Platinum Ford NORTH: Excellence, Heart, and a President’s Award Legacy

When Platinum Ford North of Pilot Point earned the prestigious President’s Award last year, a recognition reserved for only the top 10% of Ford dealerships nationwide, it marked far more than a corporate achievement. This award was won within the first eligible year in business and the first of any Gilchrist automotive dealership to be recognized so quickly.  For General Manager Jonathan Franco and his team, it represented resilience, reinvention, and a commitment to serving their small town with big-city excellence.

Just over 3 years ago, the Gilchrist family, long respected within Ford’s national network, stepped in and took over an under performing dealership with a  promise to rebuild the dealership from the ground up.

What followed was a transformation powered by customer care, operational precision, and a team-first culture. Platinum Ford now boasts one of the highest Vehicle fix right first time rates in the region, meaning vehicles are repaired correctly the first time. Their service department also leads in customer satisfaction.

Daily innovations fueled the turnaround. The dealership intentionally overstaffed and created two-person QuickLane teams, cutting oil-change times from nearly three hours to as fast as 32 minutes. They introduced guaranteed 45-minute service and launched a pickup-and-delivery program now serving Pilot Point, Sanger, Tioga, Aubrey, Crossroads, Prosper, and beyond. A growing mobile service fleet performs repairs on the go, completing up to 30 service visits per day.

But the heart of the dealership shines through in moments like the night employees reopened the gates after hours to help a stranded motorist for free. “It wasn’t about the money,” he says. “It was about doing what’s right.”

Today, Platinum Ford stands not just as an award-winning dealership but as a community-anchored example of what is possible when excellence meets heart and when a team chooses service over shortcuts, every single time.

Visit Platinum Ford in Pilot Point, Texas!