Les Stumpf Ford

The Stumpf Story It has taken Stumpf Ford over three quarters of a century to build our present public image. Founded in 1921 by John H. Stumpf and John F. Hartzheim, Stumpf Ford has a philosophy that the public is entitled to the best service possible in satisfying its transportation needs. On December 13, 1921, Calumet Motor Company opened for business in Darboy. During that winter, customers hauled their “Horseless Carriages” into the shop for repair with a team of horses. The following spring, the founding partners moved the business by horse and sleigh to Sherwood, where they started the auto sales and service business of Stumpf-Hartzheim Company. The partners worked with car franchises including Chevrolet, Nash, Packard, Dodge and Plymouth. From Sherwood, Stumpf Ford moved first to a new facility in Kaukauna in 1969, and then to its present dealership in Appleton in 1972. The Company opened a second Ford dealership in Neenah in 1986, Neenah Menasha Ford. In 1997, that store was sold to an employee. The exclusive Ford heavy-duty truck facility, L & S Truck Center opened in Appleton in 1989 allowing the West College Avenue dealership to be dedicated to the sales and service of cars and light trucks. Stumpf Ford opened a second used car center, Stumpf’s Value Center, on College Avenue in 1999. A few months later the Stumpf Family opened two Car Credit Centers, one located on Wisconsin Avenue in Appleton and the other on Jackson Street in Oshkosh to meet the needs of those customers that have financial difficulty in purchasing automobiles. Today, over 89 years later we are proud to be in our third generation with the automotive industry and our philosophy remains as it was originally founded. Les Stumpf as Chairman, Corey Stumpf as President still lead this company in providing total customer satisfaction through employees who provide reliable, courteous, and ethical service to our customers.