Meet Our Team
Mark Shirey
Email: shipup57@hotmail.com
Mark Shirey joined his brother Mike in the family business back in 1987 as Sales Manager. Mark and his wife Carol live in Sparta and have two teen aged daughters, Kendra and Lauren. Mark enjoys watching professional and college sports, especially the Detroit Tigers and the MSU Spartans. He relaxes and burns off stress by exercising and occasionally runs in 5 and 10K races in the west Michigan area. He and Carol also enjoy playing golf with friends.
Mike Shirey
Co-owner Mike Shirey has been with the family dealership since 1979. Mike works behind the scenes, handling the financial end of the business and overseeing the parts and service departments. Mike and his wife Blythe live in Sparta and have two grown children. They have fun playing cards with friends and attending local high school sporting events. Mike is a big fan of music and has a huge inventory of songs by classic and contemporary rock bands. Mike, Blythe and daughter Geori enjoy attending concerts, especially when son Brent plays with his band Happy Hour.
Jay Allen, Sales
Email: jayswieringa@gmail.com
Jay Allen Swieringa is a lifetime resident of West Michigan. You might recognize his name as Jay Allen, his on-air name from when he was a local radio personality. Jay still makes time to announce for the Grand Rapids Rampage arena football team and for the Detroit Pistons when they are at the Van Andel Arena. And yes, that is his voice on the Kent City Ford radio and TV ads. As Jay Swieringa, he and his wife Lisa have three children, Aly, Anthony and Faith, ranging in age from 10 to 15, which means he doesn’t have a lot of free time. When he does get a day off, Jay enjoys boating and hanging out with friends at their trailer in Newaygo. On summer days you will find him and his family relaxing at the sand bar on Kimball Lake. Another favorite pastime is managing and “running sound” for a musical group who play classic rock and go by the name of O.T.C.
Ed Aune, Sales
Email: edaune@hotmail.com
Ed Aune has lived in northern Kent County for over 37 years, and has spent 19 of them as a salesman for Kent City Ford. He and his wife of 33 years, enjoy spending time outdoors fishing and boating. Ed loves bowling and he was a long-time contender on the lanes of west Michigan for years. He is also a very active member of Trinity C.R.C., where he counsels and mentors young people. Ed is a great example of how giving back to your community has its own rewards. If you don’t already know him, then come on in and meet Ed. He sells and leases both new and used cars and trucks, and he can help you find the vehicle you’ve been looking for.
Jim Shirey, Sales
Hundreds of customers have purchased vehicles from Jim Shirey at Kent City Ford since 1957. Jim first joined his brother Harry Shirey four years after Harry bought the dealership. As the automobile industry has evolved, Jim and Kent City Ford have transformed to meet the needs of west Michigan car buyers. The dealership’s service department was radically overhauled and added on to in 1997 and there have been major updates in the office and sales areas as well. With the onset of computers in the business world, Jim has maintained the mentality that “if it helps me serve my customers, I’m all for it.” So we invite you to browse the internet to learn more about our dealership, but we hope to see you here in person. Because, as with all of our sales professionals, Jim Shirey will give you the personal service that assures you the highest quality at the lowest prices.
Fred Beckett, Business Manager
Terry Spetoskey, Service Adviser, Since March 1996
Roger Mellema, Service Director, Since July 1982
