About Don Thornton
Don is an accomplished businessman who was twice recognized by Time Magazine as one of the top ten automobile dealers in the nation. Don came from a working class family and put himself through college in part by joining his college's Air Force ROTC program. After graduation, he served his four-year commitment as an instructor, navigator and pilot. When he returned to civilian life, Don took a job as a stockbroker at a regional firm. But after three years, he switched career paths and began a new job as an automobile salesman. He quickly moved into management positions and in a few years became the general sales manager at a large Ford dealerships in Dallas. Because he had demonstrated success as a manger, he was chosen over a large number of other applicants to purchase a struggling Ford dealership in Tulsa, which he soon turned it into one of the highest ranked Ford dealerships in the state.
He sold this Ford dealership after 26 years in 1997 but shortly reentered the auto business by purchasing a Lexus dealership when he was in his early sixties, an age when many men would have considered retirement. He has continued to expand and has purchased dealerships for five other brands. Despite his success, Don is a modest man. When you talk to him he will say a lot of his success was luck. But like many successful people, what he talks about as luck clearly represents opportunities that were presented to him because he had demonstrated that he stood out as a manager in his industry. Don's story is also a good example of how you can balance a successful business career with your family life.
