Salute To Dealers
The Friendship Family of Dealerships started December 6, 1993 when Friendship Ford of Bristol officially opened its doors in Bristol, Tennessee. The previous dealership was closed in early 1991 after being in business for approximately 20 years. After the closing, Ford Motor Company controlled the franchise and was extremely cautious on finding a replacement dealer for Bristol. Mitch Walters spent approximately one and a half years pursuing the opportunity to become the Ford dealer in Bristol. Ford Motor Company finally awarded the franchise to Mitch and Friendship Ford of Bristol was born! In the spring of 2019 Friendship Ford of Bristol moved to an all new state of the art 41,000 square foot new Ford dealership located on West State Street near Interstate I-81.
In January 2019, King Ford of Lenoir was acquired by Friendship and rebranded as Friendship Ford of Lenoir. With this addition, the Friendship franchise now boasts 24 locations across 7 cities. Friendship is on its way to becoming a dominant force in automotive sales and service in Tennessee and North Carolina. Since 2011, the Friendship Family of Dealerships has consistently been recognized as one of the top 100 dealerships to work for in the automotive industry by Automotive News. Recently, it was honored as the number one best dealership to work for in the entire nation. Friendship attributes this success to its exceptional team, known as Team Friendship, and is committed to further growth.
Mitch Walters is deeply involved and extremely passionate about finding ways to give back to the community with a focus on organizations that benefit children, animals, and education.
His financial and personal commitment to Camp Friendship, provides the region’s youth with a welcoming place to learn and play. In addition to purchasing over 18 acres, Mitch built a recreation center, dining hall, boat docks, hiking trails and an authentic Indian Teepee. Mitch also supplied boats, kayaks, canoes, and all other essential equipment to support the camp’s operations.
Mitch and his company also donate over 250 bikes annually to deserving kids. The Friendship Bikes for Kids program makes dreams come true. His generous reach also includes causes that impact animals and wildlife in the region. His donations were key to building a new animal shelter and a much-needed dog park. His dealership established an adopt-a-pet program, which is instrumental in helping homeless animals find their forever homes.
His generosity doesn’t stop there, the donation of his old dealership facility to the local school system enabled it to open The Friendship Career Center. The facility prepares at-risk students for success in high-demand and growing careers they would otherwise not be able to achieve. Students also learn the fundamentals for productive living.
Mitch Walters’ generous contributions run far and wide, always demonstrating a commitment to service above self and a giving attitude toward helping others.