Cindy DeGroot, co-owner and chief experience officer of Markley Motors, left, and her older sister, Carrie Baumgart, co-owner and CEO, have helped keep the business in the family—it was founded in Fort Collins in 1936.
Carrie Baumgart and Cindy DeGroot of Timnath grew up in the family business and now as co-owners of Markley Motors continue to promote its number one value of integrity.
Founded in 1936, Markley Motors in Fort Collins added and changed car brands but remained true to what founder Ferd Markley wanted for the company, an honest, fair and trustworthy business. The company also remained true to the principles of the BBB Serving Northern Colorado and Wyoming as a founding Accredited Business since 1983.
“He saw their mission aligned with our mission and that it was extremely important to be part of that,” said Carrie Baumgart, co-owner and CEO of Markley Motors, which sells Buick, GMC and Honda and all makes and models of preowned vehicles, plus provides mechanical, body and part services. “It really put the seal on what we believed.”
Markley Motors’ mission is to serve its clients and the community with “uncompromised integrity, empathy and excellence,” in line with the principles of the BBB of embodying integrity, building trust and being responsive while honoring promises.
“We want our customers to feel comfortable when they walk in here, just knowing they can trust us and feel good we’re doing business in an ethical way,” said DeGroot, co-owner and chief experience officer of Markley Motors.
Markley Motors had its start at 264 N. College Ave., when Markley moved his Dodge-Plymouth dealership from Brush to Fort Collins.
“Our grandfather built this business based on ethics,” Baumgart said. “He was a Rotarian to his core, and he believed in the Four-Way Test.”
Markley passed his business on to his sons, Gene and Bob, when he decided to serve in the state legislator (1952-56). Gene and Bob officially purchased the business in 1959 and operated two dealerships, Dodge at 246 N. College and Chrysler-Plymouth at 330 S. College. They consolidated the dealerships in 1961 in an expanded facility that took up most of the 200 block of North College, then in 1968, Bob sold his share of the partnership to Gene.
Gene’s son, Doug, father to Baumgart and DeGroot, joined the business and considered adding a Honda franchise in 1973, at a time when the dealership was moving to 3401 S. College Ave. Honda, which added Civic to its motorcycle line, awarded a much sought-after franchise to Markley Motors in 1975.
Gene and Doug made other changes to the business, including terminating the Chrysler, Plymouth and Dodge lines in 1979 and purchasing the Buick, Pontiac and GMC Truck franchise for Fort Collins, followed by the Saturn franchise in 1990. They named the franchise Saturn of Fort Collins, the only one in Colorado, and opened a second Saturn dealership in Cheyenne, Wyo., in 1999. They then lost the Saturn and Pontiac franchises in 2009, moving operations of its Buick GMC franchise to the former Saturn store at 3325 S. College Ave. and operating the Honda store at 3401 S. College Ave.
Markley Motors’ various buildings also underwent expansions and facelifts in the 1990s and in the 2000s and 2010s, plus a $1.5 million green project in 2019 and currently, an infrastructure prep for electric vehicles.
In 2005, Baumgart, who along with DeGroot grew up in the business, approached Doug, saying she eventually wanted to run Markley Motors, though at first that wasn’t her plan.
“Neither of us wanted to be in the car business. … It was just a job,” Baumgart said. “It wasn’t until 10 years into working here, we decided this is in our blood. We don’t want to be anywhere else.”
Baumgart had worked as a service advisor for six years, then handled marketing until 2006, when she attended the National Automobile Dealers Association Dealer Academy in McLean, Va., and held titles such as finance manager and dealer principal. She and DeGroot started buying into the business in 2014, when she was the COO and DeGroot the marketing director. She underwent the application process to become the dealer principal with the Buick/GMC and Honda franchises, which she was awarded in 2015.
“We worked our way to the top,” Baumgart said. “We earned the respect, and we love what we do.”
DeGroot started out as a receptionist, then served as sales consultant, finance assistant and marketing director. Her husband, Gregg, is the fixed operations manager, while Baumgart’s husband, Eric, is the general manager.
DeGroot and Baumgart operate their business as a family and as a team and have seen many of their employees remain with the company for decades or leave and return, preferring the culture they offer, Baumgart said.
“We care about our people to our core. They care about us as well,” Baumgart said. “We work hard every single day; that’s what sets us apart.”
That caring is part of the reason the Markleys joined the BBB in the first place
“The whole mission of BBB and making a stand for business, it really aligns with our mission and our values,” DeGroot said.
Those values include integrity, empathy, positive impact, excellence and growth.
“Our number one value is integrity, always doing the right thing no matter what, even if it’s unpopular,” Baumgart said. “It isn’t always easy to do what’s right. We say, if we make a mistake, we will make it right, even if it hurts our bottom line, because it’s the right thing to do. … We like to fix it before it gets to the BBB if we have the opportunity.”
Baumgart and DeGroot use the BBB as a resource to identify which businesses ethically align with theirs, opting to do business with those companies first.
“It’s a great resource for consumers and businesses in all aspects of doing business,” Baumgart said. “We love the BBB seal. … We can be associated with such an amazing organization, so the general public knows that we uphold their standard for businesses and take it seriously.”