History of Dealership

Folks in this area have been dealing with a Shepherd for nearly 85 years. Earnest Shepherd began the family tradition by trading cars on the farm in Clay County, Missouri in 1913. In 1927 he decided to move his business a little over ten miles to North Kansas City, a town of only 1,000 people. At that time, he sold Pontiac automobiles. 1931 brought a change to the Shepherd car dealership when Earnest made the switch to Chrysler-Plymouth. Just about that time, his nephew, I. R. Shepherd, started working there with him. Twelve years later, plagued with poor health, I. R. Shepherd had to leave the area for California. This posed his son, Ray (who also worked at the Dealership with Uncle Earnest) with a dilemma of sorts. Would he and his wife, Mary, stay and work with Uncle Earnest, go with Dad to California, or strike out and start a dealership of their own in the Midwest! They decided to reach for the "American Dream" and bought a small dealership in Ash Grove, Missouri (a little town outside of Springfield). Four years later, they took the chance to move to Fort Scott and to this day are "most pleased with that decision," says Ray.

1953 saw the first car dealership in the nation carrying complete lines of two competing motor company's cars at the same location, and it was right here in Fort Scott, Kansas. Ray Shepherd Motors was doing something that was unheard of at the time, but it gave the customer a chance to get a good look at both lines without having to go elsewhere. They could compare them side by side and people liked it. This unique approach to letting the customer choose what they wanted became a way of life on the lot at Shepherd's.

In less than two years, Ray and his wife were offered a chance to own a big dealership in Kansas City. "Mary and I had always said we didn't want to raise our family in a metro area so we declined . . ." says Ray, "which was a big disappointment to Ford Management and they let it be known to me.? At that time, the business was located on Scott Avenue (where the Salvation Army store is currently located). Fort Scott was changing rapidly then. The new Winfield Scott School greeted its first classes and Ray's son, third grader David Shepherd, was among the students exploring the new facility. The town was growing and so was Shepherd's.

September 1, 1967, the very first building designed by Ford's National Planning Department opened its doors to reveal the gleaming new 1968 models on Highway 69 in Fort Scott, Kansas. Today, that building is one of many that makes up the SHEPHERD TEAM AUTO PLAZA. About that time, while attending college at McPherson (a town about the size of Fort Scott), David Shepherd met his future wife, Sharon. David had joined the Peace Corps and had been assigned to a post in Peru. In fact, David had also received an offer for a job with Ford Motor Company, which would require him to go off to the "Big City,? an opportunity that many small town boys dream about. But fate (and Sharon) caught up with David . . . and his plans changed. He worked a year at a car dealership there in McPherson and then the newlyweds came home to Fort Scott. David Shepherd officially joined his Dad in 1971 after growing up in the family business.

SHEPHERD TEAM AUTO PLAZA is now one of sixty car dealerships in our area. How does a small town dealership compete in a market like ours? As you look out across the lot, it is apparent that the tradition of great vehicle selection continues today as strong as ever. The addition of computer search capability enhances that service to the maximum, as you simply describe your "dream car" to the salesperson. They enter your criterion into the computer and if it is not present on the lot, a simple push of a button locates that exact vehicle for you in seconds. Fast-paced growth and change can affect a town and a business in many ways. Fort Scott has experienced the pains of growth and of loss. Shepherd's has, too.