After 50 years in the retail automobile business, Flow Companies continues to be defined by three simple principles:
1. A covenant with our customers to be a place that
keeps its promises and is worthy of their trust.
2. A community of people who work together
towards a common vision.
3. A commitment to work towards the common good
of every city where we do business.
Although we have grown much larger over the years, these are the governing commitments that guide everything
that we do. They are deeply woven into the fabric of our company. They are how we measure our success.
We started in 1957 with a pre-owned center that offered fully reconditioned cars that carried a warranty. This was
unheard of in those days and because we sold cars that could be trusted, our sales grew enormously.
In 1961, we became a Volkswagen dealer in Winston-Salem. During the 1960’s, the VW Beetle was part of American
culture. Customers loved their cars and even today, many of our customers have stories to tell about their younger
days and their VW.
In 1973, we started representing this new company called Honda, which had just starting building the Civic. It would
have been impossible to have imagined the growth that Honda has experienced since those days.
In 1983, we purchased BMW and that was the start of the acquisitions that have brought us to our present size.
Today we have nearly 900 employees. We operate in Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Fayetteville, and
Charlottesville, Va. We have 31 franchises and we are in the process of adding Porsche in Charlottesville
and Jaguar and Land Rover in Winston-Salem.
Our growth has been driven by a strategy to attract and develop high achieving people of outstanding character
who are committed to operational excellence and to providing extraordinary personal service. We are grateful for
the many dedicated members of our organization who have made our growth possible and who serve their communities
through numerous non-profit organizations.
Members of our organization have served on the Boards of the United Way, Red Cross, W-S Symphony, PTA’s,
Chamber of Commerce, Wake Forest University, University of North Carolina, University of Virginia, the North Carolina
School of the Arts, Children’s Museum, Better Business Bureau, Piedmont Triad Airport Authority, Smith Reynolds Airport
Authority, YMCA, YWCA, Best Choice Center, the Arts Council, and the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival. We have
built five Habitat homes, helped start affordable housing programs, developed an after school tutoring program, and
sponsored the Davis Cup in Winston-Salem, all in an effort to enhance the communities in which we live. We enjoy where
we work and where we live and we are committed to expressing our gratitude with our time and our resources.