Wood Automotive Group founder promotes sons to boost executive-level ‘horsepower’

Gerry Wood, executive chairman of Calgary’s Wood Automotive Group, has named sons Rory and Cailean as the company’s first vice-presidents.

Cailean assumes the new role of vice-president sales and marketing while Rory has been appointed vice-president of sales and service.

“Rory and Cailean have worked hard to earn these promotions,” said Wood, company founder.

“They have seen almost everything you can in the auto business and now they’ll be an important part of our leadership team as our industry enters the new era of sustainability, EVs and self-driving cars.”

They will report to group COO Dick Lau who said the new positions were created as the company continues to grow “and we need more horsepower at the executive level.”

In the last 18 months, the company bought South Centre Volkswagen, opened Canada’s first VW satellite dealership and started Wood Auto Rentals, “which has been growing great guns,” Lau said.

“We’re building the new Big 4 Motors at Taza Park on the Tsuut’ina Nation [on the western edge of Calgary] and planning a second dealership on the same site.”

He declined to name the automaker. Wood Automotive Group owns seven dealerships in the Calgary area, selling Ford, Volkswagen and Honda vehicles.

“Our staff count is now closer to 650, and with all the changes in the industry, Rory and Cailean are taking more leadership positions,” said Lau.

The company has also shuffled dealership management positions, naming three new general managers.

Justin Swinton was named general manager at Okotoks FordLincoln, Chris Robertson took over at Advantage Ford and Anthony Fowler assumed a general manager role at Village Honda.

Swinton and Robertson are longtime Wood Group employees while Fowler comes from Hyatt Infiniti, which is owned by AutoCanada.