The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-02-20

were only IT cars in the state, that il was a wilderness and never would amount to anything. The present sales manager of the Ford Motor company came down here, looked the state over. and turned down the proposition which the Brownell boys tackled.
 But after the Brownell boys and Richardson got their bearings, opened their store at Twentieth street and Avenue D and got started. they were not scared of the size of the city, but dug in with vengeance and were soon accomplishing big things. Their first store was one room, 90 feet wide and 75 feet deep. They moved into the cor Ter building after the first six months.
 WASN'T WELL KNOWN
 In recounting the early days here Ted Brownell said yesterday: The Ford car wasn't very well Known then and the hill climbing abilities of all automobiles were not regarded very highly in this hilly country. remem- Der when l first started selling Fords here people wanted to know if the Ford would climb the Twentieth street hill. They meant the nil just north of Five Points the one you have to. climb 10 get to Five Points going south I swore that the Ford would climb that hill and then had to make good. So l took the top off of ear, took off the windshield and did every thing to make the car lighter and got a run for that hill. She went up all right, and. believe me, 1 was a pleased mortal when l got to the top amidst the cheers of the few people who want- ed to see it done. The next day l tried it and the car broke down. So l stopped the car, got out, swore that l was going to make a cali there anu leI the car until after dark. Then l rolled it back to the garage. Believe me those were trying tines
 During the first year that the Brow nell Auto company was in business here. 1S5 Fords were sold. During the 10 years the company has been in busi- ness it has sold 6,552 new automobiles and 2,700 used cars, making d total Of 9,354. In Jefferson county alone H500 cars have been sold.
 Brownell handled the Ford car Tor six and one-half years, and then slSheu up for the Dodge Brothers account and have been selling that car ever since. The past year saw the BrownelIs sell ing more automobiles than they ever have in any single year. .
 HANDLED THE PARTS
 eve were the first auto concern in Birmingham to handle a large stock oi parts for our car" said Ted Brownell, 'ewe are the only dealer heie to re- ceive an entire train load of automo- piles in one shipment We got ship ment of 20 carloads, or 120 Fords, one time. and we surely had to step some to sell them. ( Back in 1914 we printed the largest automobile advertisement in newspaper that any dealer organ ization in the entire country has ever printed We had a section all to our selves in the Birmingham Ledger, com prising twelve pages That was when Henry Ford refunded a $50 bonus to every one of his car owners.
 There are only two other concerns remaining in the automobile busitsss that were here when we came here, said Blaine Brownell. Our concern IS perhaps the only one in this city that has not changed executives during the lifetime of the company, 10 years"
 Ted Brownell holds the salesman's record of making sales In one day. Ted rang the bell back in the early days when he sold and collected for l7 Fords in one day.
 The Brownell organization Is really an ideal combination. Blaine. the gen eral manager, is q quiet, unassumins fellow always stunning the calcium, but ever plugging and thinking tor the benefit of the organization He IS a conservative business man, always figuring in the future, and has every angle of the business under his finger tips. He serves as check on the more impulsive Ted.
 Ted Is the sales manager and corker. too. When it comes to selling automobiles few can equal him. He has a personality all his own, is liked by everybody who knows him, and there are few in Birmingham who do not know him, and is always filled with pep and go.
 Richardson Is the mechanical genius of the combinations. He knows the service end from A to Izzard, has worked out all sorts of systems in re- gards to the shop and the service and is invaluable to the other two boys in many other ways.
 And SC the Brownells really have of which they are proud in the solid, substantial business they have built for themselves. At the same time Birmingham is proud of the l young fellows who came here 10 years ago. thinking the place wilderness.