The "hometown boys" of Taylor's Auto Max are giving a large corporate buying experience a local touch.
This past Monday, Taylor's Auto Max purchased the GMC Buick franchise from Lithia Buick GMC in downtown Great Falls. The franchise will now be operated under their ownership at 4100 10th Ave. South. Lithia will continue to run their Subaru franchise downtown.
Taylor's Auto Max has been an automobile business in the community since 1980. This is one of their largest expansions since they opened the location in 1996. The dealership is owned by the five Taylors: Jim Taylor Sr., Jim Taylor Jr., Mike, Mark and Bamma.
Jim Taylor Jr., Vice President of Taylor's, said people shopping for automobiles are going to have the best of both worlds.
"I think it's important for people to know that we're going to have the selection of a very large corporate store, but we're still going to be a family-run business," he said. "We believe that sets us apart from a lot of corporate stores."
Taylor Jr. said it's a large expansion for the company and the community of Great Falls.
"Our plan is to really stock and represent Buick and GMC at a much larger volume and selection than they had downtown," he said. "What's exciting for the community of Great Falls or for the region is when we add Buick and GMC coupled with Nissan coupled with our used inventory, we're really going to become a regional buying center in the auto business."
The company will be inventorying at least 500 and possibly up to 550 vehicles, new and used, in one location. They have started to expand their sales lot and to accept and display more inventory. They will also expand their auto service and repair shop into their auto detailing area, which will soon have its own separate place of operation.
The existing staff will be staying and they are in the process of adding more employees in sales and service as well as additional tools and equipment for service.
"It's a very large growth spurt for us and for the people that work here," Taylor Jr. said.
He said they are excited to gain the additional set of customers that they may not have been able to serve before the expansion, such as customers who are shopping for Buick-GMC selections.
"It's going to benefit all of our employees here in additional volume in sales and it's going to allow us to grow that," he said. "I think it will be a win-win for the community and us both. It'll be special."
Jim Taylor Jr. wasn't the only man leading the acquisition. His father and President of Taylor's Auto Max, Jim Taylor Sr., was at the forefront in the purchase.
Taylor Sr. said for years it has been his dream to be a General Motors dealer. When the Marine Corps. veteran returned from Vietnam, he worked as a salesman for a Chevrolet dealer. Since then, he and his family have owned Taylor's Auto Max, Taylor's Transportation, Automotive Credit Resources and Jim Taylor Motors in Fort Benton.
"It's going to be powerful for us," he said. "It's going to be really cool."
This purchase not only marks the beginning of a new chapter for the dealership, it marks the beginning of a new chapter for Taylor Sr. He said he wanted this to be one of his final, significant efforts in the business. He is now preparing for semi-retirement.
"I could not leave things in better hands," he said. "There are some the most incredible car men I've even know in my life."
Taylor Sr. said if you love what you do it's not work, so, he will continue his role as the corporate pilot after retirement.
Taylor Jr. said the dealership is currently operational and every day they are actively transitioning. The full conversion will take a few weeks to a month.
"It's going to be phenomenal what people will see and what they'll be able to pick from and choose from when they come to buy a vehicle," Taylor Jr. said.
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