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Cars and calculators.

Those are the two things that have captured Bob Martin’s attention the most during his 40-year professional career.

After spending the first two years of his career crunching numbers on his 10-key as an accountant at an accounting firm in northeast Ohio, the Kent State graduate shifted gears to join the family car business at Grand Ford.

Although he still dabbles in accounting by keeping the books at his car dealership in East Liverpool, Ohio, he had enough business sense to leave the most complicated accounting to the professionals at Byler, Wolfe, Lutsch & Kampfer.

Strong Reputation

“They are a reputable firm and we’ve never had a problem,” said Bob, who hired A.S. Fricano & Co. (the predecessor to BWLK) to do the dealership’s taxes more than 40 years ago. “Al [Fricano] was a friend of my father-in-law, who owned the dealership. They’ve always done a great job for us, so we’ve never had a reason to make a change.”

Shortly after Grand Ford retained the CPA firm to complete its annual business tax return, Dan Wolfe took over the account. Throughout the decades of service, Bob has relied on Dan for more than just the annual tax return. And, as an accountant in his early years, he knows quality work when he sees it.

Knowledgeable and Responsive

“Dan is very knowledgeable and does a great job for us,” said Bob, whose dealership will begin its 42^nd year of business in 2016. “Through the years, he’s helped us with a variety of important accounting functions. He helped during our change from a C corporation to an S corporation, and he stepped right in to get us through an audit back in 1991.

“Having the support of a local firm like BWLK, and specifically Dan, gives us peace of mind and allows us to focus on running our business and making our customers happy. We know we can count on Dan whenever we need help with something.”

From Wolfe’s point of view, the Grand Ford account is much more than a typical client relationship. In some ways, he’s received just as much knowledge as he’s given.

“I have enjoyed the relationship - both business and personal - that Bob and I have had over the many years.” Said Wolfe. “I feel that I have learned a great deal from Bob about the automotive industry during our connection.

“I consider Bob Martin to be the consummate business professional, and I rank him at the top of the list for business ethics and consideration of his clients.”

About Grand Ford

Grand Ford, Inc. was started in 1974 by Anthony, Dom and Al Ludovici. Robert Martin joined the business in 1975 as the General Manager.

In 1990, there was a change in ownership with Anthony Ludovici and Robert and Linda Martin buying out the other partners. Robert Martin became President and Dealer Principal at that time. 

Grand Ford is the oldest family owned dealership in the tri-state area.