Jenkins & Wynne has been thriving in Clarksville for 70 years, and their story is one of taking chances, keeping family connections, weathering tragedy and always putting customers first.
It started back in 1936, when Vernon Jenkins, at only 26 years old, took over operations at Barnes Motor Company, the Ford Store in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. But only a few years later, in 1942, Jenkins was drafted to serve in World War II. He kept that dream alive of coming back to sell cars, writing home to a friend, “If this war is ever over, I’m going to have a Ford dealership.”
The war kept going, and Jenkins kept planning. In 1944, while he was still serving, Vernon and friend Will Summers purchased a Ford dealership in Springfield, Tennessee, and named it Summers & Jenkins Motor Company. Evelyn Jenkins, Vernon’s wife, worked at the store until he got out of the Army.
After the war, in 1946, Jenkins partnered with MB “Briz” Wynne, who was a feed salesman, to buy a Ford dealership in Franklin, Kentucky, naming it Jenkins & Wynne and selling Ford cars, trucks and tractors.
In December 1953, Vernon and Briz sold the Franklin store and moved to Clarksville, Tennessee, as owners of Jenkins & Wynne Lincoln Mercury on Madison Street. They started with less than $100,000 in inventory and eight employees, but at the end of the first year had leveraged fair dealing, honesty, and good service to bring in around $1 million in sales.
Over the years, Jenkins & Wynne expanded their operations to add Ford, Volkswagen, Honda and Isuzu.
There were tough times as well. When the 101st Airborne Division deployed to Vietnam, Jenkins & Wynne lost a major chunk of its customer base. Then in 1967, a fire destroyed the Ford building. The company pushed through the tough times though, and came out strong on the other side.
Don Jenkins takes the reins
Along the way Don Jenkins, the only son of Vernon and Evelyn Jenkins, was watching and learning. Don was just 3 years old when his father founded the Clarksville dealership, so he has been surrounded by cars and car talk his entire life. Starting in the mid-1960s, Don washed vehicles on his Dad’s lot and did this through high school. As he prepared to enter Rhodes College in Memphis, Don decided he wanted a career that had nothing to do with cars. Instead, he was going to become a banker.
In 1971, just as Don was about to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business, he received a letter from his dad. “Give me one year in the car business,” Vernon Jenkins said, “just one year.”
And a year was all it took. “I came to the dealership and loved it,” Jenkins says. Nearly 50 years later, he still thrives on the interaction with people, love for vehicles, and the challenge of running a dealership that became dear to him that first year.
Vernon Jenkins retired in 1985 at the age of 75, and passed away in 2002. “If I can be 50 percent of the man my dad was, I’ll feel like I’ve succeeded in life,” Don Jenkins said.
The next generation
Don and Sandy Jenkins had two children. Casey and Blake, and they quickly stepped into the business. In 2012, Casey and Blake both graduated from the National Automotive Dealer Academy in 2012.
Blake had started working at the store before he could drive. He worked in parts, service, sales and finance and was a manager. But things took a tragic turn when Blake died unexpectedly at age 30 in November 2013.
MORE: The full history of Jenkins & Wynne
Casey Jenkins is now owner of the dealership and sees her future as “promising with endless opportunities” as she continues the family-owned and operated tradition.
“I’m not just in the car business; I’m in the innovation and technology business, and our product happens to be automobiles,” Casey Jenkins said.
“A quote by Henry Ford that inspires me to think beyond today is, ‘If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.’ It takes constant listening and learning to live in the now and yet prepare for the future, and all the changes that come with time,” she said.
“We are about to build a 30-bay heavy duty truck service facility and a standalone Lincoln showroom as well as a standalone accessories store. The future is bright, and I’m so grateful for the family and team that I get to work alongside.”
Over the past 70 years, Jenkins & Wynne has experienced immense growth – in property, vehicle inventory, sales, service and the number of team members. Jenkins & Wynne started with one building and is now busting at the seams. Jenkins & Wynne is one of the largest Ford-Lincoln dealerships in Tennessee and is consistently ranked at the top of the region for sales and customer satisfaction.
Celebrating 70 years
In May, Jenkins & Wynne celebrated their 70th anniversary by asking their team to donate 70 hours of community service. The team went well beyond that with 160 hours of service.
In June, the dealership will have a “You pick poll,” asking customers to vote on how they will celebrate the 70th anniversary that month.
POLL: How should Jenkins & Wynne celebrate its 70th in June?