Phil Egan
The ink was barely dry on Doug Rakes purchase of McGregor Chrysler when he was asked when he might look to acquire more.
“Tomorrow,” he answered with a smile.
Doug Rake was interested in acquiring a second dealership when he received a call last year from McGregor Chrysler, just outside Petrolia. They had taken a Kia as a trade-in and wanted to know if Rake wanted to buy it.
He did – but discussions with owner Jamie McGregor eventually led to him buying the entire business. Now known as Lambton Chrysler, McGregor’s had been a family operation for 53 years and has roots in the community going back even further.
Success has a way of fuelling optimism. Since acquiring Lambton Kia (one of Canada’s first Kia dealerships) in 2012, Rake has almost triple the Sarnia shop’s former sales. He credits that to three key priorities – people, service and customer retention. He intends to apply the same philosophy to Lambton Chrysler. Both Rake and the senior management of Chrysler Canada have expansive plans for the dealership.
Doug Rake has been around cars all of his life. His father spent more than four decades with GMAC. Doug, while a Western University student in the ‘80s, bought and sold cars around London.
“While my classmates were racking up student loan debts I was able to put myself through school,” he explained.
News of the young man’s talent for moving product spread. “Why don’t you sell cars for me?” a local dealer asked. Rake worked for several dealers, winning awards for both sales and customer service along the way.
He was running a dealership in Leamington in 2012 when the opportunity came to acquire the local Kia dealership.
“I didn’t know a soul when I first came to Sarnia,” Rake says.
But that changed when he set his desk up “out front” so he could shake hands with customer coming through the door. He threw himself into community affairs, joining the Chamber of Commerce and partnering with the Sarnia Sting, Rebound, the hospice and Special Olympics.
Rake’s expanding business is a family affair, with sons Clark and Scott handling sales and marketing and operations for both dealerships.
Rake is proud of the team he inherited and has since built. Wife Shannon, Director of Customer Relations, is one of several strong female managers.
“They say the car industry is a man’s world,” Rake says. “Not in my world.”