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In December of 1953, Vernon Jenkins
and his partner, Briz Wynne, opened for business in Clarksville
as a Lincoln-Mercury dealer. At that time it was located on
Madison Street. It was an inauspicious beginning, with less
than $100,000 in inventory and eight employees.
But the business quickly established a
reputation for fair dealing, honesty, and good service- attributes
not always associated with car dealerships. And by the end
of the first year, sales totaled around $1 million.
Vernon Jenkins and Briz Wynne purchased
the Ford dealership in April of 1959 and in fall of 1959 they
moved the dealerships to the present location on College Street.
Jenkins & Wynne Lincoln-Mercury became Jenkins & Wynne
Ford Lincoln-Mercury.
The 60’s were turbulent times, not
just for society but for the dealership as well. When the
101st Airborne Division was sent to Vietnam, Jenkins &
Wynne lost a major chuck of its customer base. Then in 1967,
a fire destroyed the building.
The soldiers eventually returned, however,
and the partners rebuilt and expanded. In the mid-70’s,
when America was reeling from the aftershocks of the Arab
oil embargo, Jenkins &Wynne recognized the potential of
the small-car market. In 1976, they took on a Honda franchise.
With that acquisition, the dealership’s sign was changed
again, to Jenkins & Wynne Ford Lincoln-Mercury Honda.
Don Jenkins, only son of Vernon and Evelyn
Jenkins, was just three years old when his dad founded the
Clarksville dealership. He was surrounded by cars and car
talk his entire life. He had washed the vehicles on his dad’s
lot throughout high school, and as he prepared to enter Rhodes
College in Memphis, he decided he wanted a career that had
nothing to do with cars. He certainly didn’t want to
be a car salesman. “Car salesman wore silk suits and
orthopedic shoes,” Jenkins says. “I didn't have
a lot in common with them.” His career choice was made.
He was going to become a banker.
But something happened that would change
that decision. In 1971, just as young Jenkins was about to
graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business and go
to work for a bank, he received a letter from his dad. “Give
me one year in the car business,” it said, “just
one year.”
A year was all it took! “I came to
the dealership, and loved it,” Jenkins says. Thirty plus
years later, he still thrives on the interaction with people,
love for vehicles, and the challenge of running a dealership
that became dear to him that infamous first year.
Vernon Jenkins continued to work at the dealership until he
retired in 1985 at the age 75. His work ethic was contagious.
“Dad believed you learn by doing,” Jenkins says,
“and he was wise enough to let me make my own mistakes.
As long as they weren't severe ones,” he adds with a
smile.
When he died in 2002, Vernon Jenkins left big shoes behind.
He had been president of the Tennessee Automotive Association.
He won the Time Magazine Dealer of the Year award for the
state of Tennessee. The criteria for that award were highly
ethical business practices and strong community involvement.
The junior Jenkins follow suit, assembling
a sales and service team that won Honda’s President award,
Ford’s President’s award, and at least 11 distinguished
achievement awards from Ford. More significant to Jenkins
was the dealership’s winning the “Best Place to
Buy a Car” in the Best of Clarksville competition 7 times.
There was a reason. While Don Jenkins
may have wanted to change his salesmen’s suits and shoes,
he wasn't about to change the company’s operating principles
of fairness, honesty, and knock-your-socks-off-service. “Anybody
can sell you a car one time,” Jenkins says. “But
it is service after the sale that brings you back.”
“The goal is not to sell a car but
to build a relationship,” he says. And that requires
employees with longevity. “When people come in to buy
a vehicle, they want to see the same person time after time.
They want a relationship.”
At Jenkins & Wynne, they are likely
to find one. “Very few people leave our dealership once
they start working here” Jenkins says. “That’s
a significant achievement when you consider that the dealership
has nearly 200 employees. The average manager has been here
19 years.” The General Manager, Murray Keeter, has been
a vital part of Jenkins & Wynne’s success as he has
been the faithful backbone for 42 strong years.
Though the dealership’s operating
principles haven't changed, its footprint certainly has. Five
mammoth showrooms, enough asphalt to hold over 800 vehicles,
and three service centers, have replaced the original one-story
building. “People come here in part because of our selection,”
Jenkins says. “If you treat customers well and have the
vehicle they want in stock, chances are you'll make a sale.”
It’s clearly a winning formula. Jenkins
& Wynne is the largest Ford Lincoln-Mercury dealership
in Tennessee. The Ford franchise alone is the 318th largest
Ford dealer in the United States. Jenkins adds that as nice
as awards and rankings are, the most meaningful “recognition”
is the kind that happens between a customer and a member of
the dealership’s staff. It’s about stability, longevity,
and managed growth, he says. “I want to be here for customers
when they buy not only this car but the next one. And the
next one. We have numerous customers who have bought more
than 25 vehicles from us.”
“Right now, 48 percent of our customers are repeat customers,
he adds. “The national average is 15 percent. I found
that when our employees are happy, they will make our customers
happy.”
He does have two goals, however. “My
dream is that my children, Casey and Blake, become third generation
Ford Lincoln-Mercury Honda dealers- if they love this business
as much as I do.” Currently, both Casey and Blake work
at the dealership and see their future as “promising
with endless opportunities” as they continue the family-owned
and operated tradition.
Jenkins’ second goal? To embody
the expression “Like father, like son.”
“If I can be 50 percent of the man my dad was, I'll feel
like I've succeeded in life.”
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