Ford Motor Company recently inducted Woody Anderson Ford owner Cathy Stender as the first female member of the Ford Dealer Hall of Fame. Stender was chosen out of only 31 dealers and more than 3,500 Ford dealerships nationwide.
Woody Anderson Ford has been serving Huntsville and Madison since 1961. Stender took the leadership mantle for the family business in 2003 and has grown the dealership into one of the largest Ford dealerships in the country.
“To qualify the honoree must be regarded as a true heroine by Ford Motor Company, loved by their customers, revered by their employees, fixtures in their communities, and respected by their fellow dealers,” said Ford Motor Company vice president Andrew Frick at a private reception with company executives, fellow dealers and the Ford family. “They must also be longtime dealers that are consistently top performers year in and year out.”
“Cathy’s impact on our community continues to be noteworthy and inspirational,” said Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle. “For years, her passion and desire to improve our city has exceeded the walls of her dealership with every endeavor she undertakes.”
Ford Motor Company tapped Stender to serve on the influential Ford Product Committee, CEM Advisory Board, and FDAF Board. She continues to serve in those roles as she helps the company develop innovative products like the Mach-E and reimagined classics like the beloved Ford Bronco.
Stender said she leans on her psychology background to better understand her community’s need and she has always looked for ways to push the boundaries of innovation.
“With the electrification of America’s roadways, the automotive industry will go through a renaissance over the next ten years,” said Stender more recently. “It’s the first time this has happened since Henry drove the Model-T off the production line, and we (Woody Anderson Ford) will be on the forefront of change again – you can count it.”
This isn’t the first time Stender has made history with Ford corporate, known as the Blue Oval.
In 2005 she became the first female recipient of the Salute to Dealer award from Ford Motor Company provoking then-Congressman Bud Cramer, Jr. to recognize Stender on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor one of North Alabama’s most compassionate and dedicated leaders, Mrs. Cathy Anderson… (her) work with children and methamphetamine abuse is quite remarkable and has helped raise the overall quality of life in North Alabama.”
Since then, Stender has overseen the company’s expansion into Madison with a location on Hughes Road, the acquisition of the Ford dealership in Fayetteville, Tenn., and the major renovation and addition of the 150,000+ square foot dealership on Jordan Lane.
“There is never a perfect time to expand,” Stender said in a 2008 interview with the then Huntsville Times amid the 2007-2008 financial crisis when many automotive dealerships were facing financial problems. “It’s easy for me to expand, it’s easy for me to build, because I know my brand’s going to be here a long time.
“In my view, if you focus on taking care of the customer and don’t make it about the economy, you become successful in the endeavor,” she added.
With more than 240 employees, Woody Anderson Ford was recently recognized as the largest volume Ford dealership in Alabama, in addition to being named one of the top 100 Ford dealerships out of 3,500 in the country.
Stender’s vision and passion for the future continue while she plans future expansions to support community growth throughout North Alabama.
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