Franchise History: 1995 Through 2025 (The Kings Ford Years)
Bob Ring had steadily grown his vehicle sales at RS Ford – averaging around 38 vehicle sales per month – on its humbly sized parcel of less than 1.2 acres; Ring was out of space for the area’s growing population, and he communicated to his local Ford representatives on several occasions the increasingly urgent need to relocate his store to a better location and more land where he could stock more inventory (“Car Dealer of Future”, 25). Based on Ring’s expressed need to move to an entirely new location and a new facility design initiative at Ford headquarters in Dearborn, MI, local Cincinnati representatives of Ford Motor Company informally approached Bob Ring in 1993 to gage his interest in relocating his dealership – RS Ford – to a much larger location and facility in the newly established Kings Automall. Ring excitedly accepted the opportunity but also communicated certain constraints regarding available capital to fund a new facility and additional operational expenses required to facilitate the rapid expansion of his business. Fortunately for Ring, Ford Motor Company had very recently launched a nation-wide facility initiative tasked to its real estate division, “Ford Land,” to assist dealer development of new facilities through – if necessary – purchasing undeveloped strategic plots of land and constructing state-of-the-art facilities for rent to the Dealer Principal store operator.
Ring’s timing could not have been better: the proposed new facility at Kings Automall would serve as the very first entirely new facility open for business using Ford’s new design process, branded at Ford Land as the “Ford Project 2000 Marketplace.” Ring’s new location would serve as the first new construction, while Koons Ford in Baltimore, MD would also adopt the 2000 Marketplace design through an intensive remodel of their pre-existing facility. The new design was spearheaded by architectural firm Miller Zell, and was carefully crafted to inform any customer visiting the dealership to “immediately have a roadmap for doing business” with a parking lot and building layout that was easily apparent and intuitive. Features included a remarkably obvious exterior front entrance for all customers to easily identify, a receptionist desk to greet all customers entering the front doors, a showroom without display vehicles but instead open-concept Sales Consultant work spaces, an exterior lot to serve as vehicle displays organized by nameplate, and an airy open customer lobby with a triangular floor plan that began narrow in the service area and progressively widened to its broadest and most spacious in the sales area. Ring described once that the “triangular, looking glass” floorplan shape was designed by Miller Zell to serve as a funnel or “beam of light” that would naturally invite customers to flow from the service write-up area to the sales showroom area.
Ring needed capital not only for the new land and building, but also to fund the expansion of his operations. He was projected to go from roughly 18 employees to over 65 with the move to Kings Automall; he also required funding for new equipment, new furniture, increased advertising, and especially more product in the way of expensive new vehicle inventory. Ring was cited in May of 1995 that he expected his monthly sales to triple or quadruple from 30 new vehicles sold per month to possibly up to 120 units per month (“Ford dealers dueling”, 40). Ring was introduced to George F. Bush of Wilmington, OH, who had developed an impressive automotive operation in Wilmington, Ohio under the monikers of Bush Leasing and Bush Auto Place. As a potential silent and minority partner to Ring, Bush could provide a much-needed immediate infusion of capital for the expansion, while also standing to provide additional long-term security, if needed. Ford was producing an excellent variety of commercial fleet vans and trucks, which complimented Bush’s rather complex supply chain by securing reasonable markup that also indirectly benefited him as a silent partner. An additional benefit to teaming up with Bush included the need for Ring to clarify to friends and family that he was not in-fact partnering with the former President of the United States; this was an entirely different George Bush.
With funding for the land, new facility, increased inventory, and additional operating expenses seemingly secured, Ring had two major determinations to finalize: (1) a specific location relative to Kings Automall, and (2) a name for the new dealership. At the time of the relocation planning, nine dealers representing 13 different makes of new vehicle dealerships were already present at Kings Automall, and space within “the proper Automall driving loop” was becoming constrained, despite the 1986 50-acre initial footprint. Ring was given the option on a prominent location immediately to the right when first entering the Automall loop; despite the excellent visibility, the catch was the nearly 5.2 acre lot was regarded as undersized for a large-volume Ford store. Ford Land proposed an alternative option for Ring less than one half mile away that was more immediately visible from the nearby interstate highway and also closer to the exit ramp; the location – now occupied by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Mason Campus – would effectively complete an “interstate highway straddle” with the Automall, offering affiliation through proximity but extending a much more generous plot of up to 10 acres or more. The downside was obvious: the attraction of the Automall – especially before the dawn of the internet when shoppers would typically visit four or more dealerships on average before making a purchase – was the convenience of the loop traffic across consumer options. The larger acreage alternative – despite its physical proximity as the crow flies – was over a five-minute drive away from the Automall because of traffic patterns crossing the interstate; opting for a location outside the proper Automall loop and breaking direct affiliation with the Kings Automall Association would certainly come at a cost in units sold. After considerable contemplation, Ring opted for the proper Automall loop location, despite acknowledging that he would be landlocked in insufficient space for most stores his size. Ring’s final determination was almost certainly secured by 3Q1993, as Ford Leasing Development finalized the purchase of the future location of the franchise by December 17, 1993; the third, current, and grandest home of the then 78-year-old franchise was finally set at address 9555 Kings Automall Road (“Sales History”, 1993).
The future name of the store came easily after committing to its proper place in the Automall. With the Automall store names already established of Kings Toyota, Kings Dodge, Lincoln/Mercury of Kings Automall, and Saturn of Kings Automall – the collective power of the “Kings” name and brand was obvious. Ring notified Ford Land that the sign for the new building should read “Kings Ford”, and the franchise name was updated again with the Ohio’s Secretary of State through a formal filing on November 7, 1995. By November 23, 1995, Ring was advertising in the Cincinnati Enquirer that RS Ford in Loveland was hosting a “moving sale” and that RS Ford was relocating to the Kings Automall under its newly announced brand name: Kings Ford (“RS Ford”, 93).
The relocation of Ring’s franchise from Loveland to Kings Automall was not entirely without objection from other Ford stores. In May of 1995, a court injunction to postpone the planned opening of the new store in November of 1995 was publicly threatened in local media (“Ford dealers”, 40). Ford Motor Company’s attorney, George Hariston, prevailed during summer of 1995 over two separate appeals, paving the way for Ring’s new store to open.
With his employee count expected to triple, his new vehicle sales volume expected to possibly quadruple, and the myriads of other logistical operational arrangements that most certainly seemed daunting, Ring knew he needed additional help that would offer excellent organizational skills, executive function, and – perhaps most importantly – prove loyal and trustworthy to his vision. His eldest daughter, Carol Fuller (nee Ring), had graduated with high marks in Accounting from Xavier University’s Williams College of Business several years earlier; at the time of Ring’s preparations in summer of 1995, Fuller was in her third year at Cincinnati-headquartered Fortune 500 and Retailing Conglomerate “United States Shoe / Luxottica” in their Corporate Accounting Department supporting the functions of public financial reporting and specifically departmental consolidations for preparation of U.S. Shoe’s SEC public filings. Fuller had seasonally worked at RS Ford on and off through high school and college as summer help in the Accounting and Reception Office with Kathy Kiene (see 1979-1994 franchise history). In summer of 1995, Ring convinced Fuller that the prospect of the expansion to Kings Automall from the small country store in Loveland offered incredible opportunities; Fuller fully transitioned from U.S. Shoe to Kings Ford full-time by August of 1995.
Bush and Ring finalized the terms of their business partnership between October and December of 1995, and Bush officially became Ring’s silent partner by late December. As early as December 31, 1995, Kings Ford was advertising in the local paper to hire new Sales Consultants for their state-of-the-art new showroom (“Automotive Salespeople”, 93).
Also of significance in December of 1995, Carol Fuller’s spouse (Doug Fuller) joined the management team to assume a new role at Kings Ford. Doug Fuller had formerly been working in Chicago for a financial firm that was tangentially related to automotive; with the increased importance of the business relationship with Bush Leasing as a top Commercial Fleet account, Doug would help establish and grow the first Fleet Department for the new store. Doug would later help weather many storms through critical leadership and support for Bob and Carol as General Manager of the store beginning in 2003, a role he occupies to present-day.
By February of 1996, Ford Motor Company was promoting Kings Ford, Inc. as a pilot prototype for future stores’ consideration, and Ring was featured in the local newspaper The Cincinnati Enquirer to discuss the distinctive features of the building design; the building design would also be prominently displayed on presentational media that Ford had prepared to be showcased at the annual convention of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) in Las Vegas in February of 1996 (“Kings Ford”, 20). On the eve of the formal “Grand Opening” set for April 11, 1996, Ring reported that his March sales had grown to 238 units from around an average of 38 when in Loveland (“Car dealer”, 25).
The Grand Opening of Kings Ford on April 11, 1996 – although technically in operation for the prior 3 months – welcomed much fanfare locally and nationally; Ford Motor Company sent several elite representatives from Dearborn, MI, and the local team celebrated in black-tie formal attire. The formal opening of the prototype store was momentous for Ford: before the end of April 1996, 21 additional Ford and Lincoln-Mercury outlets were planning similar new facilities (“Ford dealers get new face”, 1).
In 2000-2001 the store underwent another critical challenge when George Bush hit financial hardship with his other business ventures. The bursting of “the dot com bubble” and the ensuing recession during this time period, in addition to other business factors, forced Bush to liquidate his stake in Kings Ford. Bush formally closed his silent partnership with Kings Ford by December of 2002, almost exactly seven years after initially joining its ownership. This development placed new pressure on Ring to finalize his succession plan, and Carol Fuller – recently graduated from NADA Dealer Academy – received the blessing of Ford Motor Company as an owner/operator successor by 2003.
The following two decades for the franchise under Ring’s leadership at Kings Ford saw many years of prosperity and many years of challenge. Ford would introduce many fine products during this time to meet increased customer demand, and the areas surrounding Kings Automall would substantially grow in increased population with in-step increasing automotive needs. Through the masterful creativity of Bob’s trustworthy advertiser of choice – Bob Wing – the store’s reputation grew by television commercials, radio advertisements, newspaper displays, word of mouth, and increasingly by method of the seemingly mystical medium “the internet.” By 1999, the relatively new search engines of Yahoo!, AOL Netfind, and AltaVista dominated consumer home computers; upstart Google began to disrupt the online scene in 2000 and by 2007 nearly 100% of search engine marketing spend resided with either Google or Yahoo!.
One of the benefits of advertising with Bob Wing was Bob Ring needing to clarify to friends and family that he was not actually making up a fake identity for his advertiser by changing one letter in his own name; Bob Wing was very much a real person and an excellent advertiser. Slogans through the years evolved, but perhaps most iconic was building off the Marketplace 2000 facility concept with: “Kings Ford: the future of Ford, today.” Wing also assisted with the legendary race car driving phenom Dale Jarrett visiting Kings Ford in the late 1990s as a promotional masterpiece that lives in the memory of many employees and customers of the franchise to this day.
The “Great Recession” that began in late 2007 and the ensuing governmental programs like “Cash for Clunkers” provided memorable times of stress and almost feverish activity to face the challenges presented.
In 2011, the franchise operations expanded by acquiring the former Jake Sweeney Leasing building – also a Subaru Dealership in the distant past – at 8755 Fields Ertel Road. The building would accommodate a location for Ford’s newly minted competitor brand to quick maintenance rivals: “Quick Lane Tire and Auto Center.” Additionally, the separate used vehicle operation that is today known as Car Sales Express and the ever-expanding Fleet Department grew into the 8755 building. In 2014, Ford incentivized an expansive remodel at the primary Kings Ford building, and Bob’s son (Joe Ring) who recently joined the management team full-time in January of 2014 spearheaded the facility upgrade; the project resulted in dramatic changes to the exterior and interior of the building, as well as the expansion of the building footprint to accommodate more service bays and parts storage. In 2017, Kings Ford began discussion with Deerfield Township that eventually led to another major project in 2018 and 2019 with the opening of the “KFI Annex”, which would serve as a state-of-the-art inspection center for Service Customers’ vehicles and open additional parking for the space constrained store. The franchise that once occupied a humble 1.2-acre facility in Loveland had grown across three rooftops to operate on nearly 10 acres of space.
During the 2010s, Ring was also very active as the Chairperson of the Cincinnati Region’s Ford Dealers Advertising Fund (FDAF). Ring was commended by his fellow dealers and local Ford Motor Company leadership as a great collaborator and mediator to accomplish a shared strategy that was mindful and considerate of many differing viewpoints while practical in effectuating outcomes. Of his many signature accomplishments as Chairperson, perhaps the most memorable was assisting with the marketing of Ford as one of the central advertisers of the Kentucky Speedway’s first NASCAR Cup Series race in July of 2011.
When asked by a local reporter on the day of the Grand Opening of Kings Ford in April of 1996 about his concerns about the dramatic expansion of his operations, Ring stated: “The main concern is I came from a small dealership where personal service is the most important thing. I want to keep that with the new dealership” (“Car Dealer”, 25). With personal service at the heart of Bob Ring’s philosophy, he knew having a strong people-centric team was also critical. Ridener in a 1999 video interview noted that he enjoyed working with Bob because “he was always fair” and because he enjoyed his laugh. A hallmark of Bob’s presence, his thundering laugh was often heard uncommon distances from its source. While focusing on “personal service” and a work environment that was fun and energetic, Bob unsurprisingly attracted talent from his employees that stayed with the store for decades, shaping the store’s culture and reinforcing Bob’s vision for his customers rooted in “personal service.” To help celebrate the longevity of so many employees, in 2015 Bob began presenting commemorative trophies welcoming employees with over “20 years of service with the franchise” as members of the illustrious “20 Years Club.”
The introduction of a new decade in 2020 brought unprecedented challenges with the COVID-19 outbreak and then the subsequent national microchip supply chain crisis. Anticipating his 80th birthday approaching just two years away and carrying the helm as President for well over 40 years, Bob decided it was time to finally pass the reigns of the franchise to Carol Fuller in May of 2022 once the early decade’s tumultuous challenges seemed to quiet down at the cap of the supply chain crisis. After 107 years of consecutive operation under the leadership of a male Dealer Principal, the second-oldest Ford franchise in the state of Ohio welcomed its first woman majority owner and President. Applauded by Ford Motor Company leadership in Dearborn and already well-primed for the role, Carol unsurprisingly witnessed one of the best years for the franchise in 2023 as its new President. Carol Fuller was also additionally honored in 2024 when the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) certified Kings Ford, Inc. – after an extensive vetting process – as one of the very few WBENC-Certified Women Owned New Vehicle Dealerships in the state of Ohio.
In 2024, Kings Ford celebrated its 45th year of ownership and operation by the Ring-Fuller families, which also parlayed into celebrating the 110th anniversary of the franchise in 2025. On December 4, 2024, NADA announced they would be honoring Kings Ford as one of the oldest continuously operating franchises in the country as a member of their “Century Award Club” at their annual convention in New Orleans in January of 2025. Kings Ford is amongst the 50 oldest continuously operated new vehicle franchises in the United States to receive the Century Award, and fourth oldest in the state of Ohio.
