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Ford dealers do more than just sell cars. In many cases, they function as the heartbeat of the community. The minority dealers are diverse in background, locality and sales volume, and they are dedicated to their communities. In addition to providing a valuable service and employing hundreds of people, they also initiate or participate in numerous community-oriented charitable endeavors, ranging from donating Ford vehicles for charity raffles to mentoring local youth. Ford Motor Company understands that working with dealers involves an ongoing commitment to growth and development, which begins with an intense recruitment program that identifies highly skilled, qualified candidates to bring into the Ford family.

Elliott S. Hall, Vice President of Dealer Development, is one of the company's highest-ranking minority employees. He believes that the most effective way to reach the rapidly growing minority consumer market is through minority dealers. Hall is responsible for enhancing the focus on minority dealer operations, strengthening relationships within the company's minority dealer network, and supporting the dealer development program.

"We've made a commitment to minority dealers as a key means of reaching the minority community," he explains. Hall's loyalty to Ford is in his blood. His father was one of the company's first African-American employees, and his brother worked for the company for 35 years. "In my book, Ford is the best place for an African-American to work," he says proudly.

George J. Frame, Ford Motor Company's Director of Dealer Development, is the deal-maker who makes sure minority dealerships get up and running. Frame oversees more than 160 dealerships under the Dealer Development Program and assists candidates in finding and financing dealership investment opportunities.

"We have tremendous opportunities for African-Americans at Ford," Frame says. "We have about 380 minority dealerships, and it is our intent to increase that number substantially in the future."

Ford recognizes that independent, quality dealers--adequately capitalized and effectively managed--are essential to the successful marketing of its products. With this in mind, Ford identifies qualified individuals who want to become Ford dealers, then gives them assistance in every facet of the process.

"It is very essential that our dealer body reflect the community it serves, so we want more minorities involved in the retail distribution side, and we have several support programs in place to assist them," Frame explains. "For instance, the Dealer Development Program provides an opportunity for the dealership operator to become sole owner of a dealership corporation. We will finance up to 90 percent of the capital needed to operate their dealership. We develop a partnership with them, and then we help them to buy us out."

A constant sound that Frame encounters on the job is that of shattering glass--not a mishandled windshield, but rather a minority breaking through the corporate glass ceiling by seizing the opportunities provided by Ford.

Successful auto dealer Mel Farr not only smashed the glass ceiling, but he also has managed to set new records for African-American entrepreneurs. Farr, a former NFL Detroit Lions All-Pro running back, is now dominating a new game: selling automobiles. Last year, the Michigan-based Mel Farr Automotive Group reported annual sales of more than $400 million. Farr's business is the nation's largest African-American-owned auto dealership chain, and it is also the largest African-American-owned business of any kind. Farr owns four new-car dealerships in addition to a used-car superstore.

His business philosophy is simple: provide basic transportation to those who need it the most. "My goal is to acquire more franchises and set up my used car superstores in urban markets across the country," he says. "I want to assist financially challenged customers who need basic transportation."

Nate Conyers is another dealer who has a long-term commitment to his community. Conyers is believed to be the longest-serving African-American auto dealer in the nation. Born and reared in Detroit--the automotive capital of the world--Conyers heard the industry's call loud and clear. He felt confident about approaching Ford for a dealership opportunity after witnessing Henry Ford II's commitment to rebuilding Detroit, which was tattered after a series of race riots in the 1960s. Conyers felt Ford understood the community's racial issues and was genuinely interested in doing its part to heal the city.

With the company's assistance, Conyers opened a Ford dealership in 1970. Fast forward 30 years and you find that the Conyers Riverside Ford dealership has a lot in common with other minority-owned dealerships: It's a family affair. All five of Conyers' offspring have assumed positions at the Riverside Ford Sales dealership. General manager Steven Conyers is a recent graduate of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Dealer Candidate Academy; Nancy Conyers is the dealership's director of marketing, advertising, promotion and community relations; Susan Conyers is administrative assistant to her father; Ellen Conyers is the in-house general legal counsel; and Peter Conyers operates the body shop.

The Conyers family acknowledges that the community has been their greatest resource for the past three decades, and they show their gratitude through community outreach programs. "We want to give back to the community that has supported us for more than 30 years," says Nancy Conyers. "For the past four years we've hosted Community Awareness Day, at which we invite non-profit organizations to join us under our tent to share their information with the community."

Community Awareness Day has introduced the community to homeless shelters, adoption agencies, job placement agencies, an AIDS testing mobile, and other social service agencies. The event started with about 15 groups participating, but now has blossomed into a full-blown community festival.

Nancy Conyers adds that the family is keeping up the tradition of community awareness and support trumpeted by Ford Motor Company. "I've had quite a lot of fun and experience, and Ford has been there every step of the way," she says. "It is important that their support continues, and it is important that we give back to the community that has supported us."

Jackie Edgar, owner of Jackie Edgar Ford Breaux Bridge in Louisiana, also is flourishing thanks to support from Ford Motor Company. She says that from the very beginning Ford has provided the support necessary for her to succeed. She has been in business for 15 years, and business is booming at her multimillion-dollar dealership.

"When I first started in 1985, there was a New Orleans-based Ford executive who wanted me to be a Ford dealer," Edgar recalls. "He was very positive and he didn't play around. Ford gives you an opportunity to get started, and I enjoyed the entire process."

Edgar's community service reaches across state lines. "I participate in an annual fund-raiser for St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis," she says. "We donate an RV [recreational vehicle] from the dealership for the annual raffle." Other businesses in the area have caught wind of Jackie Edgar's enthusiasm for community service and have raffled off newly built houses, televisions and other goods.

Truly a company that does much more than just sell automobiles, Ford Motor Company's pledge to the communities it serves reaches far and wide. Gil Chapman's Island Ford on Staten Island, N.Y., takes its approach to community service to a whole new level--several of the 90 employees hit the streets running, in an effort to fight breast cancer. Island Ford participates in the American Cancer Society's (Staten Island chapter) Making Strides Against Breast Cancer fund-raising campaign.

"As a dealership we make a financial donation," explains human resources manager Larry Body. "And about 15 of us participate in the American Cancer Society's 2-mile run." In addition to the breast cancer fund-raiser, the dealership participates in the Ford community clean-up project (for which the company helped to clean up Clove Lakes Park) and sponsors youth football, baseball, soccer and ice hockey teams every year.

Carl Statham, owner of Highland Park Ford in Illinois, says if not for Ford Motor Company's intervention, he would not be a dealer or a Tuskegee University graduate.

"Without Ford Motor Company's support, I would not be a dealer," he says bluntly. "Ford has been a constant force in the Black community, empowering others as they go along." Statham says he applied to Tuskegee in 1969, but because of low scores he was almost declined admittance. It was then that he enrolled in a pre-freshman program, which, in turn, granted him access to an educational career at Tuskegee. Years later, he discovered that the pre-freshman program was sponsored by Ford.