Starting fresh, honoring a legacy
Fort Dodge Chrysler salutes Shimkat family
-Messenger photo by Bill Shea <BR> Bruce Shimkat, left, who was the co-owner of Shimkat Motor Co. from 1974 to 2019, accepts a plaque Thursday evening from Casey Johnson, owner of Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota and Fort Dodge Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. The Johnson family purchased the Chrysler dealership from the Shimkat family last year. The transition was celebrated Thursday evening.
-Messenger photo by Bill Shea <BR> Matt Johnson, kneeling center, steadies a giant pair of scissors so that his children, Bella and Max, can snip a ribbon to mark the formal debut of Fort Dodge Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Johnson is the dealer and director of happiness for the business.
-Messenger photo by Bill Shea <BR> Bruce Shimkat, left, who was the co-owner of Shimkat Motor Co. from 1974 to 2019, accepts a plaque Thursday evening from Casey Johnson, owner of Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota and Fort Dodge Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. The Johnson family purchased the Chrysler dealership from the Shimkat family last year. The transition was celebrated Thursday evening.
-Messenger photo by Bill Shea <BR> Matt Johnson, kneeling center, steadies a giant pair of scissors so that his children, Bella and Max, can snip a ribbon to mark the formal debut of Fort Dodge Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Johnson is the dealer and director of happiness for the business.
Trending
For decades, there has been a Chrysler dealership in Fort Dodge owned by a local family.
First it was Shimkat Motor Co. owned by the Shimkat family. The Shimkats started in 1947 with DeSoto and Plymouth dealerships and soon added Dodge and Chrysler.
Last year, the Shimkat family sold the business to the Johnson family, which already owned Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota.
"We're excited to carry on the legacy and tradition of the Shimkat family," said Matt Johnson, dealer and director of happiness for both the Ford dealership and what is now called Fort Dodge Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram.
"We want to continue the great tradition of service both to customers and the community," he said.
The legacy of the Shimkat family and the formal debut of the new Fort Dodge Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram were celebrated Thursday evening with an event at the dealership, 3126 Fifth Ave. S.
The Ambassadors of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance did a ribbon cutting.
The Johnson family took over the business Nov. 12, 2025.
During Thursday's event, Mayor Dave Flattery described the transition of the dealership between local families as "another exciting chapter for our community."
He said that during the roughly 30 years the Johnson family has done business in Fort Dodge, it has invested $15 million in the Fifth Avenue South Corridor of Commerce and sold about 60,000 vehicles.
Those figures, he said, "represent jobs, economic growth, community investment and confidence in Fort Dodge."
Casey Johnson, owner of the dealerships, presented a plaque to Bruce Shimkat, co-owner of Shimkat Motor Co. from 1974 to 2019, thanking his family for its legacy.
The inscription of the plaque reads: "In recognition of 78 years of visionary leadership and selfless service to Fort Dodge. For nearly eight decades, your family has inspired us all through your enduring commitment to progress, unity and community spirit. Your legacy of service will continue to guide and inspire generations to come."
Shimkat said he and his family knew that selling the dealership to the Johnson family "would be the best thing for Fort Dodge."