Q&A: Brenda Angstrom

BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

GREATER FORT DODGE GROWTH ALLIANCE BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT SHIMKAT MOTOR COMPANY

Fort Dodge’s oldest car dealership, Shimkat Motor Company, is celebrating their 75th anniversary this June. Shimkat Motor Company specializes in new Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Fiat automobiles. They also offer a wide variety of Certified vehicles on the preowned side.

Brothers Edward and George Shimkat opened the dealership’s doors for the very first time on June 1, 1947. The auto brands they sold — Plymouth, DeSoto and REO Trucks — are now just memories and today’s computerized vehicles make the automobiles of the 1940s and 1950s seem quite primitive in comparison. They operated out of a temporary space while a new building was being built at 1225 Second Ave. S. That address was the home of Shimkat Motor Company for more than five decades. In 2004, the company moved to their current location on 5th Avenue South.

Today the company is in their third generation with owners Ed Shimkat Jr. and Bill Shimkat. They continued on the tradition

after their father, Ed Sr., and their uncle, Bruce, retired. Ed Shimkat Sr. retired in 2009, while Bruce Shimkat retired in 2019.

T.J. Pingel, the dealership’s General Manager, is helping carry on the Shimkat Family values. Pingel, who has been with the dealership for almost a decade, said, “Those values have been handed down from one generation to another and can be felt in the culture of the store. We feel even the smallest of things can make a difference. So don’t be surprised to be greeted at the door with a smiling face.”

Shimkat Motor Company is also a Businesslink dealership offering special incentives and services for business owners looking for commercial vehicles. Cameron Nelson joined the Shimkat team almost five years ago to help start the commercial side of the business. In recent years, he has moved into a sales management position but continues to help out businesses with their specialized needs. Shimkat Motor Co. invites the community to join them in celebrating their 75th anniversary in a couple different ways. First, they are giving away 75 Jeep Power Wheels through a drawing. You can enter the giveaway by clicking on the link at shimkat.com. Every Tuesday at 2pm, they randomly pick two (or more) winners live on their facebook page.

Finally, they will also be bringing back the Raminator Monster Truck! This time it will be crushing cars at Frontier Days on June 4th. To start things off, the monster truck will head down the parade route to help kick off Frontier Days with a bang. After the parade, head to the Fort Museum and ride the Raminator for only $3. All proceeds will be going to The Fort Museum and the ICCC Foundation. The Car Crush will be at 2pm followed by rides until 3:30.

Stop out to The Fort Museum and see Shimkat Motor Company on June 4th and help them make this year’s Frontier Days the biggest one yet!