In 2025, Toothman & Sowers Ford was recognized as one of Marion County’s most trusted businesses, earning multiple honors at the WV News Best of Marion County Awards. These awards are driven entirely by the local community, with residents nominating and voting for the businesses they believe consistently deliver the best experiences.
This year’s event saw nearly 8,800 nominations and more than 116,800 votes cast, reflecting a high level of community participation and engagement. That scale matters. It means these awards aren’t based on a single interaction or a small sample size, but on thousands of real customer experiences over time.
Earning recognition across multiple categories in a community-voted program speaks to consistency—across sales, service, and workplace culture. For local drivers, it’s a signal that the dealership’s reputation is built day by day, through how customers are treated, how vehicles are serviced, and how teams work together behind the scenes.
Best New Car & Truck Dealer
Being recognized as the Best New Car & Truck Dealer is an honor we don’t take lightly. This award reflects the trust our neighbors place in us every time they walk through our doors. We believe buying a vehicle should feel informed, respectful, and straightforward, and we’re grateful to serve our community in a way that builds lasting relationships—not just one-time transactions.
Best Customer Service
Winning Best Customer Service means everything to us because it comes directly from the people we serve. It reflects our commitment to listening, following through, and being there for our customers long after the sale. Every vote reinforces the responsibility we feel to show up every day with integrity, care, and consistency.
Best Auto Service Repair Center
This recognition represents the work we do behind the scenes to keep our community safely on the road. We take pride in providing clear explanations, honest recommendations, and service our customers can rely on—because we know how much people depend on their vehicles.
Best Auto Mechanic
Being honored in this category speaks to the skill, dedication, and pride our technicians bring to their work. We’re proud of the craftsmanship and attention to detail that goes into every repair, knowing we’re servicing the vehicles of friends, families, and neighbors.
Best Place to Work
Being named Best Place to Work is especially meaningful to us because it reflects how we care for our team. At Toothman & Sowers Ford, we believe that supporting our employees creates stronger teams, deeper roots, and better experiences for the community we’re proud to serve.
“This was a team effort, and one person couldn’t do it. Customer service is really a top priority for us.”
— Jim Drost, General Sales Manager
Our leadership team sees these awards as a reflection of collective effort, not individual achievement. As General Sales Manager Jim Drost has shared, recognition like this is never about one person—it’s about an entire team working together with a shared commitment to customer care.
For us, customer service isn’t a department or a talking point; it’s a priority that shows up in every interaction, from the showroom to the service bay. These honors reinforce what we strive for every day: treating people with respect, listening to their needs, and making sure every customer feels confident in their experience with us.
Because these awards are driven by community nominations and votes, they carry special meaning. They remind us that trust is earned over time, through consistency and accountability. Knowing that our neighbors took the time to vote is both humbling and motivating, and it strengthens our commitment to continue serving Marion County with the same care and dedication that led to this recognition.
For customers, awards like these go beyond recognition—they signal reliability. Consistency means knowing what to expect every time you visit, whether you’re buying a vehicle or scheduling service. Accountability shows up in clear communication, follow-through, and standing behind the work we do.
Long-term relationships are built when customers feel remembered, respected, and supported over time, not just during a single transaction. Most importantly, these honors reinforce confidence—confidence before the sale, during ownership, and long after the keys are handed over.
That peace of mind is what many customers are truly looking for when choosing a dealership.
These awards ultimately belong to the Marion County community. Every nomination and every vote represents trust, and that trust is something we work to earn every single day.
We’re grateful to the neighbors, customers, and local families who took the time to share their experiences and support our team.
At Toothman & Sowers Ford, our commitment doesn’t stop with recognition—it continues in how we serve, listen, and show up for the community moving forward.
We look forward to continuing to earn that trust, one interaction at a time.
