The Frederick Motor Company

by: Jon Stewart    News-Post Staff

FREDERICK -- The new-business visionary lays the groundwork and builds stability for the next generation's evolutionary pursuit of growth and greater profitability. The founder takes the business through the growing pains and builds the employee and customer base; the family successor forges related business lines and modernization while preserving the dynamics which created success.

When Hanford Van Sant started his Mount Airy plumbing and heating business in 1945, he had three employees, said son and successor, Larry Van Sant. In those days, service was the company's staple. Then, requests came to plumb a house, or a well to be installed or repaired, or for a boiler to be installed. "Dad paid himself $16 a week, and that was if he earned enough to pay his employees, who were paid first," Mr. Van Sant said. When Larry Van Sant joined the business in 1978, there were 10 employees, mainly in plumbing and hydronic boiler work. Today, there are 145 employees during the peak time of the year, 15 as part of the office staff. The company has changed its name to Van Sant Inc. to reflect the added lines Larry has added: A greater HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) and service environment, and working with a larger volume of builders of new homes and condominiums.

Jim Warfield is president and chief executive officer and majority owner of The Frederick Motor Co., which is near Frederick Towne Mall. Mr. Warfield is the third generation, after grandfather, Robert, and father, John Robert Warfield started the company in November 1917 in downtown Frederick. The business was more of a service center than a sales center because cars were hard to come by, Jim Warfield said. "It wasn't until Henry Ford made the vehicles affordable in the late '20s and early '30s that the sales segment took off," he said. "Financing evolved and the dealer floated loans -- extended credit. People made payments at the dealership; instead of going to a bank, they came to the dealer on Friday (payday) and made their payment." The business moved to 117-121 W. Patrick St. in 1922 and moved again in 1971 to the dealership's current location. "Dad (John) pushed for the move from downtown to Waverly Drive at the same time the mall was being built. It took a lot of vision to have that done in 1971," Jim Warfield said. John Warfield joined the business in 1954, right out of the Air Force Reserves, Jim Warfield said. "Dad had the drive and a new focus on growth. The large complex on 12 and a half acres we have today is a result of that drive," Jim Warfield said. The business has had steady growth over the years. Jim Warfield took over in 1992, and the dealership added many model choices and also added Suburu, he said. "Back in the old days, our target was 50 percent of the total sales market; today, we try to sell 20 percent of the market share," he said. John Warfield is retired and lives in Florida. He is sent information statements and keeps long-distance tab on the business. When he visits Frederick, Mr. Warfield sometimes heads for the dealership to visit the employees who are still around from the 1960s, such as technician Ralph Burdette (1968), new car inspector Tom Butler (1969) and drive train and transmission expert Ivan Wolfe (1962).

Marion Carmack, chairman of the board for Carmack Insurance Group, is still involved with the insurance agency he turned over to his son, Bob, in 1996. Bob Carmack is president and chief executive officer, and has tripled the company's growth and expanded the client base to eight states since he took over, according to the company's website. Marion Carmack started his career with Prudential in 1957 and joined Stoffer-Sanner Insurance Agency in 1961. The principals were Charles S.V. Sanner and Edwin Stoffer. Mr. Carmack purchased the business in 1978 and became president and chief executive officer. The early days of Marion Carmack's business featured a lot of insurance policies for service stations and farms, but that has gone by the wayside. "With time, owning a service station wasn't feasible because of the long hours and increased competition from the Gas and Go's," Mr. Carmack said. "In the last 10-15 years, the declining number of farms reflects the economic changes in the county." The insurance industry has evolved from agencies dealing with customer's contracts to the insurance companies taking the load. "We used to prepare customer policies in the office," Marion Carmack said. "When a policy would come due, we would draw up the policy, write a letter of renewal and mail them to the customer. We might have 5,000 to 6,000 clients, many billed 12 times a year, and some clients had four policies. We had thousands of checks floating around here. It was a security issue," Marion Carmack said. Bob Carmack took over the company during advances in technology. "Dad saw that we could improve the company operations through automation," Bob Carmack said. "That was one of the factors in my taking over the day-to-day operations. I was younger and gave us a better chance to bring us to the cutting age of technology." Today, agencies like Carmack sell the insurance companies' products, but the companies take care of drawing up the contracts, billing the customers and collecting the payment, Marion and Bob Carmack said. "Ten years ago, we had many filing cabinets. Now, we are paperless. Our client base is backed up on both the East Coast and West Coast in case of a catastrophic event on either coast. We don't have a server; it's all Web-based," Bob Carmack said.

Jerry Freeze is the owner of Cozy Restaurant Inc. on Md. 806 in Thurmont. The restaurant has made 30 additions since Mr. Freeze's father, Wilbur, started the business in 1929 as a gas station, several cottages and three tents, Jerry Freeze said. "Dad slept in the tents. He had worked in Detroit, and he saw the future of the automobile and travel," Jerry Freeze, 70, said. "Mom joined in 1934. I was born in 1936 and was raised in the family business." Mr. Freeze joined the business full time in 1957 after a hitch in the Marines. The restaurant is famous for all the politicians, staff, delegations and press who have paid visits over the decades. Cozy started as a cafe with small sandwiches, and the business kept enlarging over the years. The cuisine featured only country cooking. "Our employees were ideally suited to country cooking because they grew up on a farm and were used to cooking for a lot of people," Mr. Freeze said. "There were no infusions from different countries, nor of new seasonings. Things didn't start getting trendier until the late '80s." Today, Mr. Freeze and staff visit other restaurants 4-5 times a week to look for ideas and to upgrade. Cozy is twice the size it was in the 1940s, and the business's motel has been expanded and renovated. Mr. Freeze said he learned all facets of the business from the ground up. The business evolves a lot faster today. "You keep the old but you must introduce the new. Feedback is so important. You find out what didn't go over well."

All the business owners interviewed for this story learned from their parents that customer service and care of employees are keys to long-term survival. The transition from one generation to the next reflected a need for the older generation to turn over the reins of day-to-day operations to the younger generation -- but still keep an eye on the business.

Larry Van Sant's father, Hanford, believed in doing the job right the first time. "Dad said if you have time to do a job over again, you had time to do it right the first time," Larry Van Sant said. When Larry Van Sant took over in 1978, Hanford had 10 employees. None of them took vacations, Larry said. "They were all craftsmen and generalists who could do anything. They were like 10 owners. Today, we send out teams of specialists who complete a phase of a job. In this way, the work gets completed more quickly."

Jim Warfield said when he started in the business, his father, John, allowed him a lot of independence. "I learned on my own, and was allowed to make changes and mistakes. Dad wanted to retire; so there wasn't a long transition. Dad knew we had a solid business. He let me take over but kept majority ownership until this year. He wasn't in charge day to day, but could be if it was needed -- but he never needed to," Jim Warfield said. One change resulted in a quick-service oil, lube, brake, tires, exhaust and alignment work to compete for the business lost to the gas stations and oil and lube places, Jim Warfield said. "People drive in, get the work done and pay for the work, all in one location separate from the main business," he said.

Marion Carmack passed on to son, Bob, the need for service above production for their insurance agency. "Customers are buying a service, and they expect the promise to be delivered down the road," Marion Carmack said. "Dad made it clear that production as the focus is not what makes a successful insurance business," Bob Carmack said. "If you are professional, honest and show integrity, the income will take care of itself." "The bigger, better and faster companies are like shooting stars -- they're a flash in the pan -- and I'm still here," Marion Carmack said.

  Steve Steele of The Frederick Motor Company Places Second in Nationwide Subaru Technicians Competition.

Frederick, MD ? October 12, 2011 - The Frederick Motor Company is proud to announce that one of our very own, Steve Steele won second place at the Subaru National Technician Competition.  Steve's superior skill and dedication to his craft earned him a coveted spot at the competition.  

He was selected to represent the D.C. Zone and compete against other top ranking Subaru technicians from across the country.  The Subaru National Technician Competition is a grueling test comprised of an extensive demonstration of product knowledge, total systems comprehension and overall technical skills aptitude to troubleshoot and repair Subaru vehicles with speed and precision. 

The field was comprised of other highly trained Subaru technicians from across the United States. To merely qualify to compete in the elite challenge is a victory in itself.  First, Steve had to win the district selection and then the zone selection. This was no easy feat and competition was fierce.   After that, Steve advanced to the national competition to battle against other Subaru Zone winners.  Steve represented us extremely well placing second in the national competition and we are very proud of him.  He is a credit to our company and his profession.

The Frederick Motor Company founded in 1917 has represented Subaru in Western Maryland since 1990.  Please join us in congratulating Steve Steele.

Picture of Jerry Lenga Service Director(left)  and Steve Steele (right)

Frederick, MD ? October 22, 2011 ? The Frederick Motor Company is hosting a Cancer Awareness Day with proceeds benefiting the American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Frederick County®. This Life Celebration and fundraising event will be held at the dealership, located at 1 Waverley Drive on October 22, 2011 from noon till 4:00 p.m.

Best known for beating deals and their competition, The Frederick Motor Company is helping to fight a vicious disease that affects the lives of millions.  Relay for Life teams will be at the dealership from noon until 4.p.m. on October 22^nd, 2011.  The Frederick Motor Company invites the entire community to visit the dealership to help support their efforts and participate in this fantastic event. 

Showing their commitment to this incredible cause, The Frederick Motor Company is donating $25.00 per car sold from October 1 to the day of this event to help reach the intended goal of raising funds and awareness to help save lives.

At the onsite celebration not only will you find free food and drinks but with fun activities planned, The Frederick Motor Company expects this lively event to be fun and enjoyable for the entire family.  Roy Rogers has graciously donated the food and drink for the celebration.  Special thanks to participating media sponsors 106.9 The Eagle and Key 103.

"We are happy to join The American Cancer Society's mission of saving lives, by helping people stay informed, by helping to fund them in the race for finding cures, and by fighting back," said Jim Warfield, Owner of The Frederick Motor Company.

            "I feel honored to be a part of this uplifting event," said Paul Adams, General Manager of The Frederick Motor Company. "We are trying to do everything we can to create awareness about the fight against cancer and to help raise the money to continue the fight."   

The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; by helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation's largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing about $3.4 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about The American Cancer Society or to get help, call anytime, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.

For more information about The Frederick Motor Company please visit our website at: http://www.frederickmotor.com