Forbes- Our Automotive History

Fairest in Sales, Finest in Service...since 1948

The Forbes family has been a part of the automotive history since the beginning with the involvement of Russell Arthur Forbes. Russell served as Henry Ford's personal secretary, and later held the position of business manager for Mr. Ford's newspaper, the Dearborn Independent.

Of special interest, was the involvement of Russell Forbes with Mr. Henry Ford during the million dollar libel and in their suit against the Chicago Tribune newspaper in 1919. At the time, Russell Forbes was Mr. Ford's personal Business Manager, and Mr. Ford, to avoid being subpoenaed to appear in court, had a train car fitted as an office that constantly was being moved. If they could not find Mr. Ford, they could not serve Mr. Ford to appear. Russell Forbes secretly met with Mr. Ford every evening at a different location, to bring the business of the day to Mr. Ford. Ralph Forbes, Russell's youngest son, remembered accompanying his father, as a small lad, to these meetings and recalled sitting on the train car steps as his father and Mr. Ford conducted the day's business. Mr. Ford eventually won his suit again to the Chicago Tribune and was awarded only six cents as damages.

Mr. Russell A Forbes (second from the left) and his brother Stanley C Forbes (3rd from the left) are seen in front of their Ford Dealership in Tilbury Ontario in 1923.

In 1921 Russell A. Forbes left Detroit and moved to Tilbury Ontario, where he and his brother Stanley Forbes, assisted by one employee, began selling Ford cars and parts. Soon after opening the business in Tilbury, the brothers built a 100' x 40' garage with a cinder floor. They worked out of this building for the next four years after which they moved the business to St. Thomas Ontario.

On December 31, 1924, the brothers hung the "open for business sign" in the telephone city, Brantford Ontario. The business was located at 303 Colborne St. for the first two years, and in December of 1926 the brothers acquired a lot in building on Darling Street in Brantford. In 1932 a service station was added and four years later in 1936 they added a used car lot.

In 1940 Russell left Brantford and his brother Stan, to become the Dodge De Soto Dealer in Kitchener, operating under the name R. A. Forbes Motors. Russell died in May 1943 leaving two sons Jack and Ralph. In 1948 after serving in the WWII, at the age of 23, Ralph Forbes became the youngest Ford Motor Co. dealer in Canada, and along with his older brother Jack, opened Forbes Motors Ltd. in Welland Ontario.

In 1952, Forbes Car Lease Ltd., a subsidiary of Forbes Motors, was established and today has a substantial fleet of leased vehicles of all makes and models on the road. In 1955, the brothers purchased Halwig Motors Ltd. an established Pontiac Buick dealership on Victoria Street in Kitchener. In 1965 they moved to the present location on Weber Street, Waterloo. Until 1977, Forbes Motors also operated a branch outlet in Elmira, where boats and motors were sold along with automobiles.

In January 1973, Ralph's son Russell joined the firm after graduating from Northwood University of Midland Michigan with a degree in Automotive Merchandising. In July 1981 the ownership was taken over by Russell Forbes, Ralph's son, and the name changed to Forbes Motors Inc. In August 1987, Forbes Motors Inc., was awarded the prestigious Cadillac franchise. In February 1997, at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention, Ralph A. Forbes was presented with an Automotive Hall of Fame Distinguished Service Citation. The honor recognizes men and women who have contributed to the automotive industry through their outstanding leadership and achievement. Forbes is one of only six Canadians to be singled out for this award since the Hall of Fame was created in 1940.

In 1990, Ralph and Jack Forbes were approached to support the K-W Regional Police Departments Children’s Safety Village. Located at Maple Grove Road in Cambridge, beside the Regional Police Headquarters, the Children’s Safety Village was created to give young children “hands on” safety training. This village simulates a small city block, as well as classrooms where children are taught safety rules in this miniature setting. Classes cover such items as stranger awareness, pedestrian and traffic safety, fire education, bicycle safety and internet safety. The Forbes’s, along with generous support from their suppliers, constructed a miniature replica of their Forbes Motors Dealership building. This facility houses the fleet of electric cars and bicycles that the children receive instruction with. Annually 20,000 local students visit the village and attend safety classes. For more information, visit the Children’s Safety Village at www.waterlooregioncsv.com.

On October 1st, 1999 Waterloo Toyota at 583 Colby Drive was added to the Forbes Automotive Family. The dealership now conducts business under the name Forbes Waterloo Toyota and offers full parts and service departments as well as new and used vehicle sales and leasing. Forbes Motors Inc. and Forbes Waterloo Toyota employs approximately 125 dedicated Staff members.

In September, 2005, Mr. Ralph Forbes was recognized by General Motors of Canada for his 50 years as a General Motors Dealer and in September, 2006, Russell Forbes was recognized for his 25 years as a General Motors Dealer.

Concluded in May 2006, a major renovation was done on the Dealership facility. The newly renovated building includes an 18 car showroom, new washrooms, parts and service areas, refreshed service drive through, new customer lounge and many other new customer conveniences.

In January, 2007, the 4th generation of the Forbes Family joined the company. Russ Forbes graduated from the University of Western Ontario from the Richard Ivey School of Business in 2003 and has been with General Motors of Canada as both a District Service Manager and a District Sales Manager for 3 years. Very few Dealerships have experienced four generations of family and ownership, and we are very proud of our past and very excited for our future.

In March of 2007 Russell Forbes received a personal letter from Mr. Yoichi Tomihara, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Toyota Canada Inc. Here is an excerpt from the letter:

“On a personal note, I am very pleased that one of my first official duties as President of Toyota Canada Inc is to congratulate you on your individual success. You have earned designation in the 2006 President’s Club.

The President’s Pride Program is very comprehensive in its measurement criteria and only those dealers meeting exceptionally high standards in all areas of the Dealership’s operations will stand with their peers in the exclusive ranks of the President’s Club. I salute you on your remarkable accomplishment.” It should be noted that only 25 Dealers in Canada win this award annually. “I am very proud of the Forbes Waterloo Toyota Team, they are outstanding employees” said Mr. Forbes.

In October 2007, Forbes Collision Centre became the first shop of its kind to convert to a water bourn paint process. This is an environmentally "green" process that is much more environmentally friendly method of painting vehicles. This required expensive new paint equipment and retraining and further demonstrates our commitment to being a good corporate citizen.

In November 2007, Parkway Mazda at 115 Northfield Drive West in Waterloo became the newest member of the Forbes Automotive Family. This dealership as of January 2008 will conduct business under the trade name Forbes Waterloo Mazda and will offer a full parts and service department as well as vehicle sales and leasing. Approximately 20 new employees became Forbes family members.

Time marches on, and so does the development of the Forbes Automotive Family. Started in summer of 2011 and completed that Nov, Forbes Waterloo Mazda underwent a complete facelift and modernization of the facilities at 115 Northfield Drive in Waterloo. The new 7 car showroom, new sales and administration offices, new washrooms, new service and parts areas and a modern new customer lounge, was all done to exceed Mazda Canada's corporate building requirements and to give our customers an outstanding ownership experience.