The wealthiest dealership in the United States has been a fixture of idyllic Sunnyside, Washington, since 1912. They don’t sell fancy European sports cars; they’ve never received a celebrity endorsement or shot a commercial with a killer whale, and they don’t own a sports team – unless, of course, you count the Prosser Mustangs, the High School basketball team the dealership sponsors.
For those accustomed to the impersonal flashiness of the big city, where nobody knows their neighbors and everything is a status game, Speck’s sort of wealth may appear entirely alien. It’s a patient, humble wealth that grows from fertile soil.
They haven’t become the richest dealership in the country by selling cars, or by browbeating customers with upsells. They thrive, first and foremost, through contribution.
Katy Moore, the fourth-generation owner of the group, understands that legacy. Customer records list guns, rings, and cows as down payments on cars. During the Great Depression, the group’s founder defied conventional wisdom by opening a new dealership, infusing a battered community with optimism. During the Second World War, Speck’s service department shifted gears, manufacturing equipment for the war effort.
While much has changed in the subsequent 80 years, Speck’s commitment to service and connection has not. To understand the genuine intimacy of a business like theirs, one need only speak with employees who have been with the company for more than 50 years, or with customers who’ve purchased cars from three successive generations of dealers. Many car dealerships boast about “their family”; Speck doesn’t need to because they actually have one.
When General Manager Andy Flynn’s wife passed away after a battle with cancer, Speck stepped up. Every October, during Cancer Awareness Month, the dealership directs proceeds from car sales and service to a local cancer center. Using those funds, the center has been able to purchase more sophisticated diagnostic software, giving cancer patients in the area a fighting chance.
When a farmer’s equipment fails during a harvest, Speck springs into action to help their friends and neighbors get back to the hard work of feeding the nation.
In Speck’s world, this is what real wealth looks like. They understand that what exists in Sunnyside hasn’t come about by accident. It’s the product of generations of farmers, workers, and businesspeople who have upheld a commitment to something greater than themselves: community.
As Katy puts it, succinctly and beautifully, “It’s where we live. It’s the people we know.”
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