Ken Garff
Kendall Day Garff | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 18, 1906 Draper, Utah, U.S. |
| Died | March 14, 1997 (aged 90) |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, car dealership owner |
| Known for | Ownership of multiple car dealerships along Utah's Wasatch Front; founder of Ken Garff Automotive Group |
Kendall Day Garff (born July 18, 1906 – passed away March 14, 1997) was a prominent American entrepreneur who owned multiple car dealerships located along Utah's Wasatch Front.
Biography
Garff entered the world in Draper, Utah. He was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and dedicated two years (1926–1928) serving as a missionary in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In 1932, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social and Behavioral Science from the University of Utah.
That same year, Garff married Marjorie Heiner at the Salt Lake Temple, and together they had three children. Marjorie experienced prolonged illness before her death in 1976. The following year, Garff remarried to Betty June Morgan.
Prior to his career in automobile sales, Garff worked as a service station attendant for Shell in Salt Lake City, Utah. Following an explosion that temporarily closed the station for repairs, he began selling used vehicles to support himself, establishing his business in 1932. He would purchase cars in Chicago and transport them back to Salt Lake City for resale. By the 1940s, Garff expanded into new vehicle sales, initially offering Studebaker automobiles and trucks starting in 1937, followed by Oldsmobile in 1946.
His son, Robert H. Garff, later took over leadership of the family enterprise.
Industry and community involvement
In addition to his leadership role at Garff Enterprises, Garff managed several other ventures such as the Deseret Livestock Company and Skull Valley Ranches. His professional experience extended to serving as a director at First Security Corporation for a quarter of a century, holding the presidency of Fidelity American Life Insurance Co., and acting as a director for Detroiter Mobile Homes, which was recognized for a period as the largest mobile home dealer worldwide.
Garff demonstrated significant dedication to civic and community engagement. His leadership roles included president of the Utah Automobile Dealers Association, executive director on the Boy Scouts of America national board, and chairman of the Utah Republican Party for twenty years. He also contributed to the boards of the YMCA, the Brigham Young University Achievement Council, and multiple advisory groups at the University of Utah, including the National Advisory Council, National Board of Advisors, and Business School Advisory Committee. In 1978, he endowed a $500,000 professorship at the University of Utah's Graduate College of Business; subsequently, a section of its facilities was named the Kendall D. Garff Building in his recognition.
Throughout his career, Garff earned numerous accolades honoring his professional achievements and community service. The University of Utah bestowed upon him several distinctions: the School of Business Outstanding Achievement Award in 1961, the Emeritus Award in 1972, the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1979, and an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree in 1989. He was inducted into the Beehive Hall of Fame in 1996 and received the Silver Beaver Award from the Boy Scouts of America. Additionally, Garff held the title of Honorary Colonel in the Utah National Guard and served as Honorary Consul for the Federal Republic of West Germany for twelve years.
Automotive dealership network
The Ken Garff Automotive Group represents a substantial network of car dealerships. Based on a January 2004 study by Dan Jones & Associates, this organization or one of its individual dealerships ranked as the second most frequently cited car dealership by Utah residents when prompted to name a dealer, trailing only behind Larry H. Miller Dealerships. Presently, the group encompasses 26 dealerships across Utah. Leadership within the company remains in the family, with Kendall Garff's grandson, John Garff, serving as its current president.
References
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- Pages with broken file links
- 1906 births
- 1997 deaths
- Latter Day Saints from Utah
- Mormon missionaries in Northern Ireland
- American Mormon missionaries in the United Kingdom
- People from Draper, Utah
- American automobile salespeople
- Businesspeople from Salt Lake City
- People in the automobile industry
- State political party chairs of Utah
- Utah Republicans
- University of Utah alumni
- 20th-century Mormon missionaries
- 20th-century American businesspeople