Bill Luke Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram
In 1873, a teenager with an adventuresome spirit rode into a remote western town populated by about 1,000 hardy souls, liked what he saw, and decided to put down his roots in the desert. His name was Frank Luke and the town was Phoenix. In the years that followed, Frank married, raised nine children, prospered in business and spent the last 20 years of his life in public service. At the time of his death, in 1939, he was State Tax Commissioner.
Frank Luke Jr. was the fifth child of Ottilia and Frank Luke. He only lived for 21 years but his name and deeds will live forever in American military history. Second only to Captain “Eddie” Rickenbacker, as the leading ace of World War I, Luke was credited with 18 “kills” in nine months of combat. Rickenbacker was quoted as saying: “Had he (Luke) lived, he would have put me out of business as the Army’s leading ace. Lieutenant Frank Luke, Jr. was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, had a statue erected in his memory in the mall of the State Capitol and was further honored when Luke Air Force Base was named after him.
William “Bill” Luke was the youngest of Ottilia and Frank Luke, Sr.’s nine children. He was always fascinated by machines and in 1927, at the age of 18, jumped at the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a young, growing industry. He was to become the founder of Bill Luke Chrysler-Plymouth and continued as head of the automobile dealership until his passing in 1988. During his years as an automobile dealer, Bill Luke found time to pursue interests in farming, cattle ranching, and was a breeder of thoroughbred horses. At one time he owned a stable of 70 racehorses and won the Arizona Breeders Award many times.
In 1965, Bill Luke breaks ground for Bill Luke Chrysler Dealership. During this same year, his son Don Luke at the age of 20, becomes vice-president of Bill Luke Chrysler. The dealership moves after 32 years in 1967 from the 501 W. Washington Street location, to a new six-acre facility at 2425 W. Camelback Rd. At this location, Don would have his greatest impact.
Dorothy and Bill Luke had five children. The youngest was named Donald “Don” Luke; and, like his father displayed an early interest in machines. He began working in the family business at the age of 13, progressed up the ladder to General Manager and then to President and CEO of the Bill Luke Dealerships. Don has three sons Ryan, Chris, and Eric… bringing the total number of direct descendants of the Arizona pioneers, Ottilia, and Frank Luke, Sr. to well over 100.
Don continued to expand and elevate the family business. In 2006, he opened a brand-new Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge dealership at the Camelback location. In 2010, he bought a Suzuki dealership at the Tempe Autoplex at Interstate 10 and Elliott Road. For a while, he sold both Suzuki and Fiat vehicles there. Then Suzuki pulled out, but the sales operation continued to prosper. He added the Fiat brand in 2012 and later adding Alfa Romeo to the dealership’s large inventory. His sons Ryan and Eric were key in the success of Bill Luke Tempe dealership.
The City of Gilbert will soon have a new 14-acre Bill Luke automotive mega used car dealership joining the Santan Motorplex. The new dealership is attractively designed around a desert color palette with a similar floor plan to the large Bill Luke Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram dealership located off the I-17 Hwy and Camelback Rd. in Phoenix. Bill Luke Santan will have a large 24K SF automotive retail showroom and 64K SF vehicle reconditioning facility on the site, located near the Loop 202 Santan and South Val Vista Drive at 3304 S. Speedway Drive. The reconditioning facility will be operated to process and prepare vehicles for the three Luke family owned dealership locations: Bill Luke Phoenix, Bill Luke Tempe, and the new Bill Luke Santan.
The dealership recently celebrated a 90th anniversary and Don, at 73, had been asked to be chairman of the Arizona Automobile Dealers Association. After many decades, the family business was still going strong.
As the oldest son of Don Luke, he learned at a very young age what it takes to make a dollar. Just like his father, he started working for the family dealership at age 13. After college, he was employed for two years with two dealerships, one located in San Diego and the other in Omaha, Nebraska. From the gained sales knowledge experience working outside of the family business, he was able to help create the sales system we are using today. As of November 12, 2018, Ryan became the General Manager & Managing Director of Bill Luke Santan, a brand new 14-acre mega used car store in the city of Gilbert, at the Santan Motorplex Loop. During his tenure, the Gilbert location has since opened a VIP Service Center and a building designated solely on vehicle detailing.
Chris is the second oldest son of Don Luke and like his father, displayed an early interest in machines. The 3 sons had a hard-working father who instilled in them, just like his own father had, that if they were not in school, they were to be working. He started his career as a Lot Porter and at 16 years of age, he became a lube technician. He has a business degree from the University of Arizona and after college, he was employed at two separate out-of-state car dealerships to gain an outside perspective on running a dealership. He continued working his way up in the dealership as he began working on cars, to later working for the Bill Luke Body Shop. Currently, as the Fixed Operations Director, he heads the service management side of the family business and does a fantastic job.
Eric Luke, the youngest of Don Luke’s three sons, has been passionate about the family business for as long as he can remember. At just 14 years old, while most of his friends were enjoying carefree summer days, Eric was already putting in 40+ hours a week at the dealership—eager to learn the business from the ground up.
Determined to carve his own path, Eric earned his college degree and went on to gain valuable experience working for some of the nation’s top automotive dealerships. This outside perspective gave him a broader understanding of the industry, which he brought back to Bill Luke. Immersing himself in every department, Eric developed a 360-degree view of operations and a deep appreciation for the people and processes that make the business thrive.
After serving as General Manager of Bill Luke Tempe Alfa Romeo & Fiat, Eric transitioned into a corporate leadership role as the Vice President of Operations for the entire Bill Luke Auto Group, where he continues to drive innovation, growth, and the company’s long-standing commitment to excellence.
