Metro Ford in Port Coquitlam is celebrating the completion of its auto dealership renovation with a rock concert featuring singer Mike Reno of the band Loverboy.
In celebration of the grand re-opening of Metro Ford, the famous B.C. rocker is scheduled to perform at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 27.
There will also be an acknowledgement at 2:30 p.m. when Ford Canada will be presenting the dealership with a Golden Shovel - along with several other awards. The dealership has undergone a full interior and exterior renovation that literally changed its look from the 1960's to the 2020's and beyond.
Ford Canada executives will also present Metro Motors with their 15th President's award and special award for Top Customer Viewpoint. In addition to the award presentations and music from Loverboy, the event will have hors d'oeuvres, door prizes, and free test drives.
Long History
Metro Ford has a long history in Port Coquitlam.
After serving in the air force during the Second World War, Glen McKone joined the Ford Motor Company in Ontario. He was transferred to Vancouver in 1960 and along with his wife, Joan, he soon realized two things - they wanted the challenge of being in business for themselves and secondly, they wanted to stay in Vancouver.
In 1964 the couple cashed in his pension, took all their savings, borrowed from parents on both sides and bought a Shell gas station that had a Mercury car franchise at the corner of a gravel road and the Lougheed Highway in Port Coquitlam. They obtained the Ford franchise after a couple of years.
In time, their son Mike became involved in management in the company and managed to continue running it after his father's unfortunate death in 1987.
With a focus on customer satisfaction, the dealership continued to win Ford's most prestigious award for quality and had more wins than any Vancouver area dealership.
Mike was also instrumental in developing a sponsorship agreement that helped launch the Metro Ford Soccer Club that became the Coquitlam Metro-Food Soccer club in 2009. This organization has become one of the premier soccer clubs in the country.
President's Award
In 1998 Layne Magnuson became Mike's business partner and took over day-to-day operations. Metro Ford continues to operate as a family business with Layne's son Kent running the sales operations as the General Sales Manager. Together they have won Ford of Canada's esteemed President's Award 15 years in a row. This is currently the longest consecutive winning streak in Western Canada.
Metro was also nominated by the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce as "Business of the Year" in 2005 and won the award in 2012. Layne also was awarded the business man of the year by the chamber in 2011.
Understanding that a modern facility is part of a great customer experience, the dealership undertook a multimillion dollar renovation. The project took 14 months to complete and the facility maintains the same footprint but now features the "Ford Tower" along with a new clean and open appearance.
The showroom and customer lounge have been completely redone using modern materials and glass is featured throughout for a modern look.
It is expected that the new appearance will make for a relaxed, comfortable buying environment for Metro Ford customers.
Metro Ford is located at 2505 Lougheed Hwy. in Port Coquitlam.
