Larry Thomas Brown in a navy suit and dark-rimmed glasses, hands clasped
U.S. VeteranAir Force Sergeant · 1965 to 1969Entrepreneur

Larry Thomas Brown

From Air Force stripes to the showroom floor to the boardroom.

U.S. Air Force Veteran/Entrepreneur/Ford Motor Company Alum/Dealer Principal/NAMAD Past President/NADA Board of Directors

Book Larry to Speak Take the Drive
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U.S. Air Force Sergeant16 Years at Ford Motor CompanyDealer Principal Since 1985NAMAD President · 1993NAMAD Chairman · 1994 to 1995One of the First Two African Americans on the NADA BoardFour NADA Committee ChairmanshipsOperation PUSH Crystal Spirit AwardJesse Jones Vision AwardAmerica's Outstanding Dealer AwardWestern High School Hall of Fame
The Drive

Every mile was earned. From Inkster, Michigan to the boardrooms of American auto retail, Larry Thomas Brown built a legacy one mile marker at a time.

A 1965 Ford Mustang fastback in midnight blue, a silver 1960s Lincoln Continental and a white modern Ford Mustang
57Years in the automotive business, from Ford Motor Company to his own showrooms and beyondSince 1969
4Years in the U.S. Air Force, serving as a sergeant1965 to 1969
16Years inside Ford Motor Company before he opened his own dealership1969 to 1985
4Franchise brands led: Ford, Lincoln-Mercury, Toyota and Kia
Larry Thomas Brown as a young airman in United States Air Force dress uniform and service cap
Sergeant, U.S. Air Force1965 to 1969
Service Before the Showroom

Service Came First.

Before Ford, before the dealerships and long before the boardrooms, Larry Thomas Brown served his country.

He wore sergeant's stripes in the United States Air Force from 1965 to 1969, then came home to Michigan and went straight to work at Ford Motor Company while he went back to school. Everything that followed was built on that foundation.

Branch
U.S. Air Force
Rank
Sergeant
Service
1965 to 1969
Next Mission
Ford Motor Co.
Mile Markers · Inkster to Today

The Road From Inkster

Five eras. One road. An odometer that never rolled back. Keep scrolling and watch the miles climb, the car change and the road open up one chapter at a time.

Era I

Detroit Made

Inkster & Detroit
MileI

Inkster, Michigan

Born in Inkster, Michigan

The son of Mattie Lewis Brown and Nander Brown, a mechanic and a preacher.

MileI

Detroit

Raised in the Motor City

His family moved to Detroit, where he came up through Chaney Elementary, Condon Intermediate and Western High School.

Era II

Stripes & Study

1965 to 1979
Mile'65

1965 to 1969

United States Air Force

He served his country for four years and wore the stripes of a sergeant.

Mile'69

1969

Joins Ford Motor Company

Back home in Michigan, he went to work at Ford while taking classes at Wayne County Community College.

Mile'71

1971 to 1979

Dealer Computer Services, Ford

He spent most of the decade on the technical side of how Ford dealerships actually ran.

Mile'71

1971

Marries Angelina D. Brown

Mile'73

1973

Bachelor of Science, Wayne State University

Mile'79

1979

Master's Degree, Central Michigan University

He earned his M.A. in management and supervision while still working at Ford.

Era III

Inside Ford

1979 to 1985
Mile'79

1979 to 1983

Chicago South Market Manager, Ford

Ford moved him into the field and put him in the region where he'd later build his own stores.

MileIII

Before 1985

Ford Dealer Training Program

He completed Ford Motor Company's program for future dealers.

Mile'85

1985 to 2009

The Keys Are His

After sixteen years with Ford he opened his own store, Ottawa Ford-Lincoln-Mercury, Inc., and ran it for the next twenty-four years.

Era IV

Keys & Boardrooms

From 1985
MileIV

Niles, Illinois

Owner, Landmark Ford of Niles

A Ford store in Chicago's northwest suburbs.

MileIV

Merrillville, Indiana

Owner, Star Toyota

A Toyota dealership in Northwest Indiana.

Mile'90

July 1990

Samoht, Inc.

He moved into real estate investing under his middle name spelled backwards, with the showrooms still running.

Mile'93

1993

President, NAMAD

He led the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers as its president.

Mile'94

1994

Western High School Hall of Fame

His Detroit alma mater inducted him into its Hall of Fame.

Mile'94

1994 to 1995

Chairman of the Board, NAMAD

He followed his presidency as chairman and stayed on the board for years after.

MileIV

History Made

NADA Board of Directors

One of the first two African Americans to serve on the board of the National Automobile Dealers Association, where he chaired four committees.

MileIV

Ford-Lincoln-Mercury Minority Dealers Association

President & Chairman

He also served as vice president of the Ford Division, vice president of the Customer Service Division and treasurer.

Mile'05

By 2005

President, Kia of Ottawa

A second franchise under his leadership in Ottawa, Illinois.

Mile'07

2007 to 2008

Babson College

He went back to the classroom in Massachusetts, still sharpening the business after two decades of owning one.

MileIV

Giving Back

NADA Ambassador Foundation

A member of the foundation, with six ambassadorships that all went to charitable giving.

Mile'05

August 10, 2005

Recorded by The HistoryMakers

His life story was recorded for The HistoryMakers, the video oral history archive of African American leaders.

Era V

The Second Act

From 2009
Mile'09

2009

Opens Ottawa Auto Spa

A car wash and detailing business in Ottawa, Illinois, where he serves as president.

MileV

Highland, Indiana

Owner & General Manager, 3A Automotive

MileV

Today

Social Equity Partner, Blounts & Moore

A partner in the women-founded company behind Market 96, part of Illinois's licensed cannabis industry.

Sixteen years inside Ford. Then the keys were his.

The Showroom Years

Keys In Hand.

He learned the business from inside Ford, then bought in and built dealerships across northern Illinois and Northwest Indiana.

Scroll the showroom
Owner & President

Ottawa Ford-Lincoln-Mercury

Ottawa, Illinois · 1985 to 2009

Ford · Lincoln-Mercury
Owner

Landmark Ford of Niles

Niles, Illinois

Ford
Owner

Star Toyota

Merrillville, Indiana

Toyota
President

Kia of Ottawa

Ottawa, Illinois

Kia
History in the Boardroom

One of the first two African Americans to serve on the board of the National Automobile Dealers Association.

He didn't stop at the seat. He went on to chair NADA's Dealership Operations, Industry Relations, Executive Board and Public Affairs committees.

Industry Leadership

He Led the Rooms That Opened Doors.

NADANational Automobile Dealers Association

Board of Directors

  • Board Member
  • Chair, Dealership Operations
  • Chair, Industry Relations
  • Chair, Executive Board
  • Chair, Public Affairs
  • Executive Board Member
  • Ambassador Foundation Member
NAMADNational Association of Minority Automobile Dealers

President & Chairman

  • President · 1993
  • Chairman · 1994 to 1995
  • Board Member
FLMMDAFord-Lincoln-Mercury Minority Dealers Association

Five Offices Held

  • President
  • Chairman
  • VP, Ford Division
  • VP, Customer Service Division
  • Treasurer
Larry Thomas Brown, hand to chin, arms folded
Honors

Recognized by Those Who Know the Road

  1. Crystal Spirit AwardOperation PUSH
  2. Jesse Jones Vision AwardNational Association of Minority Automobile Dealers
  3. America's Best and BrightestDollars & Sense Magazine
  4. America's Outstanding Dealer AwardDealer recognition
  5. Western High School Hall of FameDetroit · 1994
The Second Act

The Engine Never Cooled.

After decades of running dealerships, Larry kept building, and every venture still carries the same standard.

Since 2009 · Ottawa, Illinois

Ottawa Auto Spa

President of the locally owned, veteran-operated car wash and detailing business.

Visit Ottawa Auto Spa
Social Equity Partner · Illinois

Blounts & Moore

A partner in the women-founded company building Market 96, part of Illinois's licensed cannabis industry.

Blounts & Moore Market 96
Owner & General Manager · Highland, Indiana

3A Automotive

He took his dealership experience to Northwest Indiana and runs the store as owner and general manager.

Since July 1990 · Illinois

Samoht, Inc.

His real estate investment company, named for his middle name spelled backwards, running alongside the showrooms since 1990.

Keynotes

Mileage, Not Theory.

Larry speaks to dealer groups, corporate leadership teams, veterans, entrepreneurs and heritage audiences, and every talk comes from a road he actually drove.

KeynotePanelFireside ChatWorkshopCareer DayMedia
Larry Thomas Brown in thought, hand to chin
Veterans · Corporate Leadership

Discipline Is a Uniform

Larry wore sergeant's stripes in the U.S. Air Force before he ever ran a dealership. This keynote draws a straight line from service to leadership and shows teams how standards built in uniform hold up in the boardroom.

Corporate · Entrepreneurs

Earn the Keys

He spent sixteen years inside Ford Motor Company, from systems analyst in Detroit to market manager in Chicago, and then left in 1985 to open his own dealership. It's a talk about learning a business from the inside and knowing when it's time to own it.

Auto Industry · Heritage · Inclusion

The Weight of Going First

Larry built his career in an industry that rarely made room for Black dealers, and he became one of the first two African Americans on the NADA board. He also served as president and chairman of NAMAD. He talks about earning the seat, carrying the weight of going first and holding the door for whoever comes next.

Corporate Leadership · Wellness · Entrepreneurs

The Only Vehicle You Can't Trade In

Larry lost a hundred pounds at sixteen and has kept it off ever since, and he will tell you the discipline that keeps a body running is the same discipline that runs a business. Standards you hold when nobody is watching. Maintenance you do before the breakdown. The stamina a long deal, a long quarter and a long career all demand. This one is for leaders who service the car and neglect the driver.

Entrepreneurs · Second Careers

The Engine Never Cools

After decades of running dealerships, he opened Ottawa Auto Spa and became a social equity partner in Illinois's licensed cannabis industry. This one's for anyone who's been told their best miles are behind them.

Book Larry

Bring Larry to Your Stage.

Tell us about your event, and Larry's team will follow up with availability and details.

Larry Thomas Brown smiling in front of city windows

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