In November, 1969, Ron Einspahr purchased Oines Motor Co. from Jerry Oines and renamed the company Einspahr Ford.  The youngest dealer in the state, Einspahr offered the Ford and Mercury lines from the corner of 5th Street and 3rd Avenue in Brookings, SD.  The building housed a two-car showroom, two small offices, a parts department, and a 7-bay service area.  In 1974, the Lincoln franchise was added.

In those early days the only video ads were those produced for the movie theatre and viewed prior to the feature film.  Ron was known for some crazy and innovative ads but the one remembered by most was a Mercury 'Sign of the Cat' promotion with Ron perched atop the Ford sign, some 40 feet up in the air.

During another 'Sign of the Cat' promo, in 1977, Ron brought  a couple of real live cougars to town.  Their handlers caused quite a stir walking them down Main Street and then keeping them in the showroom by day.  Ron even filmed one of his theatre ads with them.

And one miserable winter, it seemed as if spring would never come.  Everyone in town was down in the dumps.  Ron decided to fill the showroom with spring flowers and serve up buckets full of SDSU ice cream cones.  Hence our annual event known as 'Spring Fling'.  Watch for it, each year, just before winter is quite done with us.

The business soon outgrew the building downtown and so ground was broken for a new facility at 2020 8th Street South in 1979.  The architect was Alan Quick of Lincoln, NE and the contractor was Waltz Construction of Brookings.  The new dealership opened its doors in August of 1980.  In 1985, with the addition of the Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth franchises, the company name was changed to Einspahr Auto Plaza, Inc..  Jeep and Eagle were added in 1993.

Forty years later, the business boasts a drive-in service desk, a separate used car facility on our used lot, a 16-bay service area, a huge parts department, and a very amenable customer lounge.  And Ron's son, Matt, fills a key role as General Manager.  As with most successful businesses, the cornerstone of the company is our thirty-five full- and part-time employees, who devote themselves to making sure all their customers are well taken care of.  Because of their hard work, the dealership consistently ranks among the highest in customer satisfaction for both Ford and Chrysler.   They are an invaluable asset to Einspahr Auto Plaza, Inc. and to the communities in which they live.  Check them out on the Meet Our Staff page.