By Myron Love
Jim Gauthier exemplifies all the best qualities of Manitoba’s car guys but also because – at 85 – he is the last of his generation.
As with many of the people in the business, Jim is a second-generation car guy (some, like the Murrays and Rewuckis, are third generation and even fourth generation) who took over the family business then took that business to much greater heights.
Like most Winnipeggers born before, say, 1970. I was made aware of Jim years before I had the pleasure of first meeting him. Readers may remember the television commercials: media personality Laurie Mustard playing the role of a customer in Jim’s Chev store, reverently talking about “the Big Guy” although viewers never actually saw Jim.
“The Big Guy” got his start in auto sales almost 70 years ago when he worked as a teenager at Russell Motors in Winnipeg. In 1959, Jim and his father Woody opened Kustom Auto Sales in Transcona as a joint venture with Boulton Motors which later became a stand-alone Studebaker franchise. In 1967, he joined the sales team at Transcona AMC, rising to the role of general manager. In 1972, he bought Pan-Am Motors, selling it in 1977 while acquiring Transcona Dodge which he owned until 1980. That same year, he opened Jim Gauthier Chevrolet in north Winnipeg. It quickly became one of the largest volume GM dealerships in Winnipeg.
I have had the pleasure of knowing Jim for close to 30 years. A little-known fact about him is that he likes to sprinkle some Yiddish words and jokes in with his conversation when speaking to Jewish friends. He picked up some of the language while working for Harry Sucharov at Transcona Dodge.
Also, over the years, Jim assembled an impressive collection of vintage automobiles which, up until a few years ago, were permanently on display in the lower level of his flagship Chevrolet store on McPhillips.
In 1990, Jim relocated the Chevrolet store to its current larger location. The Gauthier family of dealerships now includes Gauthier Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM (opened in 1998), Gauthier Cadillac Buick GMC (opened in 2001), and Jim Gauthier’s Waverley Chrysler Dodge Jeep (opened in 2005). In 2019, he opened the brand new, state-of-the-art Jim Gauthier Autoplex Collision Centre, Manitoba’s largest collision centre.
Over the years, I have interviewed Jim, not only in relation to the auto industry but also to highlight his charitable giving. In 2019, the Manitoba chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professions recognized Jim Gauthier as the Outstanding Philanthropist for that year.
“It is a great honour to be recognized by the Association,” Manitoba’s longest serving auto dealer said during an earlier interview. “There are a lot of people who give back to the community and are equally deserving.”
Jim noted that there is a very stringent vetting process involved in the award. “You have to be nominated and then you have to provide letters of recommendation from other charities that you have supported.”
The 2019 honoree was nominated by the CNIB for his participation in the organization’s first national guide dog program which was launched in Winnipeg, Toronto, and Halifax in 2017. Previously, all guide dogs for the visually impaired in Canada had to be purchased in the States or from private kennels with long waiting lists and steep costs.
Jim and his wife Joyce (who passed away in 2013) always loved dogs. The philanthropist footed the entire bill of $50,000 for the training and care of the CNIB’s first guide dog (named Jocie, in memory of Joyce Gauthier) for Manitoba.
Jim cofounded the Dream Factory, the “Made in Manitoba” version of the Children’s Wish Foundation. He is a generous donor to the Winnipeg Humane Society’s Joyce Gauthier Behaviour and Training Centre to support a dedicated space for the no-kill shelter to work with aggressive and neglected dog. He continues to support Seven Oaks Hospital, Holy Rosary Church, the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, and Winnipeg Harvest.
What makes Jim the happiest is that the Gauthier Auto Group is a family affair. Jim’s brother Jason and his son Randy are part of the business – as are Jim’s four grandchildren, Jayden, Kaylen, Tyson and Camryn.
“I am blessed that I have four grandchildren who want to come into the business,” Jim says.
For my part, I can happily say that I have been truly blessed to have known Jim Gauthier and all the other friendly people I have met along the way that make up the auto industry in our province.
Extended Reading:
[…] – Auto dealer Jim Gauthier represents the best qualities of Manitoba’s leading auto dealers […]