Peck Ford dealership grows with region

Tom Peck never thought he would own a car dealership, even though he was the son of a man who was a car dealer.

Peck thought the Chicago market was too far out of his reach, and that if he were to potentially own a dealership, it would have to be somewhere in a rural community. That all changed the day his father told him in the mid 1990s to go see an old family friend on the way to a golf course in Genoa.

It turns out the visit would change his life as the longtime friend, John Fenzel of Fenzel Motors, told him about a Ford dealership in Hampshire that the owner was considering selling. Peck excitedly told his father, Tom Sr., about the opportunity and they decided to make an offer. The owner initially said the Ford store was not for sale, but after a deal already in the works fell through, the owner decided to sell to them.

"I didn't feel like stopping to say 'Hello' that day, but if I wouldn't have, I wouldn't be sitting here today," Peck said.

The purchase came at a time when Ford Motor Co. was trying to eliminate smaller dealerships. Peck characterized the Hampshire Ford building as small and dingy, with a showroom that would hold only one car. Ford officials gave the Pecks five years to make a go of it and bring the dealership up to the size the company wanted.

"This is a story of fate, beginning with me going to see John Fenzel, because everything else that happened afterward seemed to have a stroke of luck," Peck said.

Even though Peck has spent most of his life working in the car business, it wasn't always easy. His father's first dealership was Grange Dodge in Countryside, founded in 1967. As the oldest of four boys, the younger Peck did everything in the dealership, working as a porter, in the parts department, and other minor jobs.

Peck later pursued a marketing degree at Arizona State University and then went to work for 3M. When the senior Peck bought a Chevrolet dealership and opened Tom Peck Chevrolet in Chicago, the younger Peck thought he finally had his opportunity to make it in the automobile business.

"This was the late '70s and early '80s when the car business wasn't so good," Peck said. "So my father told me to stay put in my job at 3M. He ended up selling the dealership after two years."

Thus, when the Hampshire Ford deal came along, the younger Peck jumped on it and things began to fall into place. The Huntley Outlet Mall, which opened in 1994, was already there when they purchased the land for the Tom Peck Ford facility in Huntley, just off Illinois Route 47 and the Jane Addams Tollway, I-90.

Just weeks later, Del Webb Corp. bought the land to build the Sun City Huntley retirement community, bringing 10,000 retirees to the area. The state of Illinois eventually improved the tollway interchange, making it accessible for both eastbound and westbound traffic.

"In 2000, we had 5,000 people living out here," Peck said. "Now we're pushing 30,000."

Peck loves the area that his dealership serves. It pulls customers from the Northwest suburbs, while also catering to car buyers in Belvidere and Rockford. "Those people can hop on the tollway and in 20 minutes they are here," he said.

Another advantage has been having General RV of Chicagoland as the dealership's next-door neighbor. Peck said after customers buy their recreational vehicle, they often see his store and think about purchasing a vehicle to tow their new RV.

The area's climbing population has also caused the dealership to grow through the years, with the number of employees almost doubling since the dealership opened in its current location in 1999.

A Quick Lane Tire and Auto Center was added in 2007 and the dealership recently expanded its service department by adding three more lifts to bring the total number of service bays to 21. In addition to working on cars, SUVs and pickup trucks, the dealership's separate Commercial Truck Center services medium and heavy duty diesel trucks, school buses and similar commercial vehicles.

"It's exciting to watch the growth out here," said Peck, who is also optimistic about the planned redevelopment of the Huntley Outlet Mall bringing more potential customers to town.

The steady growth and stability the dealership has enjoyed over the years allowed Tom Peck Sr. to retire in 2014. The younger Peck said that even though he spends many of his waking hours at the store, he also has a solid management team that allows him to take time off and enjoy life.

"It took a while, but I have finally developed an A Team here and that's important," he said.

Another facet of the business that has changed over the years is the quality of the vehicles Ford produces.

"It (quality) has done a complete 180 over the 22 years that we have been running this dealership - and the turnaround is the reason warranty work is almost nonexistent now," he said.

Peck indicated that the quality of the current Ford lineup is reflected in the popularity of its crossover SUVs, the Focus, Escape and Fusion and F Series trucks, which have been the best-selling pickups in the U.S. for the last 39 years.

But what does Peck drive? A yellow Mustang convertible, of course.

Over the years, the one drawback to his work has been the crazy hours, Peck said, but if he had to choose, he said he would do it all over again.

"I have really enjoyed the business, the constant changes in the models, the increased fuel efficiency and reliability," Peck said. "I love doing the marketing and I love doing the commercials."

Tom Peck Ford invests in local youth by sponsoring as many local sports teams as possible. The dealership also runs an annual car show each June that benefits Special Olympics. Summer is also a special time at the Huntley Ford store. During good weather, you just may find one of the employees grilling food on the west side of the building - and if you come at the right time, you just may get a free lunch.

When he isn't at the dealership, Peck likes to spend time on the water. He has a house on the Chain O' Lakes and spends time cruising in his boat or enjoying time with his parents and family up at Lake Geneva. He also has a condo in downtown Chicago and a home in Florida. There's also time for an occasional round of golf and work in his home vegetable garden, in which he takes a lot of pride.

"I couldn't be happier as a Ford dealer," Peck said.

One could almost say that being a Ford dealer is Peck's version of an idyllic life.

Auto Biography

<b>Tom Peck</b>Dealer-Principal

13900 Automall Drive, Huntley (847) 669-6060

www.tompeckford.com

<span class="fact box text bold">Sales hours:</span> 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday

<span class="fact box text bold">Service hours:</span> 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday; 7 a.m. to noon Saturday. Quick Lane, 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday; 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday