During the oil boom of the early 1930's, J.O. Williams Sr (Johnson Otis) and his wife Ella Mae Williams, moved to Gladewater. The year was 1932. Utilizing a local garage, J.O. turned it into a service station that same year. This is where the J.O. Williams name started becoming synonymous with "customer first" service. In 1936, J.O. Williams became a Pontiac Motor Division Dealer.
Meanwhile, after graduating from Texas A&M University and serving in the United States Army overseas during the Korean Conflict, J.O. Williams Jr (simply J.O.) started work at the family dealership in 1953. In 1957, J.O. Williams Pontiac became a Buick Motor Division Dealer. Later that year, J.O. Jr's brother, Jerry Williams joined the family dealership.Â
In 1964, J.O. Williams Pontiac Buick built a new showroom with a full-service shop attached. The family was growing and earning new customers all the time. J.O. Sr passed away in 1974 and in 1980, J.O. Jr's sons, Michael and Mason who had already been working in the family business, acquired Jerry Williams' share of ownership.Â
Things moved along nicely for the Williams family. In 1991, J.O. Williams became a Ford Motor Company Dealer. Once this occurred, the family built a separate new showroom for Pontiac and Buick. They continued running a successful multi-line dealership while making many new friends and earning new customers. Dash and Mase Williams, sons to Michael and Mason, respectively, joined the family business making a 4th generation run dealership.Â
The family sold the Pontiac and Buick brands in 2002. In 2016, J.O. Williams Ford did a complete facility remodel that met all of Ford Motor Company's Trustmark design requirements. During this time, J.O. Williams Jr passed away. To this day, the folks at J.O. Williams Ford continue the family tradition of serving the fine folks of Gladewater and the surrounding East Texas area. "Customer first" service has been and will always be the keystone of the J.O. Williams family success.Â
419 E Broadway Ave
Gladewater, TX 75647