Time and Ally Financial have honored James Johnson as MTADA’s nominee for the 2023 Time Dealer of the Year. Presently, he is the dealer for High Plains Motors in Wolf Point and Glasgow Auto Sales in Glasgow, Montana. The Time Dealer of the Year award is one of the automobile industry’s most prestigious and highly coveted honors, and recipients are among the nation’s most successful auto dealers.
James recently discussed his life, career, the auto industry, and his family.
After graduating from high school – where he was voted “Most Likely to Be a Car Dealer” by his senior class – he attended Montana State University-Northern, where he received degrees in Autobody and Automotive Technology. He also has his real estate and broker’s licenses.
He dreamed of someday owning a body shop and perhaps a used car dealership. Although he did not grow up in a dealership environment, he had three uncles and two cousins who worked in the used car business. “My family was full of business people,” he explained. “Both of my grandfathers were businessmen, and my parents had their own businesses.” And he aspired to also – one day – own his own business.
While he attended college, he worked in the body shop for Rathert-Fox Ford on weekends and during the summer months. It was here that he really gained an appreciation for the dealership setting. However, he still wanted to further his education, and he interned at State Farm Insurance during the summer of his junior year.
As part of obtaining an “A” grade in Auto Shop Management class, he interviewed with the corporate headquarters of General Motors in Detroit, MI. He was offered a job but decided it didn’t exactly fit into his career path. He envisioned a career that would allow him to stay in and around Montana, so he continued to work for State Farm, though now as a paid employee. That particular 13-year career garnered him promotions and the opportunity to live in three different states while keeping him relatively close to Montana.
James’s career has been impacted by some amazing individuals. In the fall of 2002, he moved back to Wolf Point, where he worked beside his father, Gary, in the State Farm agency. “My Dad was a great businessman. I always joked with my friends that he was the mayor because he knew everyone in northeastern Montana.” Now that he was back in Wolf Point, James was asked to sit on the board of the Missouri River Development Corporation. His work centered on bringing new businesses to the area and helped preserve the established businesses. When he worked with this particular group, he became friendly with Mr. Marvin Presser.
“Marvin and I would have great conversations about Wolf Point, Fort Peck Lake and the car business,” James said. “As we visited, I realized I might be able to obtain that dream I’d had years before to be in the car business.”
And one day, they struck a deal.
On July 2, 2007, his 35th birthday, James made a leap of faith – leaving the known to begin a new adventure. He partnered with Marvin and his son, Jeff, and joined High Plains Motors. “Marvin taught me everything he knew about the business,” James said. “And in the fall of 2011, I was named dealer by General Motors.”
Marvin passed away in 2015, and James declared, “He left us with a great business and many life lessons to live and teach others.”
James’s leap of faith continued. At the end of 2019, he’d heard that the Newton Brothers from Glasgow, MT, wanted to sell their dealership. Using the business acumen obtained from his father and Marvin, James approached the brothers about the sale, and in March 2020, Jeff Presser, Paul Wemmer and James made an offer. “We took over operations,” James said, “and I was named dealer in May 2021.”
His senior class had it correct: “Most Likely to Be a Car Dealer,” indeed.
James sees some dominant trends in the next 5 to 10 years in the auto industry. “Everyone is talking about the electrification of the auto industry. We are definitely going to see that segment grow, but I think we will also see some additional alternative power sources.” He believes the problems of “range anxiety” need to be addressed before any alternative power becomes mainstream.
Regarding life lessons, the industry and all he has learned and seen, James shared three ideals he learned that he could pass along to someone he may mentor. “My personal mantra,” he acknowledged, “is to work hard, study hard and have fun.” He tries hard to pass these thoughts on to his children, his friends and the people he works with in his business and the community.
Looking back over the last year, James reflected on one accomplishment of which he was especially proud. In May 2021, he and his business partners Paul Wemmer and Jeff Presser purchased the Chevy, Buick and GMC dealership in Glasgow, MT. “When we bought it,” James said, “it had a zero new or used car inventory. Paul is the GM of that store, and he has made it into a thriving car dealership in a time when getting inventory has been really hard.” James asserts that the community is “super happy” to have the dealership in their area, and he is proud to keep those buying dollars in northeast Montana.
Being honored with the Time Dealer of the Year nomination means a lot to James. “This award has been given to a lot of great Montana Auto Dealers before me,” he smiled, “and that means I need to keep living to the high standards set by guys like Joe Billion, Don K and Craig Tilleman.” Part of the nomination pertains to giving back to the community and any civic or charitable organizations to which he may contribute. James works with the Wolf Point Lions Club, the Wolf Point Chamber and has served as Council President at First Lutheran Church. He also has fulfilled various leadership roles with MTADA. “My parents live a life of service, and they taught me that,” James emphatically stated. “All I can do is try to pass that along to my kids.”
James is an active member of MTADA and knows how important and beneficial membership can be. He explained his take on the two most beneficial attributes: “One, the association is a sounding board for the automotive profession and its peers. And two, it offers the industry a platform to protect and promote itself locally, statewide and nationally.”
As a car dealer, James described his all-time favorite vehicle. “Early this spring,” he said, “I got my hands on a 2022 C8 Corvette. Boy, I’ll say, after owning and driving that car, it is my all-time favorite car to drive. I have always wanted a ‘63 split-window Vette because of the styling, but I’m sure the ‘63 just does not drive like the C8.” He paused, then said, “Most of the time, you’ll see me driving a K3500 Silverado with a Duramax (diesel engine).”
James and his wife Michelle have two children – a daughter, Kaylee and a son, Aaron – and two Wirehaired Pointing Griffon dogs, Camo and Chevy. Family is everything to James. “The best days are when I sit down in the evening and reflect on the things that were accomplished, knowing we moved forward with the business and my family,” he said.
“I seem to have aha moments every week,” he continued, “but the things that have defined me are being able to successfully run this business and still have time with and for my family. Work/life balance is often hard for people in the automotive business. I get evenings and weekends with my wife and kids, and that is important to me.”
James married Michelle in the fall of 2004. She wanted to spend more time with the children, and after stepping away from a lucrative job at the Wolf Point Federal Credit Union that she’d managed for 10 years, she purchased a local shopping paper – Free Trader – in 2015. “Her paper is still one of the best places to sell a vehicle, even in today’s digital world,” James stated proudly. “When we purchased the dealership in Glasgow, she came to work with me as the comptroller, and it has been great to have her involved in the business.”
About his children, James said, “Kaylee is a Junior at Wolf Point High School. She was recently inducted into the National Honor Society, where I had the pleasure of giving the keynote address. She is active in all three sports seasons, but tennis is her real passion. Aaron is a seventh grader in Wolf Point. He’s a busy kid who has a lawn business in the summer that helps pay for his love for hunting, fishing and riding motorcycles.”
As a family, his favorite way to spend any free time is when he and Michelle can watch the kids in sports; he calls it “very fun.” His hobbies include hunting and fishing as a family, and they “really enjoy watching and hunting behind our two dogs in the fall. Our favorite times and cherished moments often happen at or on Fort Peck Lake.”
In conclusion, he said, “As an Auto Dealer, I just want to sell products that are dependable and make people smile.”
