MANSFIELD — Clay Graham was 17 when his father opened a Chevrolet dealership in Mansfield in 1972.
“I certainly remember when my father purchased the dealership well,” Graham said. “Then Toyota approached him, as they did a lot of Chevrolet dealers back then, and made it easy for him to carry their product.”
While he said Toyota sales were slow to start, Clay Graham said Toyota may now be Graham Auto Mall’s strongest franchise.
“Our father saw this store’s completion in 2009, and passed away 14 months later,” Graham said. “Our anniversary is a testament to the strength of the franchise, and it’s a testament to our commitment to it.”
The Graham family and Toyota employees celebrated 50 years in Mansfield Thursday with elected officials and regional managers.
Mark Romanchuk presented a citation from the Ohio Senate to the Graham family.
“It’s not every day that you get to celebrate a 50-year anniversary, and when you do, it should be a big deal,” Romanchuk said. “We appreciate your presence here in Mansfield and we look forward to another 50 years.”
Dave Fournier, market representation manager at Toyota Cincinnati, said he looked at Toyota’s archives before the anniversary celebration.
“It’s difficult going back 50 years, but you’ve sold over 10,000 Toyotas in the last 25 years,” Fournier said. “So we estimate that you’ve sold well over 16,000 new Toyotas, if not more, over this 50-year period — which is quite an accomplishment.”
Fournier said Toyota emphasizes personal relationships with their customers, which he thinks separates the franchise from competitors.
“To take care of the customer and their needs and retain them as a loyal Toyota owner is something that doesn’t just happen, it happens through a lot of hard work and effort and commitment,” he said.
Fournier thanked the Graham family and longstanding employees of Mansfield’s Toyota dealership for their partnership. He also found James Graham’s original 1972 dealer agreement with Toyota to present to his sons Bryan and Clay Graham.
“Looking to the future, I can say with some degree of confidence that we’re going to be here a while,” Clay Graham said. “The Graham & Graham Law Firm in Zanesville has its 100th anniversary here this March, so the family is used to succession and longevity and the proof is in our people.
“I couldn’t be prouder to be in the business and I couldn’t be more proud to have the Toyota franchise.”
