It is not uncommon for sons and daughters to follow in the footsteps of their parents when it comes to choosing their career. So, it should come as no surprise that Matt Rothwell is now helping run Sarnia’s Bayview Chrysler Dodge. “Bayview was the first place I ever worked, cutting lawns while I was in elementary school,” says Matt, the Dealer Principal/Managing Partner at Bayview. “My love for the car business and automotive business started here, just being around the employees.”
Bayview was founded in 1974 by Red Orr. “I came back to work at Bayview at the beginning of 2020 after having worked here as a kid in recon and in the parts department.” Matt’s dad, Doug, was hired as the Parts Manager in 1977 by Red. “My dad went on to work here for 43 years. Red’s sons, David, and Stephen Orr, are my partners now.” Red Orr ran the company until he turned it over to his sons, David and Stephen and Doug in the mid-90s. “Today, David and Stephen are still the owners, but now David’s sons Tom Orr and David Orr Jr. and myself run the dealership.”
Matt prepared himself for this opportunity at Bayview by first attending the automotive program at Georgia College and then getting a degree in automotive management at Northwood University. Following graduation, he worked the next 17 years at two Dodge Chrysler dealerships in Arizona and London, ON, before making the decision to return home. “I have always been close to the Orr family,” Doug says. “Tom and Dave and I consider each other family and we treat each other like brothers. The three of us have a huge appreciation for the opportunity we have to carry on the great tradition and put our own stamp on it.”
Since rising to the top, Matt and his partners have faced numerous challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently inventory shortages. “We were fortunate that within 45 days of reopening, we had our full staff back,” Matt says. “Since then, we have been able to grow the business and actually increase the headcount. We still have inventory challenges and there are wait times — up to six-to-eight months — for vehicles that people are not accustomed to.” As the auto industry pivots towards electric cars, Matt says Chrysler has manufactured exciting hybrids such as the Wrangler 4XE and the new 4XE Cherokee. “Hybrids offer the best of both worlds and we’re looking forward to having them on the lot.”
Matt is having the time of his life working at Bayview. “It is really fun coming to work in an environment where the sales manager was a salesperson when I was growing up and our business manager has been here for 29 years and used to tease me in the showroom when I was a kid,” Matt says. “I want to stress the importance of the partnership between Tom and David and myself. I have the title of Dealer Principal/Managing Partner, but it is very much a partnership between the three of us as we move this business forward.”
The Refined Fool Brewing Co. was looking for a way to give back to the community. And, in the spirit of being good corporate citizens, the fools — as they like to refer to themselves — came up with a successful plan. I came on board full time as the event coordinator in 2018 and we immediatel
Dentistry has been part of the Slipacoff family for over 40 years. Dr. Lennie Slipacoff graduated from the University of Western Ontario's School of Dentistry in 1981 and immediately established his dentistry practice in Sarnia. His wife Cindy was a dental hygienist at the practice for 39 years be
In 2015, Bo Tait's friends took him to an indoor axe throwing range in Toronto for his bachelor party. None of them had ever been axe- or knife-throwing before. We had a great time. It's all we could talk about. We came back home to Sarnia and built targets in our backyards. Six weeks later,
For Ashley Smith, yoga became more than a practice. It became a lifestyle. "It was only three and a half years ago that I started yoga," says Ashley, who now owns and operates The Raven Heart, a Sarnia-based healing sanctuary that offers yoga and meditation among other holistic services. "Our
Tracey Tully took a potentially deadly situation and turned it into her dream job. Tracey had been the fitness manager at Good Life in Sarnia, but in 2019 was diagnosed with lung cancer. Following surgery to remove the second lobe of her lung, Tracey's doctor advised her not to rejoin a large gym
Since its inception in 1953, the Sarnia & District Humane Society has been a haven for unwanted, neglected, and lost and found animals. What started as a one-room shack, has grown into a community-supported shelter that provides wellness clinics for the community, emergency housing, and educatio
By her own admission, Amy Ewing spent a lot of years bouncing from one low-paying job to another. That all changed in 2020 when she and her dream team—brother Cody and her dad Don—purchased Johnny G's Premium Pizza in Petrolia. Now she's rolling in dough. My brother was working at Joh
It was 1952, and with limited opportunities in Holland, John, and Atty DeGroot and their six kids boarded a ship for Canada. Within a few years of arriving, John landed his first real job at Dow doing janitorial work. For my dad, working at Dow was not terribly rewarding. Too often he was a