Cedric Theel is a local Toyota dealership that originated as a Dodge dealership in 1985 upon acquiring Missouri Valley Motors. It was originally located near the Liberty Memorial Bridge on Memorial Highway before relocating in 2008 to its current facility in northeastern Bismarck.
Theel added the Toyota franchise in 1992 and also carried Toyota’s now-defunct Scion brand until its 2016 discontinuation. Theel lost its Dodge franchise during the Auto Crisis of 2009, which only accounted for about one-quarter of the dealership’s total sales. Corwin-Churchill Motors (now Eide Chrysler) picked up the Dodge franchise soon after.
Missouri Valley Motors
Two local dealerships have operated as Missouri Valley Motors. The first was was one of Bismarck’s earliest auto dealerships. Its former home on the northeast corner of Main Avenue and 7th Street was the first headquarters of Bank of North Dakota, from 1919-2008. Another location was at 223 East Main Avenue.
Paul and Eugene Wachter founded the second in 1944, along with partners R.B. Webb, A.R. Tavis, and others. It was located on the 500 block of Main Avenue. Two years later, it relocated directly across the street to the southeast corner of Main Avenue and 5th Street (where it also housed a fueling station). It relocated to 1144 Missouri Avenue in 1971 – a 13,000-square-foot facility built for about $132,000.
The second Missouri Valley Motors started out as a DeSoto-Plymouth franchise and merged with Bismarck Dodge in 1957. By 1961, it was exclusive to Dodge. That same year, a group of employees bought out the dealership. Robert R. Strandemo was company president henceforth until Cedric Theel’s acquisition in 1985.
