Pub. 1 2018-2019 |Issue 4

16 Bradshaw Chevrolet Buick B radshaw Chevrolet Buick was founded in 1931 by Stanley Bradshaw not long after the start of the Great Depression. During World War I in Germany, Stanley Bradshaw worked to repair machinery, performmaintenance, and track inventory. It was a natural development to continue this work after the war by repairing farm trucks and cars with a partner. They opened a repair shop in Hurricane in 1919, and the two men soon gained a good reputation for the quality of their work. In 1927, Ford and Chevrolet approached the two partners because car manufacturers at that time were actively looking for people to run their franchises. Stanley and his partner flipped a coin to decide which man would start each franchise. Stanley Bradshaw opened a franchise for Chevrolet and his partner opened a franchise for Ford in St. George. In 1931, Stanley moved the franchise to Cedar City, and it has been there ever since, although there have been several remodels over the years. There was even a full-service gas station where Stanley’s son Gail was put to work selling gas by the time he was 14. The business was a success. When Stanley retired, he passed the business on to Gail and his son Robert. Gail handled sales; Robert was in charge of everything else. Robert’s son Mark became the general manager during the second half of the 1990s and gradually took on more and more responsibility. His father has passed away, and Gail has been phasing out his involvement since he was 63 or 64; at this point, Mark handles all the day-to-day operations. The company has done a good job of having many long-term employees and also of keeping its customers loyal. Mark answered the following questions about his experiences. Stanley Bradshaw Mark Bradshaw