EVELETH—Since 1929 one thing has remained a constant at Lundgren Ford—family.
It’s been that way for 95 years—since Axel Lundgren, who along with a partner, started the Ford dealership in Eveleth—to today, where his grandson Bruce Lundgren and granddaughter Lee Anne Lundgren, and other family members, continue to run the successful business.
“Businesses like ours are becoming (rarer). We are not a corporate store—we are a family business with the fourth generation in place. There is so much pride to see my niece, nephew, and my son join and contribute to Lundgren Ford,” Bruce Lundgren, owner and president told the Mesabi Tribune this week.
“Ford is a family business and we’re proud to be a part of it. We feel lucky to work with our family. We’re very close and we’re all here to support each other,” said General Manager—and Lee Anne’s daughter—Laura Hughes.
From start to today
From Lundgren Ford’s website:
“The Dealership started in 1929 and was then known as Hawkinson Lundgren Company. The two principals were Arnold Hawkinson and Axel Lundgren. They both worked for Northwestern Motors, a Ford dealership in Virginia, then left to buy the Ford dealership in Eveleth. The partnership lasted just a short time, and in the early 1930s, the dealership became Lundgren Motors.
“Axel Lundgren and his brother-in-law, Stanley Strom, were the active principals. Axel was the sole owner from 1942 until his death in 1955.
Lee Lundgren, Axel’s son, then took over as president and was the sole active principal until 1990 when his daughter, Lee Anne Lundgren, joined the dealership.
Lee’s son, Bruce Lundgren, joined the Lundgren family team in 1996. Today, Lee Anne’s children, Laura Hughes and Bryan Brown and Bruce’s son, Olin Lundgren, are also active in the dealership.
“Lundgren Motors has always been located in Eveleth; first at the bottom of Jones Street and Douglas Avenue, the present site of a parking lot. From there, the business moved to the corner of Fayal Road and Grant Avenue and occupied the first floor of the building that is now the LaSalle Apartments. The next location was at the corner of Adams Avenue and Fayal Road, most recently the S&S Garage location. “
“All of these moves took place in the early 1930s. In about 1937, Lundgren’s moved to a nearly new, two-story building at 413-415 Grant Avenue.
“Sales and service continued there through 1964. The body shop was housed there through the 1970s. In 1964, the facility at 900 Old Highway 53 was built for a now unheard-of price of $69,500. That facility went through four expansions and doubled in size before it was torn down in 2016 to make room for the new Ford dealership.
“Lundgren’s opened its new, premier Ford Trustmark facility at its same location at 900 Old Hwy. 53 in Eveleth, MN, in June 2018.
“The facility includes state-of-the-art features such as the service department’s drive-in vehicle drop-off and the sales department’s vehicle delivery bay as well as an expanded sales lot.”
The keys to success
While family ties help explain the consistency that has kept Lundgren Ford in business for all these years, it only explains part of the reason why the dealership has been able to prosper and grow for nearly a century.
Success has been the result of a mix of several different ingredients.
For one, Lundgren Ford has a loyal customer base, created through an open and honest approach to sales and service.
“We’ve followed a business plan that began with my grandfather, Axel Lundgren, which includes providing excellent service by maintaining the highest level of integrity and honesty. Creating relationships with our customers is key,” Bruce Lundgren said this week. “Our customer base is very loyal. We have seen multiple generations of the same families. Often, we hear, ‘I purchased my first vehicle from your grandfather or your father.’ On their behalf and ours, we thank you for your friendship and your trust. You are why we have been in business for 95 years.”
The same values when it comes to customer service have been a theme passed down from generation to generation.
“We like to treat everyone the way we would like to be treated. If we treat people fairly and honestly, we will see them again,” Bruce said. “It’s a pretty simple business plan that has proven successful.”
The dealership’s relationship with Ford has been another important key to success.
“Ford Motor Company has attributed to much of our success. Ford provides wonderful support, excellent training, and opportunities for growth,” said Lee Anne Lundgren, owner and vice president.
And then there are the employees, about 30 of them currently.
“We have a great staff and we’ve been fortunate to have several long-term employees over the years. Our employees are loyal, dedicated, and proud of their work,” said Hughes. “They’re part of our family. We support our community and it’s so great to have had their support for 95 years.”
Life in the fast lane
The auto industry has changed a lot over the course of the last 95 years, Bruce said, but Lundgren has been able to keep up and in some instances keep stay ahead of the curve.
“The business is constantly evolving. Several years ago, there was fear the internet would make the dealer obsolete. With information so readily available on the internet, we simply have better informed customers. Many know what they want before they even walk in the dealership. Much of our work can be done with the internet, however our customers still need and expect excellent service from us,” he said.
Laura said they’ve seen the same fear with the vending-machine style and web-based car-buying opportunities, ride-share services, and autonomous vehicles but learned that people ultimately want to see and talk to other people.
“This is why relationships are so important. We do a lot of training and attend informational sessions to try to stay ahead of the curve. There’s always something to learn and something new and exciting in the pipeline: We like to be on the frontline,” Laura said. “We now have a DC fast charger for the growing number of electric vehicles that pass by on Hwy 53. We’re enjoying all the great people and we’re learning a lot about this new way of transportation.”
There have been many changes on the service end as well.
“We now offer mobile service where we send a technician to our customer’s home or place of work. We’re serving customers on the Iron Range and beyond; even going as far as International Falls. Mobile service has been extremely well received as it saves people time, and they don’t have to interrupt their day to bring their car in for service,” Bruce said.
“We have great resources and support from the Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association to keep us updated on the industry and the ever-changing rules and regulations,” Lee Anne added.
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