Business Spotlight: Goode Motor Auto Group

 

Goode Motor Auto Group has a long history in Southern Idaho. In fact, it’s the oldest Ford dealership in the state, with family roots going back to the early 1900s in Rupert, Idaho.

In 1917 Alonzo Read and his business partner, C.A. Jones, acquired their first Idaho Ford franchise, known as Jones Read Ford Motor Company. About 10 years later, Read sold his interest in the dealership, and in 1938 the Goode family purchased it and renamed it Goode Motor.

In 1978 Garth Williams was hired by Goode Motor as a car salesman. He worked hard, rose through the ranks, and ultimately became the general manager of the dealership and part owner along with the Goode family. After the Goode family sold their interest to Garth Williams, he retained the name Goode Ford because of the long-standing positive image in the community. In 2006, Garth’s son-in-law, Matt Cook, left his law practice in Texas to join the company, learn the car business and become Garth’s partner. In a fascinating twist of fate, it turns out that Matt is the great-grandson of Alonzo Read, the original founder of the first Ford dealership in Idaho. That means that the oldest Ford dealership in Idaho is run today by the same family that started it in 1917! In 2016, Garth retired and his son, Brandon Williams, and son-in-law, Pablo Silvaz, purchased an interest in Goode Ford, and now these families actively manage all aspects of the Goode dealerships.

Over the years, Goode Motor has grown rapidly — from one location in Rupert (now Goode Ford in Burley) to three additional dealership rooftops in Southern Idaho: Goode Motor Overland in Burley, Goode Motor Volkswagen Mazda in Twin Falls, Silver Creek Ford in Hailey, along with a Centralized Reconditioning Center in Twin Falls. This kind of growth has helped transform Goode Motor’s mission for employees, their families, and the surrounding communities in several ways.

After purchasing the Volkswagen/Mazda location in Twin Falls, Matt decided it was time for a new mission statement created by the heart and soul of Goode Motor, its people. He gathered every employee from all dealerships into one room. As a team, they decided who Goode Motor is and what Goode Motor stands for. And here is what they came up with as a team:

Soon after the mission statement was brought to life, a second phase focused on giving back to surrounding communities. Today every Goode Motor dealership sponsors projects known as Goode Gives Back. Each dealership hosts a community fundraising event for local schools and various nonprofit endeavors. Goode Ford has hosted several Drive 4UR School Fall Carnival events for Burley High School and several elementary schools. Goode Motor VW Mazda hosts an annual golf scramble, where it raises funds for numerous projects for elementary schools in the Twin Falls School District, including a walk-path for Harrison Elementary and a Mentor Program for Perrine Elementary. Silver Creek Ford partnered with the Sun Valley Road Rally to raise thousands of dollars for the local Drug Coalition. All in all, the Goode Gives Back program has raised over $75,000 for community needs in the past few years.

As a family-owned dealership, Goode Motor is passionate about treating guests and employees like family. Goode Motor’s promise is to act with uncompromised integrity while delivering uncommon courtesy. From its employee-created mission statement to its Goode Gives Back endeavors, Goode Motor works to provide continual growth and improvement for its families, employees, businesses, and communities.

PMT helps Goode Motor connect with its customers by providing Internet service at all locations as well as business-class phone services for over 100 phone lines using SIP trunking and Internet protocol. This offers more advanced features than a traditional phone system plus no costly hardware investments, which reduces costs for Good Motor.

“Switching to PMT has been a night-and-day difference,” said Matt Cook. “We no longer have the technical issues we were experiencing with our previous provider, and PMT’s customer service is a breath of fresh air. I know the employees on a first-name basis, and I know that if we ever have a problem, it will be resolved promptly. When I call PMT, they answer the phone and a local representative is always available to help.”

Uncommon courtesy and community-minded people — what you’ll find at PMT and Goode Motor Auto Group.