘Drive for Your Community’ events allow schools to make money (up to $6,000!) for every test drive taken during the event. Maumee schools aligned this fundraiser with their early-class-signup night and had great results. Ford offers this promotion nationwide. It is so popular they have a waiting list for local high schools.
Reach out to Mr. Ramsey to learn more about this vibrant dealership.
