The auto industry runs in John Bowell’s family. His grandfather, Ralph, opened one of the nation’s first Ford dealerships in the 1930s (then called Ford “distributors”), and his father continued in the business during a 50-year-career, bringing a Jeep dealership to Boulder in the 1970s.
John has stayed in the business, working in the Colorado car industry since 1972 and taking on the role of vice president and general manager of the Shortline Auto Group in 2007.
“There’s something my dad once told me that I’ll never forget,” Bowell recalls. “He said, ‘John, the day you think you’ve learned it all, get out.’”
“There’s so much truth to that,” John said. “The internet has changed our car business tremendously. There’s so much to learn every day, there’s always something new that we can do to give our customers a more enjoyable experience.”
As the car business constantly evolves, Bowell and Shortline President Don Hicks are always trying to find ways to evolve right along with it, always working to build a culture of excellence at Shortline. With a major presence on Aurora’s Havana Street “Motor Mile,” this approach has helped grow Shortline from a single Subaru dealership in 1987 to a multi-dealership auto group that successfully sells and provides service for Subaru, Hyundai, Mazda and Kia cars in Aurora, along with Porsches via Porsche of Colorado Springs.
In fact, Shortline Subaru has become the second-largest Subaru dealership in the nation, moving 3,088 cars in 2014, which contributed to making it the third-largest new-car dealer in Colorado.
People power
In the highly competitive auto-sales industry, success doesn’t come easy. Bowell said the key component of Shortline’s steady growth through the years has come from an unflagging dedication to the idea that good people are at the heart of a good business.
“It’s all about the people,” he said. “Don and I have incredibly good people here, and we work to create a good environment for people to work in, and for our customers to come into. We want them to enjoy the time they spend with us, and feel comfortable coming back.”
This mentality shows itself in a thousand little ways. Korean, Russian, Romanian and Spanish, for example, are just a few of the languages spoken by some of Shortline’s 200-plus staff. From the design and upkeep of the showrooms, to internal rewards and employee benefits, to the fireplaces keeping customers warm on winter days, the Shortline team is always looking for ways to create a quality experience for everyone who walks through their doors.
“All of those things, large and small, are just because we want people to feel good when they come in and see us,” Bowell said.
The Colorado market
All of this must be followed up with top-notch service, Bowell said, because a customer’s relationship with the dealer is really just beginning with the purchase of a car. The group’s express service centers are doing as many as 1,200 oil changes a month, while simultaneously taking care of other repairs and scheduled check-ups, helping make car ownership as smooth and simple as possible.
Shortline also knows their relationship with the community extends beyond cars and car ownership.
“We live and work right here in the community, and so we try to have a positive impact on the community in any way we can,” Bowell said.
Through their “Love Our Community” programs, Shortline supports more than 20 local charities, from the Wounded Warrior Project to Denver Public Schools to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.
Bowell said their 30-year history of this approach, of taking part in a community and becoming an integral part of it, is a big part of why Shortline Auto Group will remain a reliable, successful Colorado business for many more years to come.
