David Norris Cook was born into the business of car dealership.
As a fourth-generation family member and dealer with Norris Automotive Group in Baltimore, he can easily tell you how the dealerships grew to become landmarks in the Baltimore area.
That?s not to say he?s content to rest on his laurels, as evidenced by a recent partnership he formed with a longtime Ford wholesale parts supply rival.
“A lot of dealers on the East Coast have suffered from a market downturn and lost market share. This is the way two of us found to make a win-win situation,” Cook said of the agreement.
Last fall, Cook formed a wholesale parts partnership with longtime rival Al Packer?s White Marsh Ford (which has two Ford dealerships in Florida).
That makes the combined entity the fifth-largest wholesale parts distributor in the country, according to Ford.
“It just made sense,” Cook said. “We had two sets of warehouses, trucks racing each other [to supply parts to dealers]. We just said, ?This is silly. We need to merge. There are a lot of synergies here.? ”
The partnership added job opportunities at Norris because it freed up physical space and let the dealership explore other areas in which to grow the business.
“This is an example of leadership that isn?t afraid to face tough issues head-on,” said Jeffrey Grossman, general manager of Norris Ford in Ellicott City. “The tendency [in difficult business situations] is to lay low for a while. That?s not what?s done here.”
Cook said his motivation is drawn from his sense of history in the family business, which now boasts five locations: two Ford locations, and one each of Acura, Honda and Nissan.
“That?s what makes us different ? our heritage and our people,” Cook said. “We have taken care of our customers and employees for 90 years. A lot of people talk about being a family business, but we are one of the few companies that have truly done that under the modern rules of economics.”
Norris automotive group
www.norrisautogroup.com
Norris Ford of Dundalk
» 901 Merritt Blvd.
» 410-285-0200
Norris Ford of Easton
» 9617 Ocean Gateway
» 800-525-9169
Norris Acura West
» 8559 Baltimore National Pike
» Ellicott City
» 410-461-7000
Norris Nissan West
» 8569 Baltimore National Pike
» 410-465-5550
Norris Honda
» 925 Merritt Blvd.
» 410-285-0600
