Chas Grady's Colleagues at Fowler Automotive
Chas Grady's Contact Details
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Fowler Automotive
Chas Grady's Company Details
The Fowler organization comprises a corporate office, auto detail and accessory shop, and nine automobile dealerships across Oklahoma and Colorado. With almost 700 employees operating franchises for Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen, Ford, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram, Fowler's success can be traced back to 1973 when purchasing the first auto dealership in downtown Norman, Oklahoma. Still, the legacy of Fowler began years before that with a boy named Billy. Born in Waxahachie, Texas, on February 22, 1931, Billy was one of three children born to Willie and Loraine Fowler. Growing up, Billy learned his work ethic young. At age ten, he worked beside his father in the cotton fields before his family moved to Corsicana, Texas, in 1942, after the invasion of Pearl Harbor. At age eleven, he secured a job at a local supermarket working from 4-8 pm after school and 7-10a on Saturdays. Billy had this job through high school, and it promised him a bright future. However, what Billy's employers saw in him would prove to be the very drive and determination that would keep pushing him forward to pursue more ambitious dreams. In 1957, Billy entered the car business as a salesperson in Dallas, Texas. Before long, he set his sights on owning his first dealership. His enthusiasm for a ripe and growing industry helped to establish Billy in the marketplace, and, in 1965, he moved his family to Oklahoma to take a sales management position. In 1973, Billy's dreams began taking shape. After securing a loan from his banker brother-in-law, and positioning himself as a Toyota Automobile Dealer, Billy purchased a Toyota dealership in downtown Norman. He operated the Toyota franchise in 4 locations before building its current site on Interstate 35 in July of 1981.Over the years, Billy developed several business enterprises, which kept him very busy. As an active member and humanitarian, Billy had served on several boards and held many leadership roles in the community.