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Mark Ripley, General Manager and Dealer Principal of Mann Northway. (submitted photo/Mann Northway)

Car Guys’ Ripley looking back on fruitful first year

Nov 2, 2020 | 1:32 PM

Mann Northway…Celebrating 1 year of new ownership!

It’s been a year now since Mark Ripley took over the Mann-Northway Auto Source dealership from the Mann Family.

In the year, the Home of the Car Guys have broken monthly sales records and sent many away with a brand new vehicle and a smile on their face. But even more than that, Ripley is proud of how his team has come together and how they have been able to give back to the community.

“We’ve grown the dealership to be the largest in Prince Albert and even saw ourselves in the top 10 GM dealerships in Canada for a few months.”

“To see 80-something employees that have worked so hard together and come together as a team, and also being involved in the community as much as we’ve been, those would be our biggest wins this year,” Ripley said.

Matt Roberts is the General Sales Manager at Mann Northway Prince Albert. (submitted photo/Mann Northway)

Despite only being in the city for a year, the Car Guys have already been heavily involved in the community.

Soon after they took over last October, the Car Guys donated little cars to the Victoria Hospital. Kids in the hospital can now ‘drive’ to a big surgery in the hospital in those little automobiles instead of a gurney.

They have also donated to the local food bank, the turkey giveaway at St. Mary’s, homeless shelters and the Children’s Haven. And on Dec. 4, the Car Guys will host the Give a Little Life Day Radiothon on Dec. 4.

With how the Car Guys have been supported by the community in the last year, Ripley said it’s only fair to reciprocate.

“People out in the community, they’re spending their money here. So it’s important in a community like Prince Albert and the area to give back as business owners,” Ripley said. “It’s been a challenging year for a lot of people and we’re just trying to do our part—not more or less than anybody else. It gives us a sense of pride.”

“A lot of people don’t know this, [charities] can’t go around and do the fundraising like they used to—like the bake sales and door-to-door stuff with COVID,” Ripley added. “For companies like us that can help, it’s even more important now than ever, I think.”

Ripley hails from the east coast in Moncton, N.B., and has lived in other small communities around the country in his last 23 years selling cars. But from the moment he arrived in P.A., he knew he didn’t want to be anywhere else.

“As far as Prince Albert, I felt like it was home as soon as I got here. I grew up in smaller communities, and it was a good fit for me to come in,” Ripley said. “I’ve never once had to ask myself ‘why Prince Albert?’ It just fit since I got here.”

“It’s like any city, it’s got its positive things and its negatives. And we’re just trying to spin a little more positive in the community because we’re going to be here for a long time.”

Visit Mann Northway at:

500 Marquis Rd, Prince Albert

https://www.mannnorthway.ca/

https://www.facebook.com/mannnorthway

*This content was created by paNOW’s commercial content division.

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