SHERWOOD DODGE: 10 YEARS OLD WITH THE EXPERIENCE AND SUCCESS OF A LIFETIME BY NERISSA MCNAUGHTON
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cott Held, president and dealer principal at Sherwood Dodge, is easy to get along with, has a great work ethic and a sense of humor. He also managed to unwittingly open a dealership in the midst of a recession.
“Together with my business partner, Jim McManes, we founded the company in 2008,” Held reminisces. “I had approached Chrysler in May 2005 about opening a dealership in Sherwood Park. I got approval, and it took almost a year and a half to build the building. It was a long time between applying and opening the doors. We opened on March 3, 2008.” That’s right – 2008. The timing could not have been worse. “The United States’ economic crash happened less than a year after we opened,” Held grimaces. “Chrysler went bankrupt. It was a scary time. Chrysler stopped building cars and we actually ran out of new cars to sell.” The situation would have crushed most new business owners, but Held is not most business owners. He had vision, so he held on and rode out the storm. “Chrysler survived and went on to do well again,” he smiles, “and Sherwood Dodge survived that very challenging first year.”
SCOTT HELD, PRESIDENT AND DEALER PRINCIPAL AT SHERWOOD DODGE
SHERWOOD DODGE || 10 YEARS 67