Automotive News Canada - August 2024 - 9

* AUGUST 2024
9
A truly family
operation
It's 'not rocket
science,' but Leslie
Motors is soaring,
maybe into the
next generation
By DOUG FIRBY
CALGARY CORRESPONDENT
WHEN MANY DEALERSHIPS
are being bought up by large
groups, Leslie
Motors, a third-generation
family
business in rural
Ontario, is thriving
because of its community
involvement,
BEST PRACTICES
personal touch and a small-town
knack for quality customer service.
Co-owner
Don Leslie said such
enduring success reflects the family
rule to treat every customer
just as he would want to be treated.
" Obviously,
news travels fast
in a small town, " said Don, who
along with his older brother,
Mark, are majority owners. " You
want to treat each and every customer
very carefully, " Don said.
Leslie Motors is a group
of three Ford dealerships in
the small towns of Harriston,
Walkerton and Wingham, all
about 100 kilometres north of
London, Ont. Each dealership is
a handy 34 to 41 kilometres from
the two others, forming a neat triangle
serving a part of the province
that is at least
200 kilometres from a
major city.
SPOTLIGHT
Trim: 10.875x7.375 " Colours: CMYK
Bleed: n/a
Safety: n/a
" We own three
stores. When we
bought the Wingham
store [in 2008],
Scotiabank Lighthouse, 100 Yonge St., 5th
File: 4491862 SWM TWP Ad 10.875x7.375-ad1
we were the start of a dealer
group, " said Don.
Last year, the three stores
had record sales, he said, with
more than 1,000 new and 700
used vehicles crossing the curb.
Ford Canada confirmed that, as
of December 2023, Leslie Motors
was in the top 10 for sales in
Three generations of Leslies are part of Leslie Motors family legacy in rural Ontario. Back row, left to
right: co-owner Don; Don's son Reed; and Ron, grandfather. Front row: Mark's sons Cole and Zach;
Don's son Noah; and co-owner Mark. SUPPLIED PHOTO
Floor, Toronto ON, M5C 2W1
Workfront#: 4491862
Deadline: July 25, 2024
Insertion: August 2024
Designer: NC
Ontario, out of 147 Ford dealerships.
FROM
TURNIPS TO T-BIRDS
And if the younger generation
of the Leslies is willing, the
group is likely to stay out of corporate
hands, said Don.
The Leslie tradition began
in 1966 when family patriarch
Ron bought a Ford store in
Harriston.
Ron said he began as a turnip
farmer but then spotted an
ad from Ford Canada seeking
someone to take over the dealership.
After they agreed on terms,
Ford sent Ron to a dealership in
Guelph, Ont., to learn the business.
As
the dealership began to
prosper, Ron bought the
SEE FAMILY PAGE 23
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Automotive News Canada - August 2024

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