Speaker Bio:
Irma Elder refers to herself as a “truly multi-cultural person.” Born in Xicotencalt, Mexico, she moved with her family to Florida as a teen, speaking only a few words of English.

Later, while on vacation, she met James Elder and in 1963 they were married and moved to Michigan.  They opened Troy Ford in April of 1967 with Mr. Elder running the business and Mrs. Elder at home raising their three children.  In November 1983 James Elder died suddenly leaving his wife to take over the reigns of the business. She became a trailblazer of sorts, the first woman to own a Ford dealership in the greater Detroit area. 

Since that time the dealership has undergone many changes, the most notable being its name change to Elder Ford in order to keep it more closely associated with the family name.  Today, the Elder Automotive Group has grown to encompass not only Elder Ford, but also Aston Martin Jaguar of Troy, (the number one Jaguar Dealership in the world in volume of automotive sales), Saab of Troy (the number one Saab Dealership in the United States in volume of automotive sales), Signature Ford-Lincoln-Mercury-Jeep of Owosso, Signature Ford of Perry, and Aston Martin Jaguar of Tampa, Florida. The latter dealership opened in early 2002 with much acclaim for its innovative design as well as its sales accomplishments and awards during the first year of operation.

Mrs. Elder’s success is evident not only in the impressive growth of her companies but also in the recognition she continues to receive.  Elder Automotive Group consistently ranks in the top ten of Hispanic Business Magazine’s top 500 Hispanic-owned corporations (the only female-owned corporation in the top ten).  In addition, she is one of the highest ranking women in Working Woman Magazine’s Top 500 Women in the country.

Irma Elder has received an abundant amount of civic awards and is in constant demand as a speaker particularly to women’s groups.  She feels a great responsibility to the women of today’s society and works tirelessly to convey her positive message to them.  She firmly believes that women can achieve significant accomplishments.  They may have a few more obstacles to overcome in pursuit of their goals, but with perseverance success is within their reach. 

Her numerous board activities cover a broad spectrum of interest and purpose.  She is a former board member with groups as diverse as the Chicago Branch of the Federal Reserve Board and Lear Corporation and currently with the more local Northwood University and Oakland Family Services. The magnitude of her involvement in business and community activities make Irma Elder one of the country’s most visible and dynamic community leaders.