Starting out in Vancouver washing cars as a teenager in the early 1960s, Jim French, retired owner of Sunrise Ford, took a shine to the car industry.
Other than trying commercial fishing and truck driving for awhile, Jim has 43 years in the automotive industry.
“My dad, who was a mechanic, told me not to get into the auto industry,” he says, adding like most children he did the exact opposite.
“I tried commercial fishing for a year and even truck driving in Edmonton, but came back to the car business.”
Jim is a licensed mechanic, and he moved on to service manager, and then owner.
Jim and his wife, Corrine, moved to 100 Mile House in 1980. In 1991, he bought shares in Lake City Ford with a partner, and in 1995, he bought the dealership outright and changed the business name to Sunrise Ford.
“100 Mile House is a good place. It has had its ups and downs, but there have been more ups than downs.
“I met a lot of good people here. I’ve worked on their cars and I’ve sold them vehicles, and their children vehicles, too.”
Jim adds he was getting close to selling vehicles to the next generation.
“It’s going to be tough to get used to, especially the mornings and being home all the time.”
“This is going to be a learning experience with both Corrine [who retired from the Royal Bank] and I working all the time. I worked six and sometimes seven days a week.”
His snowmobiles will probably get more miles on them, and the fishing gear and golf clubs will get used more often.
