Getting to Know 2023 WVADA Chairman James “JR” Toothman WVADA is proud to announce our new chairman. James “JR” Toothman of Toothman Ford in Grafton will serve for the upcoming term. We recently sat down with him and are excited to work with him in this capacity and hope you enjoy getting to know him. Here are a few things you may or not know about your new chairman: fter receiving his Business Management/ Entrepreneurship degree from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, JR attended the NADA Academy in preparation for a career in the dealership founded by his parents, Jim and Becky Toothman, in 1967. He claims the most valuable part of his education was being 1,000 miles from home and learning a degree of selfreliance and the ability to adapt to adverse situations. When his mother and father began Toothman Ford in 1967, they owned and operated the business hands-on for many years. “Many amazing people helped shape my career,” JR said. “The guidance I had from my parents has been invaluable.” However, he really never had any intention of entering the automotive business. “I’m not an avid car junkie,” he stated. (His alltime favorite car is the amazing 1966 Ford Mustang convertible, but he usually drives a Ford Escape.) “I am just more appreciative of the business and the interactions with employees and customers.” But in 1994, he came home to help his parents for “a couple of years” with the family business. And now, here he is, all these years later, with an amazing team and a business that continues to grow. Chairman Toothman is proud of the great strides Toothman Ford has made over the years. “We’ve grown substantially in the last decade and have leased more land to keep up with our increasing inventory,” he said. “In addition, we have remodeled our dealership to ensure a welcoming, open and enjoyable experience for our customers.” He is also a partner in Toothman and Sowers Ford in White Hall, West Virginia. Despite his growing operations, he works hard to attract and retain quality employees. In fact, Toothman Ford was named one of the nation’s Best Dealerships to Work For by Automotive News in 2018. “Our team is second to none,” our new chairman said proudly. As with any industry, employees, supervisors, managers, owners, etc., are often influenced by several individuals along the way. JR finds that as he has progressed – in his career and life – a number of people have impacted him. Although he continually tries to learn from others in his profession – and successful people in general – he believes his father was a “tremendous mentor.” The senior Toothman displayed patience and courage, allowing JR to make mistakes without the “I told you so.” mantra. Another advisor was Dan McCollough, sales manager at the dealership. Dan helped modernize operations and taught JR to look outside the box for answers. And Frank Sowers, a partner at one of the stores, employed a much different operations methodology than JR’s own. Still, this difference allowed him to learn, which caused him to respect the years of wisdom and experience Frank provided. A longtime member of the Grafton community, Chairman Toothman supports organizations and initiatives that improve the health, welfare and quality of life of his neighbors. He is a generous benefactor of West Virginia University (WVU) Medicine and the WVU Cancer Institute. Additionally, his organization has donated and raised money to benefit WVU Medicine A wvcar.com 10 WVADA
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