Two years ago, when Michael Wanner was working in Maryland, he called his wife to say he was on his way back to their Elizabethtown home.
His wife informed their middle daughter, Marielle, then age 8.
"That can't be true," Marielle replied, "because it's daylight outside."
For Wanner, a career auto-dealership executive and father of three young daughters, the exchange reinforced how badly he needed to find a job with a shorter commute.
Now, after months of effort, Wanner will mark the achievement of that goal. At 7 tonight, he'll cut the ribbon at his new business — Wanner Ford, 620 N. Reading Road, Ephrata.
"I wanted to be back in Lancaster County. Because I was doing so much commuting, I wasn't seeing my children much at all. My goal was to work my way back up until I could buy another car dealership," said Wanner.
Opening the 20-employee business was a $5 million project, he said. It began operating in May and now features an inventory of more than 100 new and used vehicles.
Starting his dealership included acquiring the real estate and other assets of Victory Ford, with financing through Susquehanna Bank.
Wanner Ford is "a completely different company" from Victory Ford, said Wanner. "The only things the same are the address and phone number."
Wanner comes from an automotive family. His late father, Herbert, founded Autohaus Lancaster in 1964; his brother, Tom, now runs the Manheim Pike business.
If anyone ever seemed destined to work in the car business, it was Wanner. As a youngster, he washed cars at Autohaus Lancaster, then became a mechanic and later moved into management.
Next he owned Autohaus Harrisburg for more than nine years. Then he spent 18 months as general sales manager at Len Stoler Porsche-Audi in Owings Mills, Md., and nearly two years in that post for BMW of Towson.
But leaving for work at 7:30 a.m. and returning at 11 p.m. wore thin, prompting Wanner to desire something closer to home. When the owner of Victory Ford approached him, Wanner had his solution.
Staff writer Tim Mekeel can be reached at tmekeel@LNPnews.com or 481-6030.
