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| History of Tenvoorde Ford |
To understand the Tenvoorde story, one must go back to the mid 1800’s, when J.W. Tenvoorde relocated to St. Cloud from Indiana.
 On Christmas Day, 1865 his son, Stephen, was born. In 1895 Stephen established the city’s first bicycle store. An early newspaper account reported: “For many years this store has enjoyed a very lucrative patronage from the fact, no doubt, that it carries only high grade bicycles, built on honor and of such materials that positive guarantee enters into the conditions of every sale.” That same report went on to name Stephen Tenvoorde as “One of the best posted men in this business,, being a mechanic of extraordinary ability. He has devoted many years to machine work and is consequently well versed on all things pertaining to repairing and rebuilding.” Despite his thriving business. Stephen had much bigger ideas. He turned his interest from two-wheeled vehicles to machines atop four wheels, and in 1899 was credited with bringing the first automobile to St. Cloud. 
Many referred to Tenvoorde as a “daredevil” but to no avail, in 1899 he began selling cars from his bicycle shop. On March 21, 1903 Stephen signed an agreement, making his the second Ford dealership in the United States. At that time he also sold Oldsmobile, Saxon, Buick, Chandler and Oakland automobiles, but dropped all other lines and focused his attention on Ford exclusively.
Selling automobiles was no walk in the park. In his first year as a Ford dealer he sold only one car, but that did not dampen his enthusiasm. He saw automobiles as more than a mere means of transportation, but a true adventure. Foreseeing the need for the automobile, Stephen opened his first sales outlet in 1910; a one story brick structure in Downtown St. Cloud. Just five years later there were more than 400 automobiles of 40 different makes and models in St. Cloud. Tenvoorde expanded his operation to include a five car showroom and a service area, along with a body shop, the first one is St. Cloud. 
Stephen’s son, Cy, started working for his father when he was just 12 years old. He began by sweeping floors and became an integral part of the business, upon becoming bookkeeper in 1921.
Cy attended business college and was found to have such a flair with numbers that he finished his courses in two years.... unheard of at that time, as it was a four year study. The Great Depression hit everyone hard. Money was tight and people could not afford the luxury of a new car, so Cy put all his efforts into service and Customer Care. His rationale was that if people couldn’t buy new cars, he would make sure their existing vehicles were taken care of in the best manner possible.
Dealerships nationwide were losing business, as Service Stations and independent garages were popping up everywhere. In 1934 Cy opened a “Quick Service Station” on the corner of St. Germain and Forth Avenue. The facility offered a complete service center for all makes and models. 
Both the Tenvoorde and Ford families suffered personal losses in 1943. Cy's Father Stephen, passed away, as did Edsel Ford. It was not the best time to take over the reins of the dealership, as no new vehicles were being produced. Instead, industry the automobile was cranking out tanks. planes and anything military related. Cy was forced to lay off all of his salespeople. He decided that if his business was to survive he would have to diversify. He decided to tackle the engine rebuilding business. Business was booming. His shop was up and running 24-7. Used cars were repaired and put up for sale. Tenvoorde put all of his focus on selling service. Thru advertising, they encouraged people to keep their cars in good repair, and against all odds the company prospered. It reached a point where it was rebuilding an average of 125 engines per month for auto owners as well as all other Automobile Dealers.
In an article published in 1977, commemorating 75 years in business, Cy reflected. "At the insistence of my friendly, competitive dealers. I began writing a series of newspaper ads urging motorists to help the war effort by maintaining their vehicles to conserve fuel, tires and other components needed by the armed forces.” As unlikely as it may seem, the company was more profitable during the war than at any other time to date.
Tenvoorde built a larger facility in 1951. Despite the tough times in the 40’s, Cy had put away enough money to pay cash for the construction of the new dealership. 
One of the highlights for the Tenvoorde family occurred when Cy was asked to drive the four millionth Minnesota-built Ford out of the Twin Cities plant in St. Paul on April 14, 1976. Another noteworthy occasion of the 70’s took place when ground was broken for a new facility on June 16. 1977. The 10 acres Cy had plowed when he was just a boy of 12 is now the current dealership’s home. On hand were state senators. the Governor and the Mayor of St. Cloud. as well as other dignitaries.
Cy Tenvoorde passed away in l995... just 2 days shy of his 90th birthday. He witnessed a remarkable change in the automobile industry. Today the technology that goes into manufacturing and servicing a car is mind boggling, especially when you stack it up against the early automobiles Stephen Tenvoorde sold. 
No one knows what the future holds, but it’s safe to say that if the same business principles are kept in place that were so wisely established by Stephen Tenvoorde so many years ago, more generations of Tenvoorde’s will Continue to offer their cars to our loyal friends. Since granted the Ford franchise on March 21, 1903, to the present, Tenvoorde Ford remains the "Oldest Family Owned Ford Dealership in the World.”
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