Enjoying the challenge of business

Published 4:00 pm Monday, November 22, 2010

Chris Hayward, owner of Ocean Crest Chevrolet Cadillac Buick in Warrenton, is a well-known figure in the North Coast business community.

A born entrepreneur, he knew even as a kid that he wanted to own his own business.

Hayward grew up in Portland working in the car business, washing cars on the weekends as a high school junior in his dad’s Ford dealership in Dallas,Ore.

He later graduated from Oregon State University, majoring in business and marketing. After a stint as a lumber trader, he too entered the auto business.

The Haywards moved to the coast in 1998 and purchased the Lovell Building on Duane Street in Astoria, now owned by the Fort George Brewery. He said the plan from the beginning was to grow the car dealership.

“When we bought the dealership in Astoria, General Motors gave us two years to find a new location,” he said.

Seeking the ideal place to expand, Hayward began looking at properties directly on U.S. Highway 101 between Seaside and Warrenton. He ultimately settled on the dealership’s current location at 855 Alternate Highway 101.

The new spot on the corner of the main route between Warrenton and Seaside was a good choice, more accessible and highly visible. The dealership moved into its new building there in 2004.

His car dealership sells only GM vehicles. “I grew up with GM and Ford,” he said.

Hayward said he’s gratified to see that even Asian carmakers are now manufacturing vehicles in the U.S., “in the market they’re sold in.”

He has remained in the car business all these years partly because he’s always been drawn to the challenge of sales.

“I liked the fact that your income was up to you. I enjoy people, and I enjoy the competitive atmosphere in sales,” he said. “It’s fun – we build a team atmosphere, and everybody pulls their weight. It works.”

He said the car sales market is starting to look up after the recession slump in recent years.

Hayward and his wife, Jeannette, live in Warrenton. She’s the owner of Scrapbook Connections in Warrenton’s Premarq Shopping Center.

In his spare time, Hayward likes to golf, fish and hunt.

“I’m also an avid fan of Beaver football,” he said, of OSU’s team.

Hayward comes from a family of enterprising and unusual people.

His dad, now 83, still works at the family-owned Ford dealership in Dallas.

His grandfather was a lighthouse keeper on the Oregon coast, working in the Tillamook Rock lighthouse and Cape Blanco.

Now that his last child is about to graduate from college, Hayward is thinking about maybe splurging on his favorite car – a Corvette.

“It’s a lot of car for the money,” he said. “It performs like an exotic sports car for a quarter of the price.”

The Haywards’ three children have all gone to Oregon State like their dad and are accomplished professionals too. – one works for Microsoft, another is in management training with Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and the third is about to graduate with a degree in biophysics.

Hayward is proud of them, and offers a self-effacing explanation for their impressive success.

“They have a smart mother,” he said, laughing.

But it’s also pretty certain that they’ve inherited at least some of their enterprising spirit from their successful dad.