Northeast Indiana area Ford sellers deal with change

By Ray Moscowitz, For The Journal Gazette

John and Dan Rice were 22 and 25 years old, respectively, in 1985 - gung-ho brothers determined to overcome their inexperience and succeed in the Warsaw automobile market.

Twenty miles away in Columbia City, Grant Trier, then 34, his brother Tom, 30, and their cousin Dee, 37, were already auto veterans accustomed to the industry's ups and downs.

In Atlanta, Dave Panfil, then 27, was working in marketing on Buick and GMC truck accounts, establishing an automobile-business career that would eventually lead to the Bob Thomas Dealerships in Fort Wayne.