McClinton Auto Group CEO Wyn Bowden and Dealer/Owner Ginny Bowden outside the dealership on Seventh Street. The McClinton Auto Group is celebrating its 110th Anniversary this year. (Photo Provided)

PARKERSBURG — The McClinton Auto Group has been commemorating its 110th anniversary this year as the dealership continues to be a staple of the local community.

The dealership has grown over the years to become among the largest automobile retailers in the Mid-Ohio Valley.

“We are still here and we are planning to be here for another 110 years and beyond,” said owner Ginny Bowden. “I am fourth-generation and I have been given the gift to take on the future and continue to be able to give back and continue the legacy is something pretty special.

“That is something I definitely don’t take for granted. I am proud to have that opportunity.”

The dealership was founded in 1915 by J.S. McClinton as the Parkersburg Transfer and Storage Co. at its original location at First and Ann streets and sold primarily GMC trucks at the time. In the following years the business added Oldsmobile, Oakland and Packard cars until 1923. In 1919, the dealership got the exclusive Chevrolet franchise and moved to 712 Market St. and the business, then known as the Parkersburg Automobile Co., and only sold Chevrolet. There were a couple more moves by 1951 and the dealership is now McClinton Auto Group and is located at 1325 Seventh St.

Part of the McClinton Chevrolet dealership shown at night at its property on Seventh Street in Parkersburg around 1950. McClinton Auto Group is commemorating its 110th anniversary this year. (Photo Provided)

Bowden pointed out that her father, James S. “Mac” McClinton III, would not say he built the business, but he worked to continue it so it could be passed to the next generation. However, Bowden said in order to do that her father had to continue to build up different aspects of the business and continually adapt as times changed.

“If you are not changing then you are dying,” she said. “That is just the world we live in and things change at a very rapid pace, especially the automotive industry.

“We all have to be ready to evolve and pivot.”

One of the biggest changes in recent history has been the role the internet has played in helping people research different automotive makes and models as well as the shopping experience.

“The consumers know more than the sales consultants,” Bowden said. “Most consumers come in and they have researched that car, whether it is one sitting on our lot or one just like it, and they know all of the pros and cons, they know the price range and more.

This photo showed a vehicle launch at McClinton Chevrolet in the early 1950s at its Seventh Street location. The dealership would invite people from the community to be part of the event. James S. McClinton Jr. is pictured to the vehicle’s immediate right. (Photo Provided)

“They are much better informed so our sales consultants are here now to make them feel welcome and answer questions and lead them through the process of buying a car. We just have to make the numbers work and make sure it is the best fit for them.”

The dealership currently has around 55 employees.

The business was built by people and their people continue to be the reason for its success, from the sales representatives to the automotive service technicians and everyone else at the dealership who provide good customer service, Bowden said.

“We have to first care for the people inside our business who make up the company and take good care of them and in turn they will take good care of our customers,” she said. “It takes a team.”

They are always working at improving what they are doing as well as showing the younger generations the opportunities that are available in the automotive industry at the local level to have good paying jobs.

James S. “Mac” McClinton III, left, of McClinton Chevrolet in Parkersburg with a company official at the New United Motor Plant in Fremont, Calif., in the 1980s with a Chevy Nova of the time. The McClinton Auto Group is commemorating its 110th Anniversary this year. (Photo Provided)

In June, the dealership commemorated its 110th anniversary by combining it with their annual McClinton Classic Car Show which benefits the Children’s Home Society. The event included music, food trucks and other activities.

“We are continuing to do things throughout the year with special sales and more to commemorate it,” Bowden said.

It is important for the business to remain involved in the community as it contributes to a number of non-profit charity organizations as well as help out local schools.

“It is important for us to give back,” Bowden said. “Without the community, we wouldn’t exist so we like to support the community.”

There have been a lot of changes in ownerships throughout the industry and the area. Whenever, there appears to be a change in something a business is doing, rumors start circulating that a business might be leaving.

The McClinton Auto Group is commemorating its 110th anniversary this year. McClinton Chevrolet with its Parts and Service Center opened sometime in the 1950s at its property on Seventh Street in Parkersburg. (Photo Provided)

“We aren’t going anywhere,” Bowden said. “My intention is to continue this legacy in this community.

“We will continue to have a future right here.”

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com.