The CAMROSE BOOSTER December 20, 2011
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Cliff Denham celebrates thirty years as owner of Lamb Ford Sales By Dan Jensen
If experience counts when it comes to selling cars and trucks then Cliff Denham has it in spades. Cliff recently celebrated his thirtieth year as owner of Lamb Ford Sales on Highway 13 East, Camrose., Cliff and his brother, John, purchased the Camrose dealership from Bill Lamb in 1981. "I was a corporate pilot for Suncor when John mentioned to me that the dealership was up for sale," said Cliff. "I definitely was interested but at the time I didn't have any dealership experience, so we made a deal with Bill in which we would purchase his interest over a fiveyear period, during which time he would remain as dealer principal and I would be the assistant general manager. "Once Bill left I became the general manager and the dealer principal." In 1997 Cliff purchased the Rosalind Mercury dealership from Chuck Williamson. The dealership was amalgamated into Lamb Ford a few years later. Along with Lamb Ford Sales, Cliff is part owner of Tee Pee Trade Centre and car and truck dealerships in Pincher Creek, Cranbrook, and Fort Saskatchewan. Lamb Ford Sales started with 20 employees, a number that has grown to over 50 employees today. Like father like son
Currently, Cliff's son, Brett, is Lamb Ford Sales' assistant general manager. "It is every father's dream to have his son follow in his footsteps when he builds a business like this," said Cliff. "Obviously my goal, and his as well, is that he will eventually become the dealer principal." Brett knew he wanted to get involved in the car business when he was just ten years of age. "I always hung around here after school," he said. "It is something I always wanted to do." After graduating from high school, Brett moved to Barrie, Ontario, where he took a course in automotive marketing, and, along with a few other students, set up what was the largest outdoor auto show in North America. He then returned west where he worked at a family dealership in Innisfail for three years. "We prefer that the son not work at his father's dealership right away," said Cliff. Customer service the key
The fact customers keep returning to Lamb Ford to buy their vehicles and have them serviced speaks great volumes of Cliff's focus on treating everyone the way he would like to be treated. "He really believes the best way to achieve success in a business is to take good care of your customers," said Pat Quinlan, who joined the dealership nine years ago and is now the assistant general manager. "It's his theory that if you look after the customer everything else will look after itself." Cliff also believes in taking good care of the community. Over the past few years he has donated a truck to Habitat for Humanity and been a regular supporter of Camrose Minors Sports, STARS, the Camrose Kodiaks, Battle River Community Foundation, 4-H and many curling bonspiels. "We do extremely well in the community and we don't mind giving back to it," said Cliff. Full-service
Lamb Ford Sales is the only full-service dealership
Brett and Cliff Denham
President's Award Lamb Ford Sales has been a multiple-time recipient of the Ford Motor Company's President's Award, which honours dealerships that have excelled in automotive retailing by providing exceptional customer service and satisfaction. "This award demonstrates the commitment of our entire staff to delivering the best customer experience," said Lamb Ford Sales owner Cliff Denham. "I am very proud to receive this recognition, especially since it comes from the people we value the most – our customers. They're the reason we are able to achieve this award." in Camrose, offering everything from sales, service and parts to collision repair. Quick Lane – the dealership's newest addition – provides timely, quality service consisting of oil and filter changes, brake service, wheel alignment, shock/struts, maintenance, tire rotation and tire sales. All aspects of work completed or needed are com-
municated to the customer in the form of a report card for peace of mind driving. "It seems people no longer have time to make an appointment or wait while their vehicle is being serviced," said Cliff. "With the Quick Lane system we are able to look after them on the spot." The sales department is second to none in the industry, while the AMA accredited service department excels in providing peace of mind. The collision centre provides outstanding workmanship and service in keeping with quality that is seen everywhere else. Cliff considers himself fortunate to be surrounded by quality people, some of whom have been at the dealership as long as he has. "It is not the brick and mortar that make the dealership successful, it is the people," he said. "We have very good personnel in all areas. The team we have assembled is very hard to beat. No bad years
In spite of struggles with interest rates that reached a high of 22 per cent in the mid 1980s, Cliff has never regretted his decision to become a Ford dealer. "I tell people we have had good years and great years, but never a bad year," he said. "In my time we have always been one of the top Ford dealerships in Alberta." Looking ahead
With the reputation he has built for quality products, quality service and integrity, Cliff can see Lamb Ford being around for many more years to come. "Camrose is starting to become a major trading area for the entire province and the city of Camrose is growing at a fast rate," he said. "It has been great over the past 30 years for my wife Brenda and I to raise our three children and we expect it will be a great place for them to raise their families and do business for the next 30 years as well."