Minority Supplier
Minority Oregon Ford Dealer
OREGON
Minority Ford Dealer
Certified by the National Minority Supplier Development Council
Diversity
Within the Auto Industry
Ford Motor Company has been at the forefront of bringing diversity to the auto industry. Way back on July 25th 1950, Ford committed $1 million dollars to fund the original Dealer Development Program. Back in 2003, through training and financial assistance the Ford Dealer Development Program was introduced to co-owners Sil Gonzales and Bess Wills. At that time less than 3% of the Car Dealers across America were Minorities. Ford has created the opportunity for minorities to own their own dealerships.
Association Memberships
Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs
This 850 member association is a collection of business owners, public agencies, partner non-profits and large businesses. The Chairman, Sam Brooks and the association staff have been welcoming and a wealth of knowledge and support. Gresham Ford has been lucky enough to participate in a number of their events and programs.
Ford Minority Dealers Association
The approximately 360 Minority Ford Dealers now account for 7% of the entire dealer base. This may not appear to be substantial but Ford leads the auto industry and credits their Automotive Dealership Education Profram for Minorities. This program provides both educatation and financial assistance. It has become increasingly clear that programs vary greatly in their scope and effectiveness across manufacturers. In 2014 nationally minority-owned dealerships accounted for only 1.8 percent according to NAMAD.
National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers
NAMAD is committed to increasing the opportunities for ethnic minorities in all aspects of the automotive industry. Unfortunately the diversity of auto dealers across America fails to reflect the diversity of the country as a whole. We are grateful for the programs and opportunties that NAMAD continues to provide.
National Minority Supplier Development Council
The NMSDC works to advance business opportunities for certified minority businesses and connects them to corporate members and other businesses. Their BizConnect MatchMaker Program has helped us to connect with large national businesses that we would not other have the opportunity to establish business relationships. Their dedication to soliciting pledges from large national businesses to utilize minority suppliers has opened doors for Gresham Ford and other minority businesses.
Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber
The Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber exists to create opportunities and grow the Latino community’s wealth and assets by investing in its community’s entrepreneurial spirit; supporting its future generations’ access to higher education; and preparing its emerging leaders to succeed in their careers and in the communities at large.
Diverse Team
Gresham Ford has taken special care to ensure hiring procedures have reduced bias related to a candidate's age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and other personal characteristics that are unrelated to job performance. Our Human Resource staff regularly expands candidate sourcing to attract diversity and inclusion. We believe that those efforts are working. As of 2021 the Gresham Ford staff is more diverse that the City of Gresham.
We appreciate that diversity and inclusion is much more than headcounts and policies. Providing opportunities to those who would not otherwise be provided them is important. The benefits are endless and we are so excited for the progress that is clearly on the horizon.