Harry Holder Motor Co

Harry Holder Motor Co.
Origin & Status
Former name	Taylor-Holder Motor Co. (1930–1932)
Successor	Champion Ford-Lincoln-Mercury-Mazda
Founded	1915 (Calhoun, Kentucky); 1930 (Owensboro)
Founder	Harry Holder Sr.
Defunct	December 1990
Fate	Sold to Tommy Dempewolf and Bruce Brubaker; renamed Champion Ford-Lincoln-Mercury-Mazda
Operations
Industry	Automotive retail
Products	Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, and Mazda automobiles; tractors; diesel trucks
Headquarters	322 West 4th Street, Owensboro, Kentucky
Locations	Calhoun, Huntingburg (Indiana), Evansville (Indiana), Livermore, Owensboro
People & Scale
Key people	Harry Holder Sr. (president); Harry C. Holder Jr. (secretary-treasurer); Hugh Scott Holder (vice president); Harry C. "Sonny" Holder III; Gerald Moseley (later president)
Employees	53 (1968); 45 (1990)

The Harry Holder Motor Co. was a family-owned Ford automobile dealership that operated in Owensboro, Kentucky, and across western Kentucky and southern Indiana for three-quarters of a century. Founded by Harry Holder Sr. in Calhoun, Kentucky, in 1915, the company expanded to Owensboro in 1930 and grew into one of the city's oldest and most prominent new car dealerships before its sale in December 1990, when it was renamed Champion Ford-Lincoln-Mercury-Mazda.

Origins in Calhoun

Harry Holder Sr. opened his first Ford Motor Co. agency in Calhoun, Kentucky, in 1915. The modest beginning offered little in the way of facilities — his first garage was housed in an old livery stable, and spare parts were stored in discarded cigar boxes. What he lacked in infrastructure, he made up for in product and experience. His Model T automobiles, selling for as little as $385, were widely in demand, and Holder had built up considerable standing in the Calhoun business community.

Holder had come to the McLean County seat around 1900 to try his hand first as a restaurateur and then as a baker. He later opened a pressing room and sold clothing, and before securing his own Ford dealership, he sold Ford cars on behalf of a Central City dealer.

By 1928, Holder had expanded his operations, opening a new Ford dealership in Huntingburg, Indiana. He had also served as mayor of Calhoun for eight years during the Roaring Twenties.

Expansion to Owensboro

After the Calhoun agency proved successful, Holder turned his attention to Owensboro as a site for expansion. The Owensboro Ford franchise had passed through several hands before reaching him. Lewis Baer had operated the city's first Ford dealership, running a saloon roughly where the Louisville Store was later located, with cars kept in the back alongside his beer distributorship. Baer eventually built the structure that later housed the Owensboro police station for his Ford business before selling the franchise to the Starks Brothers Motor Co., owned by Jim and Edward Starks. The Starks brothers in turn sold to cousins Oliver and Thompson G. Kirkpatrick, who moved their business into the Ames Building in 1926.

In 1930, with the Great Depression looming, Holder partnered with C. Waitman Taylor Sr. to form the Taylor-Holder Motor Co. in the Ames Building, taking over from the Kirkpatricks. Prospects for the new enterprise were bleak. Holder later described the location as "nothing more than a warehouse," and the Depression was rapidly turning Ford owners into bicycle pedalers and pedestrians.

In July 1932, Holder bought out Taylor's interest in the local agency. Taylor, having lost confidence in his Owensboro investment, reportedly told him, "Harry, if you want the business, it's yours. I want to get out. I'm going back to Lewisport." As the economy began to recover, the renamed Harry Holder Motor Co. of Owensboro started to fulfill its founder's ambitions.

Continued Growth Through the 1930s and 1940s

In 1934, Holder relinquished the Huntingburg agency to take a similar franchise in Evansville, Indiana, and two years later opened another Ford business in Livermore, Kentucky. Also in 1934, the company sent its first wholesale parts truck on the road — an area of business that would eventually grow to serve garages across 16 counties in Kentucky and southern Indiana.

Beyond his automotive enterprises, Holder became a prominent figure in regional business and civic life. He served as president and director of the Calhoun Bank and as chairman of the board of the Farmers and Merchants Bank in Livermore. He was also a director, chairman of the board, and honorary chairman of the board of the Central Trust Co. of Owensboro. He served as president of both the Owensboro Rotary Club and the Owensboro Chamber of Commerce, and was instrumental in the fundraising campaign that secured $1 million in pledges to bring Kentucky Wesleyan College to Owensboro.

Having added Lincoln luxury automobiles upon his arrival in Owensboro in 1930, Holder went on to offer the Lincoln Zephyr, the Lincoln Continental, and the Mercury at the company's location at 5th and Frederica Streets. In 1948, he built a separate plant for the Lincoln-Mercury operations and formed a second corporation, Owensboro Lincoln-Mercury, Inc.

That same year, Harry Holder Motor Co. was recognized as one of the first Ford dealers in the United States to be named a four-letter dealer. P. A. Boykin, Louisville district manager for Ford Motor Company, presented a plaque memorializing the achievement. The four letters — F, M, S, T — stood for "Ford Must Stand First," and the designation recognized superior ratings in facilities, management, competitive spirit, and finances. Boykin noted that the company had achieved an outstanding record during its eighteen years as a Ford dealer in Owensboro. The plaque was signed by J. R. Davis, vice president and director of sales and advertising in Detroit; Walker A. Williams, general sales manager in Detroit; J. C. Doyle, central regional manager in Detroit; and Boykin himself.

Postwar Expansion and New Models

Tractors and trucks, always a vital segment of the business, were sold in increasing numbers and varieties as the years passed. In 1952, a separate tractor division was organized at 918 Moreland Avenue, managed by A. D. "Tony" Cecil. The company became a distributor of large tractors and diesel trucks in 1963.

The product lineup continued to expand with the introduction of the Thunderbird sports model in the mid-1950s, the addition of the Comet line to Lincoln-Mercury operations in 1960, and the introduction of the Mustang in 1965. By the early 1960s, the Ford agency alone offered some 51 different types of Fords — a marked contrast to the dozen or so available a decade earlier.

By 1963, Harry Holder Motor Co. had expanded outward from its 5th and Frederica Streets showroom-office-garage building, acquiring additional land to the south for a car lot and west to Ewing Court. To the north, the company occupied a large block of land between 5th and 4th Streets, partially used by the Lincoln-Mercury agency.

Harry Holder Sr. remained president of the firm. Harry Holder Jr., who had joined the company in 1931 after graduating from Centre College, served as secretary and treasurer. Scott Holder, who joined the organization in 1954 after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy and serving as a Naval officer, was vice president. Charles Blancett managed and held a partial ownership interest in the Calhoun location.

The 1968 Renovation at 322 West 4th Street

Around 1965, officers of the family-owned company envisioned what they called a "dramatic renewal" of downtown Owensboro and pledged to work hand in hand with other businessmen to make the area more attractive and businesslike. In keeping with that promise, planning began for a complete renovation and expansion of the firm's new location at 322 West 4th Street.

The remodeling job was completed in September 1968, and an open house was scheduled for Friday evening and Saturday so the public could tour the improved facilities. Visiting hours ran from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. Special attractions included a vintage Model T Ford, the exposed motor of a new car with someone on hand to explain its workings, and a vehicle displayed "bottom side up" for those who had never seen the underside of an automobile.

Founder Harry Holder Sr. was unable to attend due to illness, but Vice President Hugh Scott Holder, Secretary-Treasurer Harry C. Holder Jr., and Harry C. "Sonny" Holder III took turns greeting guests. Officers and many of the firm's 53 employees were on hand to escort visitors through the various departments.

Scott Holder noted that the renovated quarters offered three times more service space, a special large truck section, twice as much body space, and a new parts department with adjacent drive-in service, accessible from either 4th Street or 5th Street. The new location encompassed roughly three acres of downtown property, with 40,000 square feet under roof and a total of 120,000 square feet utilized in drive-arounds, adjacent used car lots, and parking facilities.

The one-story main building was separated from the sidewalk by a raised patio. Its exterior was finished in beige "Finestone Pebbletex Aggregate" topped with a wedgewood blue metal fascia band. Inside, the structure housed a showroom, sales department, parts department with drive-in windows, and service department. Terrazzo floors were accented with red carpeting at the front and side entrances, and bright colors and wood paneling were used throughout. The 80-by-195-foot attached garage, painted bright blue, could be entered from either 4th or 5th Street and was heated in winter by radiant heat. In conjunction with the remodeling, the Ford and Lincoln-Mercury operations switched headquarters.

As Harry Holder Jr. summarized the company's outlook at the time: "Growth and quality have been the standard — even in hard times — and will be the standard in the future."

Sale and Transition to Champion Ford

After more than 75 years of family ownership, one of Owensboro's oldest new car dealerships was sold in December 1990. Harry Holder Ford-Lincoln-Mercury-Mazda became Champion Ford-Lincoln-Mercury-Mazda. The new owners were Tommy Dempewolf, who already operated Ford dealerships in Henderson and Morganfield, and Bruce Brubaker, formerly general manager of Man O' War Ford in Lexington. Brubaker relocated to Owensboro to serve as general manager.

Details of the sale were released by Gerald Moseley, president of Harry Holder Ford. Moseley, married to Ann Holder Moseley — secretary-treasurer of the company and granddaughter of Harry Holder Sr. — indicated he would stay on indefinitely, perhaps as long as five years, in an advisory role. Harry C. Holder III had been vice president of the dealership, which had moved to Owensboro in 1935.

Moseley said the family decided to sell because "things happen. It was just time for a change." The Holders sold the business, inventory, and buildings on the lot at 322 West Fourth Street but retained ownership of the property. The family also continued to own the previous location at 5th and Frederica Streets, by then occupied by Stacy Chrysler.

Rumors of a sale had circulated for months. At one point, the Holders had come close to an agreement with the Don Moore group, which already handled Chevrolet, Cadillac, Geo, Pontiac, and Nissan, but a Ford Motor Co. official objected to that arrangement. The Holder organization had 45 full-time employees at the time of the sale. While the new owners could have continued using the Holder name, they opted for "new faces, new name."

Champion Ford's Early Success

Seven months after taking over, Brubaker and Dempewolf had launched a comprehensive remodeling campaign. The facility received new coats of red, white, blue, and gray paint along with new "Champion" philosophies. Cranes worked piece by piece to dismantle the 1939 tin roof — known locally as the "Big Top" — that had shaded the former used car lot. The roof, originally intended as the cover of a proposed showroom that was never completed, took two weeks to remove. The cleared area was repurposed to display new trucks.

The showroom received a new roof, updated décor, and fresh landscaping. The customer lounge was relocated near the front entrance and equipped with cable television, magazines, and a soft drink machine. Even the restrooms were remodeled with customers in mind, with the ladies' restroom redone to feature a full-length mirror and gold faucets.

By July 1991, Brubaker reported that vehicle sales had tripled, parts sales had doubled, and service had increased by nearly half since the takeover. With 55 employees, Champion ranked among the largest dealerships in Owensboro, offering rentals along with parts, service, and body shop departments. New equipment had been added to the service department, and technicians had received additional training.

Brubaker emphasized customer service as central to the new philosophy, citing the book In Search of Excellence as an inspiration. Customers were introduced to the service manager before any sale was completed. Extended showroom and sales hours ran from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday to accommodate weekday workers, and the parts department remained open until noon on Saturdays. Flexibility in pricing and aggressive trading policies further distinguished the operation.

The Champion name itself reflected Brubaker's background in professional sports. A former major league baseball player, he had pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Milwaukee Brewers. After retiring with a shoulder injury, he became sales manager for Key Ford in Evansville in the late 1970s, then served for ten years as general sales manager for Paul Miller Ford/Mazda in Lexington before coming to Owensboro. Other management personnel included Jim Weixler as general sales manager, Ron Taber as director of fixed operations, Bill Ransdell as business manager, and Liz Williams as office manager.

Legacy

From its nostalgic beginnings in the era of Model Ts and Model As, through decades of growth across multiple Kentucky and Indiana communities, to its eventual transition to new ownership, Harry Holder Motor Co. served as a fixture of Owensboro's automotive and downtown commercial life for three-quarters of a century.