One of the longest-established Bartholomew County automobile dealerships has a new name and new owners.
The former Renner Ford dealership at 3040 N. National Road is now known as “Ford of Columbus” as of Dec. 28.
This franchise is the only automobile dealership in Bartholomew County that has been consistently in operation since 1948, said Chevrolet of Columbus owner and co-investor Leo Portaluppi.
“That is a big deal,” Portaluppi said. “So many other dealerships have come and gone so quickly in Columbus.”
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Lisa Renner, who became principal owner of Renner Ford in 1998, sold the dealership to a partnership known as the P-4 Automotive Group.
Formed in early 2018, the first P-4 acquisition was the former Marty Kendrick Nissan dealership in Lafayette, Portaluppi said.
While Ford of Columbus is the second acquisition, the investors said they are very interested in further acquisitions in the area.
Besides Portaluppi, other principle investors include operations manager Bob Lang and his wife, Karen Lang. Originally from Austin, Texas, the Langs said they unexpectedly found themselves working under the leadership of legendary race car driver and entrepreneur Roger Penske.
“When Penske came in, we were really nervous,” Bob Land said. “But it was the best thing that ever happened to us, because we got so much experience and knowledge.”
The other 50-percent owner of Ford of Columbus is Robert C. Poynter, Portaluppi said.
Since the Poynter group has their own Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Hyundai dealership just east of Ford of Columbus, Poynter asked that Portaluppi and the Langs handle all inquiries regarding the purchase.
Portaluppi describes Poynter as a valuable investment partner and facilitator in arranging the purchase.
However, Ford of Columbus will operate under the control of the P-4 group, Bob Land said.
Negotiations had been going on for several months before the Dec. 28 transition, Portaluppi said. During that time, Lisa Renner insisted that all agreements, guarantees and warranties made to her employees and customers be honored by the new owners, Portaluppi said. All of the P-4 partners agreed to those terms, he said.
Three days after acquiring the dealership, the new owners met on an individual basis with the nearly 20 Renner Ford employees to ensure them they would still have jobs, Lang said.
“Some of them have been here for 20 to 25 years,” Lang said. “This was a major change, so we expected them to be nervous.”
While ensured their jobs were safe, the employees were also told to prepare for new policies intended to make Ford of Columbus operate under the same business model utilized by Chevrolet of Columbus, Portaluppi said.
To begin with, the company will employ a non-commissioned sales staff, he said.
The next step will be to hire 10 to 15 more employees that will include sales representatives and service technicians, as well as purchase new shop equipment, Lang said.
“If we’re going to drive more business, we’re going to need more employees,” Portaluppi said. “So when we start attracting new customers, we know they will be properly taken care of.”
Business plans also call for doubling the current inventory of 60 vehicles within a few months, and possibly tripling that number within the next year, Lang said.
There are many Hoosiers who are exceptionally loyal to Ford pickup trucks, Lang said.
“I’ve learned over time there are Ford truck people and Chevy truck people,” Portaluppi said with a smile. “It’s hard to convert a Ford truck fan into a Chevy truck fan. But now, we can serve them both equally.”
If all goes well, Ford of Columbus should reach the 50-employee mark by the end of the year, Portaluppi said. Once that happens, the dealership plans to expand its hours into evenings and weekends to better serve the community, he said.
The dealership will also expand the number of certified pre-owned Fords on the lot, Lang said.
Although two competitors will have ownership in Ford of Columbus, Portaluppi said that type of arrangement creates synergies that end up with customers getting more of what they want.
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December 1948 — A World War II veteran and sales representative of what is now Cummins, Inc., Robert W. Mahan (1915-1993) opens Columbus Lincoln-Mercury Co. at the intersection of National Road and Central Avenue.
1948-1957 — Mahan has a number of temporary partners that include C.B. Briscoe, Ralph Fraker, Paul Mendenhall and Leon Cavender.
1958 — Mahan becomes the sole owner of Mahan Ford Sales Inc. when the business became exclusively a Ford dealership.
1966 — More than $300,000 in renovations to the service and parts facility are undertaken following a fire in April.
1975 — To address the energy crisis, Mahan Ford Sales, Inc., begins to offer more gas-efficient Hondas in Columbus.
1982 — Mahan took in two partners, competitor Harold Voelz (1924-1998) and long-time Mahan Ford employee Keith Renner (1929-2014).
1986 — When Keith Renner became principal stockholder, he named his daughter, Lisa Renner, as vice-president of Renner Motors.
1998 — With a dozen years of administrative experience, Lisa Renner took control of Renner Motors.
2017 — The Ford dealership was moved to 3040 North National Road, while the Honda dealership – still at the corner of National Road and Central Avenue, was sold to the Hubler Automotive group of Indianapolis.
Dec. 28, 2018 – Lisa Renner finalizes the sale of the Ford dealership to the P-4 Automotive Group.
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