Gaudin Motor Co. celebrates 100-year anniversary
Gaudin Motor Co. celebrates a momentous 100 years of operation this year, boasting over a century of innovation and influence within the automotive industry — ultimately helping shape it into what it is today. Since originally opening in Escalon, California, in the early 1920s, Gaudin Motor Co. has become a true staple in the Las Vegas community over the past 67 years, establishing itself as the oldest family-owned auto dealer in Nevada.
Treating customers like family has always been ingrained in the Gaudin mission and is what jumpstarted the company’s immense success.
George Gaudin always had a passion for motor vehicles, constantly tinkering the tractors and Model T trucks for the farmers in his community. In 1922, he realized that he could make these vehicles more efficient for these workers through some adjustments. His innovative and forward-thinking efforts quickly caught the attention of Ford Motor Co., and in exchange for his discovery, he was given his own Ford dealership.
While the business took just short of a century and more than three generations to build, Gaudin Motor Co. is now made up of three Las Vegas dealership locations, including Gaudin Ford, Ford Country and Gaudin Porsche of Las Vegas. Gaudin boasts 400 team members, with 40 employees who have been with the company for more than 20 years.
Owner Gary Ackerman is deeply committed to leveraging the Gaudin Motor Co.’s influence to improve the Las Vegas community and beyond.
“My grandfather, George Gaudin, always said, ‘Serving our clients and our communities is more than what we do, it is who we are,’ and we make it our mission to uphold his standard every single day,” Ackerman said. “As we celebrate this incredible milestone of 100 years, it is important that we give back to the customers and team members who have played a major role in our success. We couldn’t thank the Las Vegas community enough for their support, and we will continue to do our part to make our city a better place to live and work.”
A true testament to his commitment to the local community, A
ckerman and Gaudin Motor Co. have supported over 65 local organizations throughout the valley including Three Square, Serving Our Kids Foundation, Nathan Adelson Hospice, Shine a Light, St. Jude’s Ranch for Children and Communities in Schools of Nevada.
Ackerman’s passion for bettering the local community really shines through his work with the Grant a Gift Autism Foundation Ackerman Center, a groundbreaking organization that aims to help families master living with autism by providing a multidisciplinary team of physicians, psychologists and behavior specialists who help develop a diagnosis, treatment plan and support services for children with autism.
It became a cause near to his heart after his son was diagnosed with autism at the age of 10. With one in 44 children in the United States on the autistic spectrum and 10,000 individuals in Nevada currently diagnosed with autism, Ackerman took notice of the severe lack of available care for families of children affected by this diagnosis in the state of Nevada, and he set out to do everything in his power to change that.
Over the past five years, the Ackerman Center has served more than 5,000 families, providing them with medical research, diagnostics, clinical care, speech occupational behavior therapy, family support and education.