[XDCX]

Originally Posted by XDCX

I wonder if Mr. Corley got his start via Chrysler's MID program and if so I wonder what location he started at?

I did a little digging and it appears that Ford was the first OEM to offer Mr. Corley a store and it may very well be the location I photographed with the old Ford Brand Sign.

Here's an excerpt from a news report:

In those early days, the uranium mines fed Corley's grocery store, clothing store, gas stations, and restaurant with plenty of customers. But when the mines shut down in the early 1980s, Corley kept food on the table by pumping gas, washing windows, checking under hoods at his service station, and working at the local post office. "It was hard. And my wife always stood by me even though we struggled sometimes," recalls a teary-eyed Corley, now 74.

Then fate stepped in the day John Herbert, a minority dealer-manager for Ford, periled into Corley's station for gas and inquired about the abandoned Ford dealership lot across the street. Not knowing who he was talking to, Corley told him that it went out of business because it was mismanaged. "Why don't you take it and open it," Herbert suggested. Corley answered that he would, but he didn't have the money.

"So when he left, he gave me his card. It said, 'Dealer Placement Manager, Ford Motor Company,'" Corley recalls in mock shock. "We put together a deal, and I opened up the Ford dealership in 1982. I believe it was the good Lord that opened the door for me,"

The report indicated that Ford carried 80% of the $400,000 that was required to capitalize the store.

The report also mentioned a period when the dealer group was experiencing tough times in 1999 and brought in a consultant who ended up making the situation worse. The commentary about how the consultant caused controversy within the family would probably be interesting reading for anyone who has been part of a family business.