Chris Hurd recalls his grandfather, Frank, as “one of the hardest workers there ever was.”

In 1935, Frank decided to test his mettle as a business owner, even in the midst of the Great Depression. As Chris tells the story, Frank “risked everything he had” to open Hurd & Goldberg, a Chrysler-Plymouth car lot on Reservoir Avenue in Cranston, along with Samuel Goldberg.

“They were never really very profitable,” Chris says, but built trust with the community and “became the neighborhood dealership.”

The company’s tenure under its original name was relatively brief. But the legacy of that initial, modest operation has spanned generations.

“It’s pretty neat … even though it changed from Hurd & Goldberg to the name of Hurd Chrysler Plymouth in 1971, we still occasionally receive checks made out to Hurd & Goldberg,” says Chris, president of Hurd Auto Mall, now a Chevrolet, Buick and GMC dealership located at 1705 Hartford Ave. in Johnston. “It’s a real honor to be serving the children and the grandchildren of the people that my grandfather and my father served … The real key to our success is that people come back.”

Over eight decades, Hurd Auto has been defined by its strong ties to the community, commitment to quality, and ability to overcome adversity.

Frank faced far more than just being a new business owner during a time of economic hardship. The Hurricane of 1938 brought widespread destruction to the Ocean State, and battered the company’s building.

“They really thought they were going to be out of business,” Chris says. Instead, with thousands of Rhode Islanders needing vehicle repairs or replacements after the storm, it “propelled them through those post-Depression years.”

Chris describes his father, Judd, as “old school.” A diabetic all his life, Judd started working in the business in the ‘50s, and took over the operation in the ‘70s – which proved a particularly challenging time.

In the wake of the oil crisis of 1973, and as the country moved toward pollution controls and improved fuel efficiency, Chrysler struggled mightily to adapt and saw its sales plummet. In 1979, an oil embargo again shook the automotive market.

Judd’s tenacity and devotion to the company’s core ideals, his son says, kept it going despite the enormous external pressures.

“He just knew if he worked hard, it was going to work,” Chris says.

In 1981, the company moved on from Chrysler and brought on Buick and GMC Truck in its place, purchasing a franchise that had been located in Providence.

Chris has been involved in the business in some capacity for most of his life. During high school, he would wash cars or help in other ways. After graduating college, he decided to give sales a try.

“It gets in your blood,” he says. “It was most fun I’ve ever had.”

Move to Johnston spurred growth

In 1991, Chris took control of the business, and like his father and grandfather before him, he immediately faced a major test. In 1989, the company had made the decision to move to Johnston, and purchased the site it now calls home.

Relocation was anything but a sure bet. At the time, the area was not nearly as developed as it is today, and no other automotive dealers were nearby. Route 295 saw a fraction of the traffic it does now. And Rhode Island was in the midst of the credit union crisis, which saw 45 financial institutions ordered shut on New Year’s Day in 1991 – affecting one out of every three residents of the state, and $1 of every $10 in deposits.

“People thought we were nuts,” Chris recalls.

Regardless, he and his father put their homes on the line to make the move possible.

Nearly a quarter-century later, Chris calls the company’s relocation to Johnston “the best move we’ve probably ever made.” The dealership acquired the Chevrolet franchise in 1994, and while there have been difficult patches, he says the “last 25 years have been the greatest growth of our company.”

Since the move to Johnston, the dealership’s workforce has grown from 40 employees to 110. In 2012, its facilities were expanded and redeveloped through a $4 million project.

Now affiliated with what Chris calls “three really strong franchises,” Hurd Auto Mall has become the largest General Motors campus in New England with an inventory of more than 800 new and pre-owned vehicles, and boasts the highest level of customer retention in the region as measured by the company. It also includes an award-winning, GM-certified auto repair center.

Chris says being in Johnston has had immense benefits for both the town and the dealership. He points to the development that has occurred in the area over the last two decades, and to his company’s dedication to the community, including through support for groups and programs such as youth sports and Johnston Police Explorer Post 405.

“Johnston’s been a very good community to be in,” he says. “I think we’ve helped Johnston become a good town to do business in.”

While immersed in the Johnston community, Chris, now 56, is a resident of Warwick, and his four children – all now involved in other pursuits – went through that city’s school system.

Milestone is opportunity to reflect

There are no major celebrations planned in conjunction with Hurd Auto’s 80th anniversary, although the company has handed out baseballs, apple pies, and coupons for hot dogs in honor of its well-known jingle.

For Chris, the milestone serves more as an opportunity to reflect on what the dealership has meant to so many – and to look toward what lies ahead.

“There’s no other dealership in Rhode Island that’s been around 80 years, especially in one family … I think that’s special,” he says. “I think the family name has a lot of equity.”

Recalling the trials of his grandfather and father, Chris says for many years Hurd Auto’s goal was “survival.” Now, he says, “I think the goal is really just to keep growing the business,” and to carry on the approach that has led to such success.

“We are completely a family dealership,” he says. “It’s not transactional. We’re more about a relationship with the customer … it’s about making people feel comfortable.”

For more information, visit hurdautomall.com. The main line is 401-751-6000. For sales, call 844-566-8976. For service, call 844-566-8734.