This year marks the 50th anniversary of Kirk Auto Company. With 15 locations serving the Grenada, MS, area, they are celebrating their years of success with a little help from the community in the “Through the Decades Classic Car Competition.” Anyone who has purchased a car from Kirk Auto is encouraged to bring it in for a chance to win a cash prize. The older the car, the more money that can be awarded.
“We want to bring people out that still own the cars that they bought from us. The oldest one we have right now is from the 70s. We have several from the 80s and 90s as well,” said Cannon Kirk, Owner of Kirk Auto Company.
Community involvement and showing appreciation to the customer is important to Cannon. He proudly shared, “There are families in our community that we have sold cars to for four generations.” He continued, “I started selling cars at a young age. Some of the people whom I sold my first cars to, now I’m selling to their great grandkids.”
As a second-generation dealer, Cannon is proud to carry on the tradition of commitment to the customer and community that his father, Dynamite Kirk, set. Among other accolades, Kirk has been recognized by Ford and presented with the Blue Oval Award and many President’s Awards for customer satisfaction.
In 1967, Dynamite was employed by a local contractor doing dirt work. Dynamite drove heavy equipment, motor graders, scrapers and bulldozers. After four years of dirt work, Jesse Ferguson was in the process of buying Chevrolet from Cliff Colbert Chevrolet. He approached Dynamite and said, “I see a lot of talent in you. You need to be selling cars.” Dynamite was hired and sold cars for five years. Then, on July 5, 1973, he purchased the local Ford dealership with a partner.
Dynamite made work a family affair. At the age of three, Cannon remembers hiding under cars and playing around the lot, and he knew that he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. After graduating from college in 1991, he went to work with his father. In 1993, Cannon took over the day-to-day operations and has kept the momentum going.
In 2010, Cannon and his brother, Scott Kirk, bought their father out. Then in 2021, Cannon bought out his brother. Today, Kirk Auto Company’s 15 locations include new and used car stores and a power sports store. Cannon’s two sons, Tyler and Morgan, have joined their father in business. Morgan is a Sales Manager, and Tyler is the General Manager of two stores.
Steve Woods, a longtime employee of Kirk Auto Company, sums up the company’s point of view nicely: “It’s not so much selling a person an automobile the first time, it’s the next time and the next time … If we don’t feel confident that you’ll buy your next car from us, then we haven’t done our job.”
Congratulations, Kirk Auto Company … here’s to 50 more amazing years!
