Owners: Roger and Betty Fowler
Location: 8648 Whaleyville Boulevard, Suffolk, VA
Phone: 757.968.2441
Virginia License: #8922
Roger Fowler’s Sales and Service, Inc. opened their doors for business at the current location on September 4, 1990. The business is co-owned by Roger and Betty Fowler and offers a diverse line of cars and trucks for sale, as well as a garage facility to handle routine maintenance, annual state inspections and repairs. They also offer 24- hour towing service.
A true family business, Roger and Betty’s sons, Todd and Chad, work side by side with their parents in every facet of the company’s operations. According to Betty, all members of the family are interchangeable when it comes to doing whatever it takes to provide their customers with the best care possible.
“Many of our customers are return customers,” says Betty. “We have sold vehicles to their grandparents, parents and other relatives. Over the years, we have found that word of mouth is the best source of advertising, so our customers come to us from a wide-spread area covering Surry, Wakefield, Franklin and down through Murfreesboro, Ahoskie, Colerain and Gates County, as well as Suffolk and the Tidewater area. We feel blessed to have met and served people from such a wide area and from so many walks of life and circumstances. Many of these people are considered friends—not just customers— and are a very important part of our lives.”
Before going out on their own, Roger and Betty were part owners for many years in a similar business not far from their current location. Roger has a lifetime of experience in sales, starting work at the ripe old age of eight at a grocery store where he picked up papers and filled the drink machines. As the business evolved from a “country store” to also include automotive sales, towing and garage facilities, Roger grew with it and eventually opened his own shop.
In 2003, Roger Fowler’s Sales and Service opened a branch at 8703 Whaleyville Boulevard—back at the old country store location—where they sell tractors, agricultural equipment, zero-turn mowers and other equipment. They also offer repair and maintenance services. That arm of the business is managed by Todd. In addition, the entire family is active in farming and they own a third business that is managed by Chad, who also acts as a salesman and wrecker operator at the vehicle lot.
“Over the years, we’ve become aware that many of our customers are also members of Bronco,” says Betty. “When we first met with the staff from Bronco, we were very impressed with their friendly, down-to-earth approach. In this day of large business, it is very nice to be able to pick up the phone and talk with a live person—someone you can actually put a face to because you’ve met them. All of the high-tech services offered today can never replace the satisfaction of being served by ‘local folks’ who know you.”
Roger Fowler’s Sales and Service, Inc. is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For their Sunday hours, they list, “See you in church.”
