The History of Central Cadillac - HUMMER
1929George Lyon becomes President of Central Chevrolet at East 70th and Euclid Ave.
1942General Motors makes Lyon and Central Chevrolet the Cadillac distributor Northeast Ohio, selling Cadillacs to customers and other dealers: Central Cadillac is incorporated.
1943Lyon opens Central Cadillac dealership at 2040 East 71st Street.
1945Frank Porter, Sr. joins Central Cadillac as salesman after serving in World War II.
April 29, 1949Central Cadillac moves to Carnegie Avenue and opens a new modern building.
1949Frank Porter, Sr. becomes General Manager.
1954Central Cadillac starts Mobile Home Service, sending mechanics to customers’ homes to service their automobiles.
1959Central Cadillac starts Prudential Finance Co., which helps finance cars sold by Central Cadillac as well as other automobile dealers.
1959Central Cadillac forms Executive Leasing Corp., offering leases for Cadillacs and other makes and models, both new and used.
1960Central Cadillac opens the Coffee Shop, offering breakfast, lunch and snacks to customers while their cars are serviced.
1965Cadillac Motor Car eliminates its distributorship system. Central Cadillac stops wholesaling cars to other Cadillac dealers in Northeast Ohio.
1965Lyon retires; Frank Porter, Sr. becomes President of Central Cadillac.
1967Frank Porter Sr. builds Tower East, a 12-story office building in Shaker Heights, OH designed by Walter Gropius.
1969Frank Porter, Jr. and George H.L. Porter join Central Cadillac, bringing a third generation to the family business.
1970Central Cadillac is totally updated and remodeled.
1982MidTown Cleveland is founded by a group that includes Frank Porter, Jr.; the nonprofit economic development corporation focuses on the revitalization and development of the MidTown Business District.
1985Frank Porter Sr. and Jr. build Enterprise Place, a five-story office building in Beachwood, OH.
1994Frank Porter, Jr. serves as President of the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers Association (CADA), representing new-car dealers in the region.
1999Armond Sottosanti, a.k.a. Mr. Cadillac, retires from Central Cadillac for the second time after selling more than 3,000 Cadillacs in 40 years.
1999Frank Porter Jr. is appointed Cadillac Dealer of Record by General Motors Corp.
April 4, 2001Central Cadillac is named the exclusive HUMMER dealer and service center in Northeast Ohio by General Motors and AM General; dealership’s name becomes Central Cadillac-HUMMER.
2002Frank Porter Sr. dies at the age of 82.
2003Central Cadillac-HUMMER begins a multi-million dollar remodeling and expansion project.
2003Cleveland Foundation receives the largest gift in its history – between $60 million and $70 million – from the estate of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Porter, Sr.
May 4, 2004Central Cadillac-HUMMER celebrates its grand reopening and sports the new design look of Cadillac; marks 55 years since original building's grand opening.
August 9, 2005Central Cadillac-HUMMER opens state-of-the-art HUMMER dealership in Beachwood, OH.
2008Central Cadillac-HUMMER to open a HUMMER dealership on Carnegie Avenue in Cleveland across from the existing dealership.
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