Crossroads Ford Lincoln - Mercury is celebrating its 25th anniversary, serving Franklin and surrounding counties since 1983.

Owner Bill Wingfield says he fell into the business of selling vehicles "purely by accident."

After 10 years of experience statewide, Wingfield decided to open a dealership in Frankfort.

"After the recession in 1981, Frankfort lost its dealership. So many dealerships had closed. I thought it was a good opportunity and the timing was right."

Wingfield says he knew the market would pick up because of his experience after the 1974 oil embargo and the recession of the 80s.

"Working at other dealerships, I saw things that could have been done better. About one out of every five dealerships in the 80s went out of business, but I knew it was something I could do. I wanted my own store."

Once he was set on opening, Wingfield says he needed help with funding. Crossroads, which sells new and used trucks, cars and SUVs, quickly partnered with the Ford Motor Company's Dealer Development Program.

"They partner with dealerships that look solid."

According to Wingfield, who has been involved with the Chamber of Commerce, United Way and various Rotary clubs, he was also dealing with a solid location.

"I think it's an important thing to be a part of the community," Wingfield, who is originally from Louisville, said. "It's a great place to call home and we have a tremendous quality of life."

From the get go, it was "nice, smooth and steady business," he said.

That was until around 2005, according to Wingfield.

The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and high gas prices affected the auto industry along with the rest of the economy, he says.

"Having worked through the other difficult times, we were prepared. We did have to lay off our first employee in 22 years of business. But we worked hard to get our costs down."

"Sixty-five percent of our business was larger vehicles like trucks and SUVs so it cut into us significantly."

For the last few years, Crossroads, which also buys and sells pre-owned cars, has spent time regrouping. Crossroads has also made renovations and additions to keep current, Wingfield says.

"After gas jumped twice, we had a challenging month. But Ford has done a good job of bringing in some new products like the MKS and Ford Edge, which has a lot of space and is better with fuel economy."

Wingfield's daughter, Marcie Wingfield Jeffreys, is part of the business. She says the Ford plant in Louisville is doing some conversions to be able to produce smaller cars.

Wingfield has some firsthand experience with smaller cars, he says because of a trip to Europe in 2006.

"Ford is an international company and in Europe all over parking lots they have different models that we've never sold. We will be able to have proven small, fuel-efficient vehicles next summer."

Some of these models include the Mondeo, the Ka and a small, four-cylinder van, according to Wingfield Jeffreys.

And while Wingfield Jeffreys says she wasn't always certain she wanted to be a part of her dad's business, she definitely gained the experience.

"I really started working here in middle school, answering phones and things," Wingfield Jeffreys, a 2004 graduate of the University of Louisville, said.

"Then I worked in the service lane in high school. I've always been very independent and set on doing something that's my own."

After his daughter graduated, Wingfield told her that if she didn't want to be a part of Crossroads, he was going to eventually sell. According to Wingfield Jeffreys, she and her husband, Patrick, couldn't pass up the offer.

"The car business provides an atmosphere that things are always changing," she said. "It fits my personality."

The father-daughter duo says they're in the process of a gradual shift toward Wingfield Jeffreys running the dealership.

"There's a pretty high failure rate from parent to child businesses," Wingfield said. "But she's been around the business for 15 years."

Many of Crossroads employees have also been around for more than a decade. Wingfield says his dealership provides steady work employment and many employees have been with him since the beginning.

"We spend a lot of time training," he said. "And Crossroads is considerably more grounded than other dealerships."

As for the future of Crossroads, Wingfield and his daughter are thinking positive.

"The economy might be poor, but we anticipate being in Frankfort for a long time to come," Wingfield Jeffreys said.

"We do need the community support to stay solid and we like to earn people's business," Wingfield added.