Ford dealer celebrates 50-year milestone

  • Comments
  • Print
Listen to this story

Subscriber Benefit

As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
This audio file is brought to you by
0:00
0:00
Loading audio file, please wait.
  • 0.25
  • 0.50
  • 0.75
  • 1.00
  • 1.25
  • 1.50
  • 1.75
  • 2.00

Fifty years ago, John S. Pearson Jr. went to buy a Ford. He liked it so much that “he bought the dealership and he
bought the car,” recalled his son, John Pearson III.

That was in 1960, when his father bought Cavell Ford, in Zionsville.

This month, Pearson Ford, 10650 N. Michigan Road, is celebrating a rare thing among car dealers: its 50th birthday.

John Pearson Pearson

Pearson’s father died in 1981. Pearson has been running the 90-employee operation ever since, which now occupies 19
acres in Carmel. Despite the sluggishness in the auto market in recent years, Pearson has spent millions of dollars on
expansion that includes an additional, “quick lane” service center for all makes and models, and a major collision
repair facility.

Ford Motor Co. was so impressed with the dealership’s longevity that it was to dispatch Vice President of Customer
Service Frederiek Toney to Pearson Ford’s birthday party Aug. 5.

Pearson is among the survivors in an auto dealer landscape that’s been devastated in recent years. Indiana lost 49
new-car dealers last year, the biggest decrease in at least a decade, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association.

Among the losses in recent years was Sharp Ford, on the south side, which entered the business in 1919.•

Please enable JavaScript to view this content.

Story Continues Below

Editor's note: You can comment on IBJ stories by signing in to your IBJ account. If you have not registered, please sign up for a free account now. Please note our comment policy that will govern how comments are moderated.

Get the best of Indiana business news. ONLY $1/week Subscribe Now

Get the best of Indiana business news. ONLY $1/week Subscribe Now

Get the best of Indiana business news. ONLY $1/week Subscribe Now

Get the best of Indiana business news. ONLY $1/week Subscribe Now

Get the best of Indiana business news.

Limited-time introductory offer for new subscribers

ONLY $1/week

Cancel anytime

Subscribe Now

Already a paid subscriber? Log In

Get the best of Indiana business news.

Limited-time introductory offer for new subscribers

ONLY $1/week

Cancel anytime

Subscribe Now

Already a paid subscriber? Log In

Get the best of Indiana business news.

Limited-time introductory offer for new subscribers

ONLY $1/week

Cancel anytime

Subscribe Now

Already a paid subscriber? Log In

Get the best of Indiana business news.

Limited-time introductory offer for new subscribers

ONLY $1/week

Cancel anytime

Subscribe Now

Already a paid subscriber? Log In