About Us

History of A & B Ford

While operating a successful Lincoln/Mercury dealership in Montreal in the 1970's, Fred and Lillian Hasler made frequent trips home to Flinton.  Their regular route took them through the town of Perth, an ideal setting in which to raise a young family.  Is it any surprise that when he heard a Ford/Mercury franchise was available in Perth, Fred jumped at the opportunity to move back to the area?

In 1976 Fred purchased the original A & B Ford location at 38 Dufferin St. from Mike Bowes, who was operating a used car lot under the name A & B Motors.  Fred made the decision to retain the name for his new dealership.

His goal was to sell 100 cars a year, an objective he achieved and surpassed, eventually selling as many as 1,000 in a single year.

Ever conscious of his customer's needs and in an effort to improve service, Fred recognized the need to expand early in his business.

In 1980 Fred purchased a small shop on the outskirts of Perth and the first expansion rolled off the drawing board, the addition of an Auto Body Shop.  By 1985, A & B Ford was growing and on the move again.  The body shop was moved to a larger, more modern facility on Cty. Rd 511.

Still customers coming from Smiths Falls to purchase vehicles from A & B had to travel to Perth for service.  Always concerned with improving service and in an effort to attract more customers, in 1984 Fred opened a second A & B Ford location on Main St in Smiths Falls.  Within 7 years, the success of the Smiths Falls location would necessitate yet another move, to a new larger premises on Lombard Street the current home of A & B Ford.

Recognizing that the facilities on Dufferin Street in Perth just weren't large enough to accommodate an adequate supply of used cars and trucks, Fred made the decision to expand again.

In 1990 he opened the Executive Car Centre on Wilson Street, enabling A & B to increase the selection of used vehicles available to their customers.

In the Spring of 1999 Fred Hasler passed away, leaving his now adult children Brad and Lisa to carry on the family business.  Following their father's example of exemplary business ethics, Brad and Lisa continue to provide outstanding customer service to car and truck buyers in the area.

"Growing up in a family business, it was inevitable that someday I would be part of the business,"  Lisa says of joining her father's team.

In the spring of 1999 the Executive Car Centre changed it's name to the Complete Car Centre, and a brand new modern facility sprang up at the same location.  Additions were also made to A & B Collision in 2001 "to keep up with its growing market," says Brad.

In the winter of 2003, A & B Ford in Smiths Falls, went through major renovations.  The fresh new look and state of the art building has been a welcome change. 

Customers are not the only ones who have noticed the A & B commitment to customer satisfaction.  For 23 of its 27 years in business, A&B has received the highest achievement award from Ford of Canada for customer service.

"It makes me feel proud of everybody," says Brad.  "It's a total dealership thing.  It means everyone is doing their job right."  However, winning awards doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement.  "We are going to continue to improve and fine-tune everything we do," he says.

A well trained staff that understands their products is integral to improving service.  With this philosophy in mind, A & B Ford took their entire team of employees on a trip to the Ford plant in Oakville.

"It was an opportunity for the staff to gain more knowledge of the products they are selling and servicing, " says Brad.  "It is easier to believe in what you are selling when you know who it is manufactured by"

New technology is also helping them to move forward.  Recently A & B began training all of their staff through the Ford Star Training Program.  The program delivers training to staff on-site via satellite.  They no longer have to travel to Ottawa for training, keeping them up-to-date quicker than before.

Employees can also complete training at home using their own computers.  These programs are unique to Ford and strengthen A & B Ford's ability to give their customers the outstanding service they have come to expect.

Never a company known to rest on it's laurels, Brad says the company is planning yet another expansion within the next couple of years.  Look for a new dealership with even more up-to-date facilities in Perth.

Fred would be very proud to see the sign hanging on the wall just outside of his children's office:  "Welcome to A & B Ford, customer satisfaction is our goal."