DRIVING TO SUCCESS; FORD GROVES MOTOR CO. DEMONSTRATES WHY IT EARNED THE SMALL BUSINESS AWARD

The Cape Girardeau Chamber started recognizing existing industries seven years ago with its Industry of the Year award. Industries honored over the past seven years are General Sign, Lone Star Industries, Procter & Gamble, Biokyowa, Concord Publishing Co., Dana Corp. and Florsheim Shoe Co.

Four years ago, the chamber established a Small Business of the Year award. Winners are Advanced Business Systems, Bluff City Beer, KBSI-TV and Ford Groves Motor Co.

During the next year, the Southeast Missourian will review each of the l11 past winners -- one a month -- starting today with Ford Groves Motor Co.

On a wall behind Robert G. Neff's desk is a picture of two men and a $10 bill, all enclosed in a frame.

"A signed $10 bill," said Neff, general manager and a partner in Ford Groves Motor Co.

The bill is signed by Red Poling, who was chairman of the board at Ford Motor Co. until he retired in 1993.

The picture, a color photo of Poling and Neff, was taken in 1992 at the Augusta (Ga.) National Golf Course, home of the annual Masters Tournament.

"The picture has nothing to do with the Masters," said Neff, who swings a pretty good golf club. "This picture reflects one of the good years for Ford Groves Motor Co. of Cape Girardeau."

Ford Groves, he explained, was selected for the 1992 "Chairman's Service Award," a national award, and Ford Groves was one of 94 dealerships of more than 5,000 dealerships, to receive the award.

The $10 bill?

"That's another story," Neff said. "I had a pretty lucky day on the links during our trip to Augusta to pick up our award. "I beat Poling on the links on a friendly $10 bet."

Neff said he asked Poling for a check, which he would keep for the autograph. "He didn't have his checkbook, so, I asked him to autograph the $10 bill," he said.

The photo and the $10 bill are among Neff's prized possessions at Ford Groves. Sitting on the receptionist's desk in the show room at 1501 N. Kingshighway is the "Small Business of the Year" trophy, received earlier this year from the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce.

"We like to tell people that we have won one of the top national awards for a Ford dealership as well as one of the top local awards for a small business," Neff said. "We feel the small business award is a great honor for our company and its 75 employees."

Milestone dates and accomplishments are many for Ford Groves Motor Co., the oldest auto dealership in Cape Girardeau. The business was started in November 1914 when the late Frederick A. Groves incorporated the Ford Groves agency in downtown Cape Girardeau. In 1924 the agency moved to 41 N. Sprigg.

Ford Groves, a fixture in the auto sales business here for more than eight decades, remained at the Sprigg Street for more than six decades, from 1924 to 1989, before moving to its current site at 1501 N. Kingshighway.

During the agency's 65 years at 41 N. Sprigg, it underwent two ownership changes, in 1977, when Groves retired and L. Edgar Massey took over the dealership, and in 1986, when it was purchased by William J. Schicker and Charles D. Lesseg, owners of McMann Ford in St. Louis.

One of the milestone dates in the company's modern history is 1989 when the dealership moved to its North Kingshighway site.

The company has more than doubled its sales and revenues since then, said Neff, who assumed the manager's position here in 1987 after more than a dozen years in the auto sales industry, three of them at McMann Ford.

The sale of autos by Ford Groves Motor Co. has been interrupted three times during its history, during World War I, World War II, and in 1927 and 1928, when Ford changed from the Model T to the Model A.

When WWII resulted in the suspension of auto manufacturing, Groves turned the upper floor of the Sprigg building into space for the manufacture of transistors for defense purposes.

"The operation now is a family business," said Neff, who is a partner here with his father-in-law, William Schicker, who also owns McMann Ford and McMann Lincoln Mercury in St. Louis and Barreth Chrysler Plymouth at Washington, Mo.

When Schicker and Lesseg purchased Ford Groves, they had some goals in mind.

"Ford Motor Co. has to approve all dealership changes," Neff explained. "And, in this particular deal, they called for new facilities. The current facilities were more than 60 years old."

Although Ford Motor didn't specify a location for a new facility, the new owners started looking, and found property in the 1500 block of North Kingshighway, opening there in January 1989.

Another goal had been reached earlier when a branch facility was opened at Jackson in late 1986.

Neff is pleased with the traffic and sales activity at the Cape Girardeau and Jackson facilities.

"The Jackson facility has been a great one," Neff said. "Our sales have increased there, and we are now looking at a new building for that location."

Sales at the Cape Girardeau location have more than doubled since the move six years ago.

"Parts and service sales have more than doubled," Neff said. "New car sales have doubled, and used-car sales have tripled at the North Kingshighway location."

Ford Groves sales for 1994, including more than 2,000 vehicles, parts and services were over the $30 million mark.

Since the move, employment totals at Ford Groves have increased, going from 50 to 75.

"We have a payroll here of about $1.6 million," Neff said. "Many of our employees have been with Ford Groves 10 to 25 years."

Repeat customers and service are crucial for auto dealerships, Neff said.

More than 70 percent of Ford Grove customers are repeat or referrals.

"A dealership lives or dies with its service department," he said. "We run from 80 to 100 cars a day through our service department. We follow our service with telephone calls to customers."

When the company left its quarters on South Sprigg, it brought a "little bit of history" with it -- a metal beam with hooks on it.

"This beam was located upstairs in the old building," Neff said. The hooks were used to uncrate new cars.

"When cars were delivered to dealers in the early years, they came in crates and had to be assembled at the dealership," he said, adding that the cars were uncrated and pulled upstairs with the hooks, where they were assembled.

One of the future goals of Ford Groves is to obtain an old Model T, Ford Motor Co.'s first car, and demonstrate the old metal beam and hook.

"So, you might say we are in the market for an old Model T," he said.

"You had a choice in the old Model T's colors," Neff said. "Black or black."

Ford Groves Motor Co.: 1995 "Small Business of the Year"

Location: 1501 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau, and 825 E. Highway 61 at Jackson.

Founded: By Frederick A. Groves, November 1914 in Cape Girardeau.

Basic products: Sales and service of Ford Motor Co. cars and trucks, including Ford, Mercury and Lincoln.

Owners: Robert G. Neff, Cape Girardeau, and William J. Schicker, St. Louis.

Current number of Employees: 75, six with more than 25 years with Ford Groves.

Annual payroll: $1.6 million.

Annual sales: $30 million, including vehicles, parts and service.

Motto: "Try to exceed customers' satisfaction."