By KIRBY NEUMANN-REA
News Editor
January 17, 2008

Joe Smith is settling into a new enterprise in California, but he has not left Cliff Smith Motors behind.

Smith moved to Folsom, Calif., where he is the new president of Folsom Buick Pontiac GMC.

Smith started at Folsom, near Sacramento, on Dec. 1.

“I’m quickly getting involved in the community,” he said. “Being a member of Rotary I attended my first meeting before I even took over (at the dealership).”

Smith said his wife, Lynette, has a role at the Folsom GMC and “is doing really well. She’s very adaptable; she always makes it work,” he said. “She just came down and really got involved with people.”

Smith remains owner of Cliff Smith, and still helps run the Hood River store.

Gary Griffith is the new general manager of the GMC dealership on West Cascade, promoted in December from sales manager.

“He was the perfect fit for the position,” Smith said of Griffith, a lifelong Gorge resident who has been in the car business for more than 20 years.

Smith said he is looking forward to the 25th anniversary of the dealership, which was founded by his father, Cliff Smith. Joe took over operations 10 years ago.

Buying the Folsom dealership has created a link between the two operations that expands the inventory in Hood River.

“They are two separate corporations but we own them both,” Smith said, “which means we can do things such as move inventory back and forth, and as far as new product, Folsom has the opportunity to give a large allocation (to Hood River). We can give Hood River more to choose from.”

The Folsom dealership has 60 employees, and Cliff Smith Motors employs 25 people.

“It really has already started to meld together,” he said. The dealerships’ management teams will also visit each others’ shops.

Smith said, “Hood River has always been home. That part was hard, but this is an outstanding place. It’s beautiful, and centrally located between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe. It’s a great location; though nothing beats the Gorge.”

Joe is a 17-year member of Rotary; he has also contributed time and resources to Walk for Life, United Way, various charity golf tournaments, and other causes.

He is a 24-year veteran of the auto industry and is now a member of an elite group of dealers continuing the automotive legacies begun by their families.

Of the timing of his move to Folsom, Smith said, “The industry as a whole is tough but I’ve been looking for an opportunity for a few years, and this is an incredible opportunity to get a chance to do.” He said he had made no secret to his employees at Cliff Smith that he was searching for another opportunity.

The Smith family success in the car industry and the appointment of a second- or third-generation minority dealer is reason to celebrate, according to Henry Ware, president of General Motors Minority Dealers Association.

Joe was born in The Dalles in 1962, where his father worked at a Ford dealership. Cliff Smith Sr. started out washing cars and held various positions in the parts and sales departments before securing a general manager position and finally, purchasing his first dealership — a Pontiac Buick GMC dealership in Hood River.

Like his father, Joe began his career in the auto industry washing and later selling cars. After attending college, Joe began selling cars for his father. Shortly after, Smith, Sr. purchased the local Chevrolet dealership and combined all the dealerships into one location.

Joe graduated from the NADA Dealer Academy in 1997 and in 1999, became general manager of Cliff Smith Motors. With 28 years of service to the community under its belt, Cliff Smith Motors has received national recognition for its commitment to excellent business practices including the General Motors Mark of Excellence and Genuine Leader awards.