H.M. Smith Ford, Inc., announces the arrival of Kenneth L. Darien as a new partner and the dealership's General Manager.
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Ken Darien (left) and Dan Smith pose for a photo.
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Mr. Darien will be responsible for all sales and service operations at the local Ford dealer. He has more than 13 years of experience in the operations of new car dealerships, including eight years as General Sales Manager at Springfield Chrysler in Springfield, Ga.
During his tenure at that dealership, Mr. Darien increased unit sales by more than 233 percent by developing and executing innovative sales and service strategies to obtain new customers while retaining and growing its existing customer base.
Mr. Darien began his career with Southern Motors in Savannah, where he was among the top 1 percent of Jeep sales personnel for the state of Georgia and among the top 5 percent nationwide. He was most recently with Tom Bush BMW in Jacksonville, where he gained valuable experience in high-end sales while becoming salesperson of the month within his first six months of employment there.
Dan Smith, President of Smith Ford, said, "We are so excited to have Ken as a partner and General Manager. He brings the integrity and people skills that are so important in this business, and he will be a great complement to the legacy that my father started 40 years ago. We know we have hired someone with the initiative and experience to bring a significant level of service to Warrenton and the surrounding areas. Ken will become active in the community and familiar with the area's automotive needs. Most importantly, his experience in Springfield is a mirror image of the needs we have at our Warrenton dealership, in that Ken will be seeking to draw car buyers from a much broader geographical area. He was most successful in attracting buyers from Savannah while in Springfield and one of his goals will be to broaden the reach of Smith Ford as far as Augusta and Greensboro."
Mr. Darien's wife, Lema, is a Wealth Management Financial Specialist for Wachovia National Bank in Jacksonville and will be taking a similar position in the CSRA. The couple is in the process of relocating to the Warrenton/Thomson area.
