Automobile maven John Scanlon is on the move again. He's headed out the door of his South Fort Myers Lincoln-Mercury dealership with son and heir apparent, John "J." Scanlon, for a business lunch. There's only one problem.

"I don't have a car. Do you have a car?," he asks his son.

One thousand new and pre-owned cars glint and sparkle on three expansive lots. Lincoln-Mercury, Lexus and Mazda models shine in their showrooms. Flags wave on John Scanlon's Value Lot just across US 41. What gives?

After snagging a model year 2000 Lincoln LS and traveling quickly en route, Scanlon explains that he has been holding onto a car for more than six to eight weeks. But such new executive "demonstrators" driven by him and his wife, Joan, literally sell out from under them.

He doesn't mind at all. "Business is oh so wonderful here," he beams.

Location, Location, Location

Fort Myers has been good to the Scanlons. And they are big fans and supporters of the city. John Scanlon is equally high on The Ford Motor Company, which has shared his career from day one when he moved his family around the Midwest and East Coast, learning the business in corporate positions.

When he began working with dealers as a zone manager for the greater New York area, he became "utterly captivated." He knew that if there was any way, any way at all, he had to try his hand at retail.

"My father was a clerk on the railroad," recalls Scanlon, now 62. "He never really liked his job. Growing up, he ingrained in us kids that the luckiest people are those who can work at their hobbies."

Scanlon started his hobby with two Lincoln-Mercury dealerships on the outskirts of Boston. For 10 years, he competed with 11 Lincoln-Mercury and 22 Ford dealerships. Most were a legacy of Detroit's post World War II market saturation strategy, which opened dealers on "just about every corner" in Northeastern cities. The cost of doing business in Boston was high. But he did well.

Still, family needs came first, and the Scanlon family needed a good place to grow up. A yearlong national search knocking on doors, looking for "the right combination of a decent business deal and a nice place for our three children," landed the family in Fort Myers. In 1980, John Scanlon shook hands with the owner of the Lincoln-Mercury dealership on Fowler Street. One trip to the bank, and he had what he needed to move ahead.

Two years later, Scanlon moved again, pioneering the commercial development of South Fort Myers by purchasing 12 acres "way out of town" on US 41 two miles south of College Parkway. Land was affordable and offered direct access from North Naples, Cape Coral and Fort Myers. As of the millennium, John Scanlon's Fort Myers Lincoln-Mercury dealership will celebrate 20 years in business. It's still the only Lincoln-Mercury franchise in town. The nearest same-brand competitors are in Port Charlotte and Naples.

John Scanlon's philosophy is that if you stop moving, stop growing, you die.

In 1992, the manufacturers of Lexus and Mitsubishi appointed Scanlon to start local franchises. In 1996, John Scanlon's Value Lot opened on five acres across the street to house trade-ins that pass Scanlon shop inspection, quality used cars priced under $10,000 to $13,000. He sold the Mitsubishi business last year. In 1999, Ford purchased controlling stock in Mazda, and Scanlon purchased the local Mazda franchise. Always, his shops, offices and showrooms are shifting and expanding.

Scanlon says he loves being in the car ... and luxury car ... and truck ... and van ... and sports car ... and sports utility vehicle business. He likes the excitement and efficiency of complementary segments.

In terms of vehicles moved, last year new Lincoln-Mercury and Lexus sales led pre-owned sales by 10 percent and 30 percent, respectively. New vehicle sales alone passed the $150 million mark. Customer satisfaction ratings consistently hit the top 10 in the country.

Family Succession

"J's commitment to the customer is the same as his dad's," says Phil Clemente, general manager in charge of operations, a professional educator who has been with John Scanlon since 1983. "He shares many of John's traits and philosophies. He'll be a good dealer."

Son John "J." Scanlon, 27, grew up in the car business. He made it his own four years ago when he moved back to Fort Myers to parlay years of part-time experience in the family business into a full-scale opportunity.

Expertise comes through intensive classroom instruction, mentored on-the-job training and working just about every position in order to "follow the paper flow."

For weeks to months at a time, J. has been everything from cashier to clerk, service dispatcher to warrantee claims manager. He's been back in the parts department and out on the sales floor. Recently, J. was on TV (some say he sounds like dad) with the senior Scanlon, then on the road as sales manager of the Lexus dealership. Currently, J. reports to Clemente as general administrator for all three franchises.

Being the boss' kid can be tough, observes John Scanlon, noting that an above-average number of Fort Myers dealerships are still family run businesses. According to J., the trick is to do the job described by your current title and report to a manager who is not in the family. Starting out at the bottom, sweeping floors and sorting, boxing and shipping parts during school didn't hurt. Exceptionally low employee turnover at this dealership means that managers have seen J. paying his dues. "It's all been a very natural progression for me," he says.

"I have heard," says John Scanlon, "that many businesses don't make it to the second generation because the dealer grows up working while the children grow up at the country club. It wasn't that way with us. When our two girls needed prom dresses, the parents paid half. So, Debra (now a retail shop owner in Utah) and Jennifer (a California attorney), would show up for part-time work. They complained about it then, but we laugh about it now."

Laughing even now, J. confirms that, "Dad had lots of help in the parts department."

The junior Scanlon is enthusiastic about the onset of Internet sales. "We've received leads and sold cars entirely through a web site and e-mail," says J., who explains that in addition to their own site, the dealership collects leads from several Internet buying services. "The only time we see this customer is when they stop by to pick up their keys. With the Internet, it's critical that you handle it well, make a good first impression, just as you would when someone walks into your showroom."

Internet sales are a business bonus in Scanlon's view, much like the sales he makes to out-of-state customers during season. For example, one day during the annual November through April sales scurry, John looked out the door at 10 cars lined up for delivery. Out-of-state license plates we