StettlerLocal.com February 3, 2022 @ 4:50pm
In November of 1975, Mid-West Motors opened their new dealership building. Located on the footprint that is now Sobey’s, the new building resulted from years of planning and observation by Mid-West president Jim Kalyn who had owned and operated the Stettler Ford dealership for ten years. The new building would mark the company’s anniversary.
The front of the dealership had large floor-to-ceiling windows which faced the street and had a floor made of glazed quarry tiles. The show floor space was designed to accommodate four full-sized vehicles brought in and moved out by ramps on the north and south side of the showroom. The sales area comprised three offices, while the main business part of the building is in the center, with access from the sales area and parts and service.
The spacious service area accommodated seven service stalls and a wash rack. In addition to the other features, such as the foreman’s office and mechanics washrooms, each stall had an intake system that fed into the in-floor exhaust system vented to the outside. Cliff Zeigler was the shop foreman and had been a licensed mechanic since 1970. The dealership’s maintenance man was Lindsay Gordon, who had been with the Ford brand in Stettler for 18 years.
Mid-West’s parts department sold both retail and wholesale parts. At the time of the new dealership opening, they operated with roughly 4000 parts and were prepared to expand their stock as the market required it. The Mid-West parts department served as far east as the border, south to Rumsey, and north to Donalda. Parts Manager Ron Nighswander had been with the Ford family for twenty-five years. He started with Streit’s Sales and Service, continued when the dealer became McAllister Motors and was there when Mid-West took over the brand.
Mid-West Motors would remain in operation for several years before becoming Rondel Ford. It would then become Swallow Ford and eventually move to the industrial section of town. The Mid-West building was torn down, and IGA purchased the lot in the early 2000s.
Carson Ellis, Local Historian
Our Town Stettler