Jim Farley is a busy man. So why did the Group Vice President, Global Marketing and Canada, Mexico and South America operations, of Ford Motor Company make the flight and the 2 ½ hour car ride from the Minneapolis St. Paul airport to Fairmont, Minnesota? It wasn’t for recreation on a local lake, but to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of Fairmont Ford, one of the Ford’s rural dealerships.

Fairmont Ford, located roughly half way between Minneapolis and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has sold Ford cars and trucks for 100 years. Beyond selling and servicing cars, Fairmont Ford has also provided jobs for residents and been a part of the community.

This is the fourth oldest Ford dealership in the country. The oldest Ford dealership is in St. Cloud Minnesota and has been around for 106 years. In fact, of the top 100 oldest Ford dealerships, the youngest has 81 years of service. In fact, of all 50 of the oldest continuously operating dealerships have at least 90 years of service.  

At a time when other automakers are forcing dealer consolidation, Ford is standing behind its dealers and dealerships, as evident by the recent celebration that Jim attended. Our rural dealers are very important to us. They are the face of Ford in the community. And a source of employment.

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