Larry Wind wasn’t born into the car business, but he was born in Detroit with an inherent interest in automobiles. His father had worked for Ford building bombers during World War II, and his mother’s father had emigrated to the United States to work for Henry Ford for five dollars a day and the hope of a better life for his family. Larry was the first Wind to graduate college in 1965 from the University of Notre Dame. He immediately accepted a position with Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, and eventually Ford assigned him to their Pittsburgh region.
After 10 years of service to Ford and after falling in love with Pittsburgh, Larry decided to follow his heart into the “retail” side of the business. He became the sales manager of Pascoe Motor Company, a longstanding Ford dealer that had been in business in Carnegie since Larry’s grandfather was building Henry Ford’s Model T. It was there that Larry met John “Jack” Woltz, the general manager, who had been a Marine pilot in World War II.
In the meantime, Larry met and married his wife, Cindy, who grew up in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Her father was a City of Pittsburgh firefighter and her mother worked at the world-famous H.J. Heinz factory.
During the construction of what was to be the new, state-of-the-art (and long overdue) Pascoe Ford on newly developed property that had once been a NASCAR dirt race track in neighboring Heidelberg, Bud Pascoe decided to sell the business to Jack and Larry, and Woltz & Wind Ford was established in 1979 at Raceway Plaza. After four years of exponential growth, they partnered together in a second location in nearby Washington, Pennsylvania, where Washington Ford was established in 1983.
Larry and Cindy would welcome two children into their home: first a daughter, Lindsay, and then a son, Dan. After that, Larry would purchase Jack’s interest in both locations; in 1992, Woltz & Wind Ford, and in 1995, Washington Ford.
Dan is now a partner in both locations with his father. He graduated with his bachelor’s degree in automotive marketing and management, and also holds a master’s degree in business, both from Northwood University (located in his father’s home state of Michigan). Dan also spent two summers interning for Ford in Dearborn, and one summer interning for New York State’s largest automotive group.
Each facility has undergone many expansions (both on-site and on acquired off-site properties) and multiple renovations. In recent years, Washington Ford’s showroom and administrative offices were rebuilt from the ground-up–a project that Larry has cited as the culmination of his 60+ year career.
Presently, Larry enjoys staying actively engaged on the pulse of the automotive business, the only one that he has known for roughy 60 years. He relies on his son and his long-tenured team to handle many of the daily tasks that he was accustomed to doing for over 40 of those years. He has nicknamed himself “Lucky Larry” and truly feels fortunate for the opportunities that presented themselves along the way. He often reminds team members that they can only be successful by treating each other and their customers the way that they would want to be treated, one interaction at a time.
In summary, there is really only one way to describe Larry, his family, and the entire Woltz & Wind Ford team: Built Ford Proud.
