Pierce Motor Company Among South's Largest Auto Dealers

Pierce Motor Company Among South's Largest Auto Dealers

Topics: Pierce Motor Company

Pierce Motor Company Among South's Largest Auto Dealers

The Spartanburg Herald
March 4, 1954

Mr. Pierce . . . formed co.

Annual Payroll Reaches About Half Million Dollars

Pierce Motor Co. is a million dollar concern with Thomas B. Pierce owner and president.

It was organized in 1929 and operated as a body-fender and paint shop until 1933.

During 1933, it was expanded to include general repairs and the Studebaker sales and service franchise.

Even during the depression years, Pierce Motor Co. enjoyed good business and considerable expansion.

In 1935, Mr. Pierce was granted the DeSoto-Plymouth distributorship for the Spartanburg area. For two years, considerable growth was made.

Then on Oct. 1, 1937, Mr. Pierce received the Ford Dealership for Spartanburg.

The past 16 years have seen Pierce Motor Co. grow into one of the South's largest and most patterned after dealerships.

The company has 136 employes and there are 468 persons who are directly dependent upon Pierce Motor Co. for their living. Their payroll for 1953 was $473,388.45.

Approximately one acre of floor space is used by their repair service shops.

They have 20,900 square feet under roof for used car and truck sales.

Parts and accessory inventory amounting to $108,000 take up 16,499 square feet of floor space. And $70,000 in shop equipment and machinery is required to do the largest customer labor sales of any automotive repair concern in the Carolinas, which is a consistent record for Pierce Motor Co.

The company averaged 2,280 repair orders per month for 1953 and shop labor and parts amounted to $468,000.

Mr. Pierce is a native of Norfolk, Va., and worked for Ford Motor Co. prior to coming to Spartanburg in 1927.

W. Deck Hull is vice president of Pierce Motor Co., and assists Mr. Pierce in the general management of the company.

Clyde Terwillegar is sales manager; Wilton Edge, assistant manager, R. L. Eskew, parts manager, Rome Gowan is ofice manager and bookkeeper, Mrs. Lillie T. Collins, who from the point of service is the oldest employe of Pierce Motor, is payroll and statistical manager.

Mr. Pierce is very proud of his organization.

It is large and necessarily composed of many departments and a large number of specialists and key people, all working together to make Spartanburg the home of one of the nation's finest, most progressive and largest automobile dealerships.

Mr. Pierce has built an institution that is geared to the progress and growth of the Piedmont. His business is dedicated to the service of our expanding industry, agriculture and business.