FIFTY YEARS IN THE WINDY CITY

Back in 1964, Howard Orloff became Chicago’s first Jaguar retailer. Fifty years later and Howard Orloff Jaguar continues to go from strength to strength at its landmark downtown Chicago location. Here, his son David Orloff, Vice-President and Dealer Principal, talks about half a century of success.

How did the dealership get its start?

My father loved the car business and he still does at age 83. He started out in the business in 1955 and became a top salesman at Courtesy Hudson, which became Courtesy Ford owned by Jim Moran, The Courtesy Man. My dad quickly went on to set up a number of used car lots. By 1964, he wanted to move into new cars and got the opportunity to take on a British Leyland franchise selling MGs, Triumphs and Jaguar cars. Those were pioneering days for Jaguar in the US.

What have been the key milestones over the years?

I guess the biggest milestone for us was moving 21 years ago from our original location of 34 years at West Fullerton to our current home here at North Paulina Street. When we moved we had around 35 employees and were selling 60 cars a month, new and used. Within a few months, we’d increased staff to almost 90 with sales soaring to 130 cars. That was mostly because of our new city location. We were close to where people worked and lived; we were right by the busy Kennedy Expressway and only five minutes from downtown Chicago. It was all about location.

More and more dealers are moving out of towns for more space. How does the downtown Chicago location work for you today?

It’s a trade-off. Yes, we desperately need more space, especially to store cars, and of course, taking on a Land Rover franchise a decade ago put added pressure on the showroom and workshop areas. Right now our facility has around 100,000 sq. ft., and another 100,000 sq. ft. of parking. We are tight, but the flip side is our customers love the convenience of our location. We’re half a block from a major Metra station, so customers who commute into the city can drop off their cars on their way to work and those who live in the city can be here in just a few minutes.

What are your secrets of success?

One big secret of success is continuing to be a family-run business. My brother, Jeffrey Orloff and my brother-in-law, Joseph Coletta are partners in the dealership. Amazingly we all share the same office, with an extra desk for my father who still comes in once a week. That way, each of us knows what’s going on and shares in the decision-making. That, along with our great staff, many of whom have been with us for several years, including a top-notch Management team, all contribute to the continued success and growth of our dealership.

When did you get involved in the business?

I’ve been here for 37 years. My first job was washing cars, then the usual path through the service department and on to sales. I took over around 1986. My father was, and still is, the greatest mentor and teacher and I still love this business. I just sold a new Jaguar F-TYPE V8 S Convertible to a customer who is a real car guy. He picked it up a couple of days ago and an hour after he took delivery he was on the phone calling me to say how thrilled and excited he was with the car and the buying experience. Calls like that make it all worthwhile.