Jim Click, Jr.

Businessman, Community Leader, Athlete, and Devoted Family Man

“Jim Click has been the most valuable individual addition to Tucson in seventy five years. He is a dear friend who has proven time and time again that he is for real. If he says that he will do it…he’ll do it. -Roy P. Drachman, President, Roy Drachman Realty Company Inc.

Jim Click, Jr. graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1966, where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business. He was a Scholastic All-American football player, received the Big 8 Medallion Award, and was captain of OSU’s Cowboy football team. Jim was a member of the Sigma Nu Fraternity and made Dean’s Honor Roll every semester. In 1985, Jim Click received OSU’s Distinguished Alumni Award, and in 1955 he was honored as one of the University’s most outstanding graduates and was inducted into OSU’s Hall of Fame.

After graduation, Jim Click went to work selling cars for his great uncle, the legendary Holmes Tuttle, at his Ford dealership in Los Angeles. Within two years, he was the top salesperson, which led to a promotion to Sales Manager at the Beverly Hills Mercury dealership. The next step for Jim came quickly, as he was promoted to General Manager of the Lincoln-Mercury store. In 1971, Jim moved to Tucson and purchased his first dealership called Pueblo Ford. By changing the name to Jim Click Ford, using a massive media advertising campaign, and doing a lot of hard work, his dealership’s sales volume doubled. At age 27, Jim was one of the Country’s youngest automotive dealers. Thirty years later, Jim and his cousin, Bob Tuttle, are co-owners of the Tucson-based Jim Click Automotive Team, which includes: Ford, Lincoln-Mercury, Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Mazda, Nissan, and Hyundai. They also have several dealerships in Orange County, California, and are ranked 22^nd in the 2000 Automotive News Top 100 Dealerships Group.

In 1978, Jim and Bob purchased a controlling interest in Arizona Bank’s predecessor, Union Bank of Tucson. As Chairman of the Board, Jim led Arizona Bank, with its familiar Kachina logo, towards constant growth, as it became the largest independent bank in the State of Arizona. In December 1998, Alabama-based Compass Bank purchased Arizona Bank, and currently Jim serves on its Board of Directors.

Jim Click is no doubt one of Tucson’s most visible philanthropists. Just some of his volunteerism includes: Junior Achievement, Board of Directors, President and recipient of the prestigious, Gold Lay Leadership award; Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson, Board of Directors, and Chairman of the Capital Fund Drive, raising over $1.2 million to build the Holmes Tuttle Boys & Girls Club, and the Roy Drachman Boys & Girls Club; Salpointe Catholic High School, Chairman, of the 1988 Capital Campaign; and the University of Arizona Foundation, Board Member. In 1982, he was Tucson’s Man of the Year and is a member of the Tucson Conquistadores. A devoted citizen, in 1999 he led a successful effort to maintain an adequate water supply for Tucson’s future. And as Chairman of the Capital Campaign for Primavera Builders, Jim raised the money to build a new training center for the homeless. “Since knowing him, I have never dared utter the words ‘too busy,’ or ‘call me back later.’ His inspiration nudges me out of my laziness and complacency and pushes me beyond my limited views of myself.” Nancy Bissell, Co-Founder & Board of Directors, Primavera Foundation.

The combination of academics and athletics plays an influential role in the nurturing of Jim’s entrepreneurial spirit. Leadership gifts from the Click family have included the University of Arizona’s Adaptive Athletic Program, the Jim Click Hall of Champions at U of A McKale Center, the Click Family Athletic Center at Landmark College in Vermont, and the current construction of two new Boys & Girls Clubs.

Disabilities have always been at the center of Jim Click’s family focus. In 1975, he was one of the first Tucson employers to offer a workstation for people with developmental disabilities through the Beacon Foundation. Today, Jim employs sixty-eight individuals with disabilities at his dealerships. In 1999, President Bill Clinton presented Jim with the President’s Award from the Committee of Employment of People with Disabilities for his leadership in the development of LINKAGES, a unique non-profit organization that matches individuals with disabilities with employment opportunities. “Jim Click is honored today with a Presidential Award. He has a remarkable passion for empowering Americans with disabilities and helping all Americans to live closer to the idea of opportunity for all. He is, therefore, a true patriot.” President Bill Clinton, White House Ceremony, June 4, 1999.

Although he has never run for any political office, Jim Click’s passion for politics and electing good citizens to serve has often driven him to positions of fund-raising and finance chair for numerous candidates at the local, state, and national levels. From former Mayor of Tucson Lew Murphy, to Arizona Congressman Jim Kolbe, to former United States Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush, to the 2000 election of President George W. Bush, Jim Click’s support was a tremendous boost to many campaign successes!

Having been athletic all his life, Jim Click has maintained his desire for fitness and enjoys the competition of sports. Jim has completed marathons in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Tucson, and New York City. He and his daughter, Carrie, have run several marathons together. Jim is also an avid cyclist, and races vintage cars with him Jim Click Racing Team.

“If I were to describe Jim with one word it would be energy. It’s his energy that has resulted in all of the great things he has done for friends, family, and community. I have never seen Jim down. He’s always up. He’s amazing!” Bill Phalen, President & Publisher, Phoenix Home & Garden, PHOENIX Magazine, and Scottsdale Life.