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Bill Drew, 29, has been vice president of Drew Ford Volkswagen Hyundai Isuzu for almost five years. Before that he was a service adviser and a mechanic's apprentice.
"The service end of it is absolutely important to any dealership's long-term stability," Drew said.
The dealership had its roots in service. In 1927 Elmer Drew, Bill Drew's grandfather, opened Drew's Garage, a gas station and simple repair shop in downtown La Mesa.
Drew said that when the local Ford dealer went bankrupt during the Depression, its mechanic joined Elmer's shop and its reputation grew as the place in La Mesa for Ford service.
"The Ford rep took notice of that and approached my grandfather about getting a Ford franchise. He turned him down the first time because the other dealer had gone broke. He didn't want to take on that risk," Drew said. "And then (the rep) came back with another offer that if he bought $200 worth of parts and paid $20 a month for a demonstrator, he could have the Ford franchise. That was in 1934. So we became a Ford franchise then and we've been one ever since."
The Ford dealership moved from downtown La Mesa to its location in 1967.
Drew, who oversees the dealership...