"It's time to pass the baton to a younger generation," says Ron Chapman.
Killarney's GM Dealership has officially passed that baton yesterday, today being the first day open with brothers Bob, Ron and Murray not being in the driver's seat. It's transition time at Chapman Motors.
Chapman Motors has been serving their community of the Killarney area, and beyond those borders, since 1931 when the boys' grandpa Merril Chapman took on the McColl-Frontenac dealership in Killarney, a name which was later changed to Texaco.
In 1953 the brothers' parents, Glen and Corinne Chapman and their Uncle Jack bought out Grandpa Merril. Then in 1983 the three brothers; Bob, Ron and Murray formed the partnership of Chapman Motors Ltd with the General Motors franchise.
That's 94 years of the Chapman family being a household name in southwestern Manitoba.
Yesterday, April 1st marked the first day of the new Team Chapman to continue the GMC franchise as Murray's son Aubrey Chapman, and Bob's nephew Cliff Taylor partner with the newest member of the community, Andrew Kuski. The three Chapman brothers are embracing retirement, making way for the next generation to step into their shoes.
"My two brothers and I have operated Chapman Motors with our family since 1983, but we're getting a little long in the tooth," shares Ron. "So, we thought it was time to transition to a new management team. Fortunately, we've been able to set up a plan to transition the business to two current employees, Aubrey Chapman and Cliff Taylor (both 4th generation).
At the start of the transition process with General Motors Andrew Kuski expressed interest in buying into the dealership. Kuski hails from Saskatchewan and has been in the auto industry for 13 years, most recently managing a GM dealership in Moose Jaw. He and his family will be formally moving to Killarney this summer after their children complete the last few months of school in Moose Jaw.
"It's time to pass the baton to a younger generation," add Ron Chapman, "one that's really up to date on what's going on in the computer world, the auto world, and the rest of the world. Now, having said that, I think it's important to talk about the transition," he adds.
The process of transition will be uniquely tailored to each of the brothers.
The oldest brother, Bob, has been transitioning into full time retirement over the past two years. Brother Murray is expected to remain a key staff member in the service side of the business until they can solidify their parts department. And Ron has decided to stay on as an employee in a .6 part time position, "until they kick me out," adds Ron. "So, I'll be here for a little bit longer."
"I find it interesting in that there's three old guys being kicked out and three young guys moving in. So, it's kind of like it was in 1983," adds Ron with a chuckle.
"I just want to say Thank you, thank you very much," shares Ron. "We've been well-supported by southern Manitoba and I'm hoping everyone will continue to support the 'sort of' next generation, but not entirely next generation. And I also want to say Thank you to our staff that has worked hard, harder than most people. So, I appreciate both groups for their support for working with Bob, Ron and Murray."
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