A Trip Down Memory Lane

A Trip Down Memory Lane

One hundred years. A century. Ten decades. No matter how you say it, it is a long time. WardsAuto is celebrating its 100th birthday this year—an incredible run for a business-to-business media company. Even as I approach my mid-fifties, 100 is still a big number to comprehend when thinking about years and time, although not as big as when I started there at age 30.

Several days ago, I ran into a couple of former colleagues from Wards at a well-deserved industry "goodbye" party for Michelle Krebs, who recently retired from Cox Automotive after a long and distinguished career as one of the auto industry's premier analysts.

Seeing my former colleagues sent me down memory lane. I spent the entirety of my 30s at Wards. The head of the HR department, Shirley Knapp (never underestimate a good HR director - she was one of the best) called me the day my first son was born to inform me I was hired.

I started as a sales and office assistant. My goal was to get to the editorial side. I was naive and cocky enough to think I could do it while knowing nothing about journalism.

But I had a dream, and the team there gave me a shot. They were unbelievably patient with this raw, enthusiastic reporter who couldn't write a decent lede if my life depended on it. I didn't need a journalism degree—working at Wards was the best education possible. Better yet, they paid me to learn. I owe my career over the past 24 years to that team.

Through the decades, Wards has consistently been one of the giants in automotive publishing, providing trusted data and analysis to suppliers, manufacturers, dealers, investors, and analysts. It has survived numerous owners, including Canadian media conglomerate Thomson Corporation; the Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts-backed Primedia (which also owned Automobile and MotorTrend); private equity firms MidOcean Partners and Wasserstein & Company; and now, Informa, a publicly traded global digital services and academic research group.

Despite its numerous owners, Wards has stayed true to its mission.

It started in 1924 as Cram's Reports. The goal was to report the number of vehicles the industry's nearly 700 automakers were building. However, manufacturers initially resisted providing that data. So Cram's president, Alfred H. Ward, began placing reporters by the factories to ask workers as their shifts ended how many vehicles they had built that day.

Soon, automakers recognized the value of that data and began providing it to Cram. By the mid-thirties, Ward had bought the report from Cram and renamed it Ward's Automotive Reports (WAR). Wards also began publishing its famous Automotive Yearbook in 1938 (The earliest one I found on eBay is a 1942 edition priced at $175).

It then added the Ward's Engine and Vehicle Technology Update (originally called the Ward's Wankel Report) in 1972 after the rotary engine that was hot in the early '70s), the China Update, and the Ward's Auto World and Ward's Dealer Business magazines. It also published the famous dealer rankings, Ward's Dealer 500, Ward's Mega Dealer 100, and Ward's e-Dealer 100.

Also in its stable are the annual Ward's 10 Best Engines list—renamed Wards 10 Best Engines and Propulsion Systems—and Wards 10 Best Interiors and UX.

A little-known fact: In the mid-1980s, Wards acquired a dealer-focused magazine started by the Kelley Blue Book folks in the 1970s. (Bob Kelley, the patriarch of the Kelley family, passed away earlier this week at age 96).

The magazine ran under the moniker Ward's Auto Dealer until Wards acquired Auto Age magazine and renamed it Ward's Dealer Business in the mid-1990s. I joined the team in early 1990. In 2000, we launched the industry's first dealer-focused email newsletter and the Ward's e-Dealer 100 ranking.

Today, the magazines and print newsletters essentially are gone. WAR ceased publishing in early 2019. Now, WardsAuto is a full-service content, research, and consulting division of Informa. Next week, it is holding the annual Autotech Detroit event (formerly TU Automotive) where 3,000 industry folks from all walks of the automotive ecosystem gather for three days of conversation about the future of the industry.

I mentioned my former colleagues. Some are retired (or semi-retired) or have moved on to other endeavors, but some of the team is still there.

Indulge me as I run down the list with some memories. These are former colleagues who managed the turbulent decade of 2000 to 2010 when the media industry was getting hammered, and the auto industry endured its worst recession. It is because of these folks that Wards survived while never losing its focus.

In no order of particular significance (just fond memories):

David Zoia: Always unflappable, more than one former colleague has told me he's the best boss they've ever had. Believe it.

Drew Winter: One of the classiest individuals in the industry. He gave me my first assignment after an entreaty over lunch at the Coney Island at the corner of 10 Mile and Evergreen in Southfield, MI. That first article? A piece about Ford's electric vehicle, the Th!nk City - the short-lived glorified golf cart produced in conjunction with a Norwegian manufacturer.

Steve Finlay: A former city desk editor, my editor, boss, and teammate at Ward's Dealer Business. Now "retired," he always found the human perspective in each story and taught me to look beyond the business aspect.

Tom Murphy: Always professional. For several years, my office was adjacent to his and I saw firsthand the integrity he brings to the craft of journalism - more than anyone I know. He came one month short of spending 25 years at Wards. Now an executive editor with Autoweek.

Bill Visnic : Super passionate and rarely wrong when it came to calling BS on strategies implemented by the manufacturers. Our offices were across the hall from each other. The hallway conversations between him and Murphy were legendary.

Christie Schweinsberg: A true pro, she started as an editorial assistant and quickly became one of the best journalists in the industry.

Kevin Kelly: A phenomenal journalist who's become an awesome comms director for GM.

Eric Mayne: Another brilliant journalist and gem of a human being (I had fun breaking a couple of important stories with him) who left for greener pastures on the comms side with FCA - now Stellantis.

Byron Pope: A workhorse of a journalist, who knew the right questions to ask. Another one of the team to head for the financially more attractive pastures of PR, now working with The Millerschin Group .

Katherine Zachary : Another one of the Ward's workhorse reporters. She also leveraged her journalistic skills into an impressive career with Nissan on the comms side. I always admired her for the way she handled the unique challenges of being a woman in the male-dominated automotive journalism space.

John Stoll : Brilliant writer who went on to spend nearly nine years with the Wall Street Journal serving as Detroit Bureau Chief, and three years as one of its business columnists. Now a managing director with Ridgley Walsh, a powerhouse public affairs firm.

Alisa Priddle : Relentless. She was a machine and could churn out a 2,000-word story faster than anybody. Now an editor with MotorTrend.

Barbara McClellan : She taught me how to write journalistically. For the nearly 10 years I worked with her, she read and edited almost every single word written by the reporters and editors at Wards. She was tough, yet patient. Often behind the scenes making us reporters look great. I will always be grateful to her.

James Bush : Our managing director. His insights into navigating our many leadership and ownership changes were brilliant. I had so many incredible conversations with him, often late in the day—a master class in business.

Haig Stoddard : Minus a five-year hiatus, he's been with Ward's since 1993. A brilliant analyst who helped me break a couple of big stories.

al binder : A walking encyclopedia who might know more about the history of the auto industry than anyone alive. Now retired, he began his career with Ward's in 1971 and oversaw the publication of the Ward's Yearbook for at least 30 years.

Rich West : A visionary publisher during my early years. An awesome boss who not only gave me my shot but helped foster it and gave me the room to run with it.

Said Deep (who joined Ford) and Laurel Wright Lindh both left not long after I started.

A shout-out to former colleague and talented journalist who cared deeply about getting the story right, James Amend, who left this earth way too soon.

On the data side, Rebecca Norris, Paul Zajac, Heather Rowe , Lisa Williamson , Amber McLincha-Herrick , and John Sousanis , you guys made us look smart.

On the business side: Tom Duncan, a nearly 40-year career in publishing, I learned so much from him how to manage the often conflicting agendas in the corporate world. Steve Walsh, and the sales team, Dyanna Hurley , Dave Haggett , Bill Doucette , Woody Newell , and Hans Bodine (who left just as I was starting) always respected the wall between editorial and sales.

I have to mention our talented graphics team, which executed numerous redesigns and a transition into the new digital publishing world—Elio Parenti, Addie Janhevich, Susanne Scott, and Steve Case.

And Marketing Director Chris Lamphear , who was my partner in crime, devising off-the-wall marketing ideas. A true gentleman and first-class human being.

The Wards alumni list in automotive publishing is long and distinguished. Some notable names predated my time there— Mark Phelan , Marge Sorge , Jeff Green , Natalie Neff -- while others came after I left: editors David Kiley , Bob Gritzinger , Jim Irwin , and sales executive Larry Schlagheck .

Finally, David C. Smith, the godfather of automotive journalism, who was "retiring" as I was starting. (I still have the golf clubs and their green and brown case I purchased from him for $200 in 2000).

He guided the Ward's team for more than 30 years as part of a 50-plus-year career in automotive journalism. Somewhere in that career is a shared Pulitzer Prize award, along with being named to numerous journalism halls of fame.

Happy Birthday!



Tom Duncan

Vice President at Penton Media, Inc.

5 个月

Glad I happened across this thread; I seldom look at LinkedIn. Just seeing so many old familiar names put a smile on my face. It was a privilege to work with everyone at Wards. Great roster.

James Bush

Retired-Former Managing Director at Ward's Automotive Group

5 个月

Those were the days, Cliff! Wards always has been blessed with a talented team who considered it more a mission than a job. You were one of the best. I had a great time working (scheming) with you.

Bill Visnic

Guiding automotive and energy-industry content creation

5 个月

Appreciate the service you’ve provided, Cliff, in documenting some of the timeline and many of the pivotal people involved in the industry institution that is Ward’s. But don’t sell yourself short. Your input and hard work played a significant role in the evolution of the Dealer Business property and the Wards presence in that space.

David Zoia

Automotive Writer/Analyst

5 个月

Thanks for the shoutout Cliff. Agree with you 100%. Can say that I've worked with many of the industry's best journalists and analysts over the years here (and still do). Good to see so many of them mentioned in one post.

Great post! Working with these talented people on the Wards team while in PR at NADA will always be a career highlight for me.

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