First Place: Auto Dealership; Automotive Service; Automotive Detailing; Automotive Salesperson - Ernie Doeden
Honorable Mention: Automotive Salesperson - Dakota Even and Jordan Myers; Oil Change Service (Quick Lane); Tire Store; Truck Accessories
Bill Colwell Ford, located in Hudson, wants to thank all their loyal customers for voting their dealership the Cedar Valley’s No. 1 overall dealership to do business with year after year. And they’re honored to be recognized as the Best of the Best in Automotive Service, Automotive Detailing, and Automotive Salesperson with Ernie Doeden. They also want to recognize Dakota Even and Jordan Myers as honorable mentions in the Automotive Salesperson category, along with Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center as honorable mention for Oil Change. Finally, they earned honorable mention as a favorite tire store and favorite place for truck accessories.
If you ask Bill what the success of Bill Colwell Ford can be attributed to, he will simply reply with two words: “our employees.” The growth that this company has seen in the past 38 years is from the consistent hard work from their employees. Bill set a standard of how to take care of their customers and the employees have followed it. Because of their commitment to customer service, they have built a foundation of returning loyal customers.
Bill Colwell said, “All of our employees know that our customers can buy a car or get their oil changed anywhere, which is why we have to go above and beyond when it comes to customer service.”
Their customers may have plenty of options when it comes to purchasing and servicing their vehicle, but they choose Bill Colwell Ford year after year. On average the Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center performs 30 oil changes a day, which is around 750 a month. And over the past 38 years Bill Colwell Ford has sold nearly 50,000 vehicles to customers spanning four generations.
Bill Colwell has been in the car-selling business his whole life, first working with his father's dealership in the 1970s before purchasing the Keith Motor Company's Ford franchise in Hudson in 1984. He built Bill Colwell Ford on the belief that treating his customers and his employees with respect and fairness was the only way to go. Now that Bill Colwell Ford has grown from six to over 70 employees, this dedicated staff still believes in making their customer satisfaction second to none.
Since 1984, their location on the corner of Highway 63 and Waterloo Road in Hudson has changed quite a bit. In 2012, the dealership began building a new facility directly behind the original dealership, which had been built in 1960. In October of 2013, they transitioned into the new construction and the Grand Re-Opening of Bill Colwell Ford was held. In July of 2016, Bill Colwell Ford added the Cedar Valley Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center. This year they’re in the process of adding on new office space and more service bays.
Also in the past year, Bill Colwell Ford has managed to maintain a much higher than average supply of preowned vehicles in stock. In fact, their lot has stayed nearly full despite having fewer new vehicles on site. “The industry is moving to more preorders for new vehicles, so we have stepped up our capability with helping our customers place orders with Ford,” said General Manager Blake Colwell. “It’s a longer wait than we were used to in the past, but this way people get the exact features they want with no compromises, and they have more control over costs when they can build it themselves. These orders are arriving at our store almost every day, so we have a constant stream of new vehicles being delivered. Overall the new process is going well for us and our customers.”
Many of those customers have been seen driving unique rides with the launch of several new vehicles from Ford, including the Mustang Mach-E, the Bronco and Bronco Sport, the all-electric F-150 Lightning, and the Maverick compact truck. Even more new models are on the horizon, and the sales and service staff are continuously training to stay on top of the latest technology being offered so they can answer any questions and address any maintenance requests that customers bring in.
The dealership has continued to offer convenient at-home services for sales and service customers, such as free local pick-up and delivery for service appointments, video chats with sales staff by request, at-home test drives, and delivery of purchased vehicles. These new options were so popular when they were introduced in 2020 that they have continued to be offered to better accommodate various abilities and scheduling needs.
With 38 years of putting people first, it’s no surprise that the dealership has won its fair share of awards. Bill Colwell Ford has won numerous customer satisfaction awards, including the prestigious President’s Award from Ford Motor Company three times in 1999, 2009, and 2011 for excellence in providing outstanding customer service and satisfaction. In 2019 and 2020 they were named a Top 100 Dealership in the United States for their reputation score on Reputation.com. Locally they have also been voted the Best of the Best in the Cedar Valley for seven consecutive years.
Even with everything going on at Bill Colwell Ford, they still find time to give back to the community. In April, Bill Colwell Ford held their annual “Fill a 50” item drive to collect food and personal supplies on behalf of Cedar Valley Angels. The dealership has also worked with other local organizations for previous “Fill a 50” events, including the Black Hawk County Veteran Affairs food pantry, Cedar Valley Hospice, the Northeast Iowa Food Bank, Cedar Bend Humane Society, House of Hope, and the Friends of the Family.
“Being able to give back to those who have given us a chance to earn their business is what keeps our business going. The Cedar Valley is a great community and we’re happy to give back and be a part of it,” said Bill Colwell.
If you are in the market for a new, pre-owned, or Certified Pre-Owned vehicle feel free to give Bill Colwell Ford a call or visit their website www.billcolwellford.com. If you’re not in the market for a new vehicle, they also have an outstanding Ford Service Department and Quick Lane to help maintain your current vehicle, no matter the make and model. Of course, you can always stop by the dealership to get assistance with any automotive need, or just to say hi and enjoy a cup of coffee.