Shawn Chase Ford welcoming new ownership
By Kennedi Ford
After 26 years of business in Redfield, Shawn Chase Ford is welcoming new ownership and management this fall.
    In the beginning of 2017, owner Shawn Chase received a call from Matt Harr of Harr Motors in Aberdeen who expressed interest in purchasing the dealership. Although he had not been planning on selling, the interest got Chase thinking.
    “Unquestionably, I would have rather it been a few years down the road – five, six years from now instead of now, but I just honestly didn’t know if I would get an opportunity like this again,” said Chase. “It was probably my single biggest fear. We’ve had a very successful run and it’s still successful. I didn’t need to sell but my biggest fear was ‘Will somebody want to buy this dealership someday when I do want to get out?’”

    When considering the sale, Chase also had the interests of his current employees and the community in mind. “I knew it would be good for the employees because they’ll [Harr Motors] not only keep the dealership going, they’ll grow it. That’s good for the employees and it’s good for the community,” said Chase. “There used to be five car dealerships in this town at one time; now I’m it. And I want to make sure there’s a new car dealership in this town for generations to come and this will make sure that happens.”    
    According to Chase, the buyer was another major factor in his decision. “I’m very excited that it’s Harr’s. They’re a family-owned dealership like me,” Chase said. “This is their first acquisition outside of their original dealership and so I’m happy about that. I knew that they would see things a little more the way I do when it comes to my employees and whatnot.”
    What was expected to be a quick sale changed when time delays arose due to the lengthy process of approval required from Ford Motor Company. “With Ford Motor Company, they have to approve the new buyers so they do all kinds of background checks; they have to have financial obligations, all these other things,” said Chase. “We figured it was going to happen in June or July but the process through getting everything done with Ford Motor Company took a little more time than we thought.”
    Conditions of the sale include a six month transition period in which Chase will be required to assist new management and the signing of a no-competition agreement. This agreement states that Chase cannot open a new dealership in South Dakota, North Dakota, or Minnesota.
    Chase has had a lifelong history with dealerships, having gained experience from working with his father. “From the time I was old enough to hold a broom in my hand, I was sweeping floors or shoveling snow or cleaning up cars or mowing grass or whatever. So I’ve been in the car business in one form or fashion for 45 years. It’s a big part of who I am.”
    Chase purchased Service Motor Company from Don Bradley in 1991, and changed the name to ‘Chase’s Service Motors’ until 1999, when the new dealership building was constructed and the Mercury line was dropped.   The name was permanently changed to ‘Shawn Chase Ford’ at that time.
    The sale of the business is bittersweet to Chase, following the passing of his father in December of 2016. “I would’ve loved nothing more than to have picked the phone up and called him to say ‘hey, I’ve got some exciting news,  tell him about it, and get his feedback too, because it was one of the biggest decisions of my life and he had already been through it 15 years ago.  But it didn’t work out that way.”
    Looking forward, Chase has no other major changes planned. “We have no immediate plans to move. I’m not going to say never, but not right away. Then the other question I’ve been getting  is ‘well, what’re you going to do?’ and I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do. But I am going to look for other opportunities. I don’t have to rush out and take the first job that comes along, but if I find a good opportunity of either owning another business or some other kind of an occupation, it’s definitely a possibility.”
    The sale will be finalized by the end of August.