When Leonard Northcutt lost his parents in a plane crash in 1965, he was thrust into the role of taking over his family’s car dealership as the youngest person in the nation to operate a Chevrolet franchise at that time. But he persisted in convincing the company to take a chance on him because he knew how promising the Enid market was.
Time has proven him right. “Enid’s been very good to me and my family,” he says. “Enid is the right size community to allow you have personal relationships with your customers, but it also offers potential for growth.”
In 2016, Leonard retired and turned over the keys to his son Scott, the third generation to run Northcutt Auto Group, which now includes the Toyota dealership next door. For his part, Scott is impressed by how the community is transforming itself to appeal to young families like his own.
“I think Enid has a lot going for it right now,” he says, pointing to new athletic facilities, a local mountain biking club he and his son are involved in, a new downtown event center and the expanding array of restaurants and craft breweries surrounding the iconic town square.
“As a business person, you can get plugged into different roles in the community and really see that you are making a difference. That’s been very rewarding for us.” — Scott Northcutt, President of Northcutt Auto Group