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Smyl’s Highland Ford was originally Gates Ford, owned by Moe Gates. The dealership was located on Queen Street near the Sault Memorial Gardens. The Letter of Patent for Highland Ford was recorded on June 20, 1968. The document was signed by Ron Worth and Bert Bowering, who purchased Gates Ford. Both were working for the Ford Motor Company at the time, and had big plans! First came completion of the new building on Great Northern Road which held it’s Grand Opening in June 1969. Since then, there have been 3 major expansions and renovations - the Service Reception area in 1975, the Body Shop addition in 1986 and the Millenium Renovation in 2005, which welcomed Bill Osborne, President of Ford Canada who attended the grand opening. Over the years Ron & Bert bore witness to Ford innovations that drastically changed the automobile landscape - from the introduction of retracting shoulder seatbelts in 1970 to the introduction of the Fiesta, Escort and Taurus. Then, in 2011, David sold the dealership to current owner Darren Smyl, who began business as the new owner May 16th, 2011. Like Ron, Bert and David before him, Darren continued to expand and quickly does so with the opening a year later of Quick Lane. This was followed with the purchase of Rivercity Motorsports, and most importantly, the Soo Thunderbirds which was done to save the team from relocation! Numerous Distinguished Achievement Awards and President’s Awards have come in over the past five decades, as well as a few coveted Customer Service Awards, including the North American Customer Excellence Award! But more important to the staff is the on-going culture of Community Involvement that has always been part of the business since its inception! Today, Darren and his team; • Host or stage over 50 events and sponsorships every year • Donated $25,000 to St. Mary’s Collegiate & Vocational School • Were the title sponsor of the 8th annual Great Northern Round up raising over $20,000 to local groups • Were the title sponsor of the annual Ride for Autism which averages over $12,000/year And probably the biggest... brought the Drive 4UR Community events to the Soo and have raised over $200,000! Smyl’s Highland Ford 68 Great Northern Road Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Canada P6B 4Y5 Phone: 705-759-5050 www.highlandford.com A lot has happened in the past 50 years at Highland Ford! Bert retired in 1992, and sold his shares to Ron’s son, David Worth, who started running the dealership in 1993. In 2003, Ron sold his remaining shares to David and he too retired. Oddly enough, from 1972-1979, Ron and Bert actually owned two dealerships, with the other being Ron Worth Ford. When all was said and done, Ron and Bert had one of the longest running partnerships with Ford. The introduction of the iconic Explorer happened during David’s time, and he also bore witness to the rapid growth and popularity of the SUV market, including here in the Soo. He was also fortunate enough to be the owner when Ford celebrated it’s 100th anniversary in 2003! Easily, over half a million dollars raised in the past 7 years by the staff and management of Smyl’s Highland Ford. This is made much easier by the fact that LONG-TERM EMPLOYEES continue to be a fixture, as it has been for the past 50 years! As a matter of fact, the number of employees has doubled in the past seven years, as Smyl’s Highland Ford has become an employer of choice for a number of Sooites!
