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Jim Willingham began selling automobiles on American Avenue at Ed James Studebaker in 1954. After stints working at C. Stanlee Martin Oldsmobile and Masters Pontiac, he worked for Charlie Campbell at "Campbell Buick". Charlie made him a partner (and eventually sold him the business) in Feb 1961. Campbell had just recently moved the dealership from Anaheim Street to its brand new facility at 1881 American Avenue. At the time, this was considered "the" place to buy a car in Southern California. After the street was changed to "Long Beach Boulevard" to really get the city on the map, Jim changed the name to Boulevard Buick. This photo is the Buick showroom, circa 1967.
Jim acquired the Jaguar franchise in 1961 as well and over the years, Boulevard had franchises in Long Beach for several car lines including Opel, Lincoln, Mercury, Merkur, Saab, Subaru and even the short-lived Sterling.
Jim Willingham is legendary in the automobile business for his contributions to both his community and his industry. His civic involvement includes being President or Chairman of… Rotary of Long Beach, Long Beach Chamber of Commerce, Red Cross LB Chapter, Long Beach Water Commission, Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees and the LB Convention/Visitors Bureau, just to name a few.
As an industry contributor, Jim had attained the highest honor for an automobile dealer... Time Magazine's Quality Dealer of the Year Award - National Winner in 1984, an award given out for a dealer’s industry and community contributions.
To hear Jim tell it, "Although that was a great day in my career, the highest recognition I ever received was being elected Chairman of the National Automobile Dealer's Association (NADA) in '99-00." NADA is the auto industry's premier organization of the nation's 20,000+ dealers.
Customer Service has always been the number 1 priority at Boulevard. We believe in taking great care of our customers, not just for one purchase but, for a lifetime of vehicle ownership and several vehicle purchases. Come in today and see how "EASY" we are to deal with.
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