The History of D-Patrick
In 1949, two brothers, Bernard and Joseph O'Daniel, founded the Key Motors Desoto Plymouth automobile dealership at the corner of Fifth and Walnut Streets in downtown Evansville. In 1958, the Desoto Plymouth franchise was dropped and the dealership began selling automobiles manufactured by Ford Motor Company. In 1960, the dealership, renamed Key Ford, purchased Tri State Ford also located in downtown Evansville at Riverside and Vine. The two dealerships were combined at the Fifth and Walnut location.
Twelve years later, D-Patrick O'Daniel, general manager of Key Ford and son of Joseph E. O'Daniel, purchased McGee Motors and began selling Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz automobiles from the dealership located at 200 N. Green River Road. The Green River Road dealership was renamed D-Patrick Imports. In 1973, D-Patrick O'Daniel also purchased Key Ford.
Initially, D-Patrick Imports and Key Ford were run as separate dealerships. D-Patrick Imports began to grow adding several new franchises including Honda, Jeep, Porsche, Audi and BMW. In l982, D-Patrick, Inc. was formed bringing both dealerships together with one name. Then, in l989, D-Patrick, Inc. purchased the O'Daniel Ranes Oldsmobile Nissan dealership and moved it to the Division Street Auto Plaza. The Nissan franchise was eventually moved to Green River Road. The Oldsmobile franchise was sold in 1999.
In 1998, D-Patrick, Inc. was purchased by two members of the third generation of the O'Daniel family, Michael O’Daniel and Ray Farabaugh. Mr. O'Daniel is the President of both the downtown Ford Lincoln (and new Boonville Ford location), the Autoplaza Honda location and oversees the Used Car Store in Newburgh. Mr. Farabaugh is the President of the eastside Motoplex location that comprises all D-Patrick’s European brands, as well as Nissan and #1 Used Cars.
In recent years, growth and shifting in the automotive market have resulted in even more changes for the D-Patrick company. In late 2009, D-Patrick purchased Coburn Ford Mercury in Boonville, IN. In 2010, the decision was made to move the Lincoln dealership to the downtown Ford location, in order to provide all Ford Motor Company products under one roof.
To date, D-Patrick, Inc. now carries nine vehicle lines (Audi, BMW, Ford, Honda, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Porsche, and Volkswagen), has 7 showrooms, 4 service departments, 4 parts departments, 3 body shops, a corporate office, and employs approximately 200 people.