Mr. Wood's background in the automotive industry started while he was attending Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. He was a new car salesperson for a Mercury-Edsel dealer. After college he continued to sell full time until he had the opportunity to buy a small Hillman Sunbeam dealership in Kalamazoo. Within two years the manufacturer went out of business and Mr. Wood was forced to change his operation into a wholesale-retail used car lot with a complete body shop making up the major part of the total volume. He continued that operation until moving to Indianapolis in 1967 and purchasing Hedges Pontiac, which was located at 3125 E. Washington Street. Since that initial franchise acquisition, Tom Wood, Inc. has grown to eighteen franchises and a full scale leasing operation, with locations throughout the Midwest - including Indianapolis and the surrounding area in Indiana, Lexington, Kentucky and Richfield, Minnesota.. The current franchises include:
- Sixt Rental Car (2 locations: 96th Street and Indianapolis Airport)
- Tom Wood Collision
- Auto Detail Plus
- Big O Tires (Whitestown, IN)
- Tom Wood Aviation
- Tom Wood Powersports (Anderson, IN, Richfield, MN, Lafayette and Lexington, KY)
- Tom Wood Outdoor Equipment
- Integrity Insurance
- Quality Leasing
- Premier Acceptance
Although Mr. Wood lost a long, hard fought battle with cancer in February of 2010, his inspiring legacy in the Indianapolis community will long be remembered. Mr. Wood's philosophy is Success is not measured by the number of franchises or locations an organization has; it is measured by the people associated with it. All of the employees of Tom Wood Automotive strive every day to live up to Mr. Wood's philosophy by making every guest a loyal and satisfied guest for life. More than 1100 employees make up the Tom Wood family. Such individuals are few and far between, but we've succeeded in assembling the highest quality team.
AdChoices