Ford Motor Co. hosted a luncheon for automotive journalists that examined Ford's position on manufacturing environmentally sustainable vehicles on Sept. 5 at Elway's Cherry Creek in Denver.  David Finnegan, hybrids marketing manager for Ford Motor Co., laid out the company's strategy for long-term environmentally sustainable technologies, products, and practices.  The new Ford Flex and Lincoln MKS were on display as well as a high-altitude test vehicle with Ford's new EcoBoost engine that uses direct-injection gasoline technology for better fuel economy and fewer emissions.

Foree Tire Distributors, an independent tire wholesaler with warehouses in Denver, Colorado Springs, and Gering, Neb., hosted several events for tire dealer customers this summer.  Their annual Yokohama Ride & Drive event was held in July at Invesco field in Denver.  Tire dealers had the opportunity to drive five Mazda RX8s fitted with several Yokohama tires, including the Avid TRZ and Advan S4.  Foree co-hosted an open house with Action Tire & Auto in Loveland on Sept. 13, where they held muscle-car burnout contests.

Performance Radiator, a national distributor automotive cooling parts with 47 locations throughout Canada and the United States, has added direct-fit Walker Exhaust Systems to its Denver warehouse offerings, said Regional Sales Manager Ray Sharp.  The more than $100,000 in complete Walker inventory includes bolt-on systems for many popular domestic and import vehicles, he said.

Town & Country Autoplex, a franchise Ford, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge dealership in Gunnison, closed its doors earlier this summer.  The Town & Country dealership in Salida absorbed the fleet of vehicles and a few of its employees.
Richard and Ashley Fox recently opened A&R Automotive at 313 W. Main St. in Fremont, the Florence Citizen reported.  Richard Fox has more than 27 years of industry experience, which includes time spent owning a shop in Penrose and working at an AutoZone parts store in Canon City.

NEW MEXICO
Donny Seyfer, co-owner of Seyfer Automotive in Wheat Ridge, Colo., recently led three Automotive Service Association (ASA) workshops in Santa Fe, Las Cruces, and Albuquerque.  They included education on computers and Internet resources necessary to access service information, use of manufacturer and third-party Web sites, and diagnostic tools that may assist in handling repairs most efficiently. The meetings concluded with drawings for training videos and subscriptions to automaker service information Web sites.  Winners included Rusty Bowen, mobile technician of Las Cruces; Pete Rumschlag, The Color Works, Los Lunas; and James Halmstad, Metric Motors, of Taos were each awarded a subscription to an automaker Web site.

Sandy Blalock, owner of Capo's Auto & Truck Parts in Albuquerque, hosted the Automotive Service Association of Central New Mexico's (ASA-CNM) monthly gathering on Sept. 9.  The event featured a tour of Capo's Auto & Truck Parts, giving shop owners an opportunity to see how an automotive recycling facility is run.  Blalock said she donated a Snap-on charging/starting system won in a raffle by Tom Quirk, owner of Tom Quirk Automotive in Albuquerque.

WYOMING
White-Davis Chevrolet in Gillette has appointed Scott Cargill its new executive manager.  Cargill also serves as general manager at White Energy Dodge and will divide his time between the two stores.

The Saratoga Sun reported that Hilltop Lube's owners have expanded services and changed the business name to McBride's Hilltop Tire, Lube & Detail.