Despite its auspicious pedigree, the Chevrolet Motor Car Co. actually got off to a slow start. And the McClinton family was there from the beginning.
Chevrolet was founded by Swiss race car driver and engineer, Louis Chevrolet, his brother, Arthur, and four partners, including William Durant, who created General Motors but was pushed out in 1910.
Chevrolet Motor Car Co. was incorporated in 1911, but initial efforts were primarily focused on design work and pre-production prototypes. It wasn’t until the fall of 1912 that the company could introduce a 3,500 pound, six-cylinder touring car – the 1913 Series C Classic Six – at the New York Auto Show.
While popular, the first Chevrolets were expensive; the base price was $2,450 – $74,803 in today’s prices. In addition, production was slow. Chevrolet only manufactured around 5,987 cars in 1913 and 5,005 cars in 1914.
Nevertheless, James Selby McClinton decided to take a chance on the manufacturer, opening the Parkersburg Automobile Co. in Parkersburg, W.V., in 1915, and securing the Chevrolet franchise contract from GMC in 1918.
It’s a chance that would pay off. In 1914, Chevrolet would introduce the more affordable, lightweight, four-cylinder Series H Baby Grand. It was a hit with the public, and production of Chevrolet cars would scale up to 13,600 cars in 1915 and 52,000 in 1916 – an increase of 160%.
Staying True to Your Roots
Quite a bit has happened to James Selby (J.S.) McClinton’s company since the original dealership selling GMC trucks, Oldsmobile, Oakland and Packard cars opened in 1915. By 1923, McClinton had gone all in on Chevrolet, discontinuing the other car and truck lines to focus exclusively on selling Chevrolets.
In 1926, Parkersburg Automobile Co. moved to Eighth & Avery Street. A fire four years later destroyed the building, and when the building was rebuilt and reoccupied in 1931, the company name was changed to McClinton Chevrolet Co .
Through fires, moves and expansions – including the addition of Mitsubishi in 1989 – the McClinton Auto Group has experienced steady growth and success through four generations of family ownership with a tradition of providing reliable automobiles to the m id-Ohio Valley.
“My great-grandfather started the business in 1915 and his mission was to satisfy customers’ wants and needs,” says Virginia “Ginny” Bowden, great-granddaughter of founder J.S. McClinton Sr. “Customer experience has always been at the forefront of our business, and my family has always recognized the importance of taking care of people, customers and employees.”
Unlike most fourth-generation dealers, Ginny Bowden did not grow up working in her family’s dealership. Her father, J.S. McClinton III, is one of three children. He had two sisters, so being the only son, he felt responsibility to carry it on, she says.
J.S. McClinton III never wanted his kids to feel that pressure to take over the family business.
“My dad really wanted my brother and I to find our own way and not feel pressured to take over. He supported and encouraged us,” Bowden says. “When we were growing up, he kept personal and work very separate.”
Nine years ago, her father sent a letter to both of his children letting them know he wanted to start planning for retirement, which would mean either the next generation would take over or he would sell the dealership. Ginny at the time was living in Arkansas with her husband, Wyn.
“Wyn played an integral part in us coming back to West Virginia,” she said. “He was against my dad selling our 100-year-old family business. He said, ‘We’ve got to try it. What’s the worst that can happen?’ It was important to me to have my husband’s support, so we took the leap of faith.”
Ginny and Wyn moved back to Parkersburg to learn everything about the family business.
“One of the big positives of not having dealership experience, I just looked at it with a fresh set of eyes and asked lots of questions,” she says. While she didn’t have a background in cars, Ginny does have a degree in business economics. She also worked at a Wyoming guest ranch for several years.
“I know about business fundamentals to a degree, and I know customer experience from the guest ranch days, but I didn’t know the car business,” Bowden says. “It was like drinking from a fire hose at first.”
Looking Towards the Future
Ginny took over as dealer principal in 2020, while Wyn took on the general manager role, and now more recently, he acts as the COO. J.S. McClinton III, is “un-officially” retired, but still comes into the dealership regularly.
“He wants to check the pulse on certain things,” she says. “He’s there for advice or any questions. But he’s also been very supportive, and has given us a lot of latitude to fall on our face and pick ourselves up again. I’ve made good and bad decisions, but I continue to learn and grow as a leader.”
For the dealership’s 110th anniversary in 2025, the Bowdens plan to host a big community event.
“We will do something that involves a good time recognizing our employees, customers and other local businesses,” she says. “110 years is worth a celebration.”
The dealer group will also have monthly or quarterly giveaways and specials to celebrate the milestone.
The company gives back to the community in a number of ways, including supporting the Worthington Little League Baseball program each year, hosting an annual First Responder Appreciation Event in October to honor all local first responders and their families, and an annual car show in June, with all proceeds going to the Children’s Home Society, an organization close to her father’s heart.
“We are proud to support our community because they have supported us for 110 years,” Bowden says. “We are stronger when we work together and support each other.”
As for the next generation, there are two young Bowden women (ages five and two) waiting in the wings.
“I want to give my kids exposure to it, so they’ll be better informed about all the opportunities that are available at the dealership. It’s like eight businesses in one,” Bowden says. “I’d like to give them that opportunity, especially now with women up and coming in the industry. It will be easier for them to get involved and feel more comfortable than previous generations of women.”
