"He was a legend": Bob Cantler shares memories of Phil Bachman

Phil Bachman Jr., entrepreneur and Ferrari enthusiast, died on Monday.Bachman, 87, reportedly died at Durham-Hensley Health and Rehabilitation in Chuckey, according to his obituary. A prominent businessman in the automobile industry, Bachman had four dealerships across four towns in Northeast Tennessee.Bob Cantler, president and CEO of the Johnson City Chamber of Commerce, said he knew Bachman after his retirement and commended his work ethic and accomplishments."It's a loss, and he'd been sick for years," Cantler said. "But, he was still just a dynamic business man in East Tennessee."Cantler said he knew Bachman because he lived in Greeneville when Cantler worked in the area. He added he recalled Bachman's late wife, Martha, also had a jewelry store in downtown Greeneville and praised the work both she and Bachman did as entrepreneurs."She was an incredible businessperson in her own self," said Cantler. "...He was kind of a pioneer in the car industry in our region. He had just a solid reputation for being representative of the community."Bachman's imprint on the automobile business started when he purchased Pless Pontiac-Cadillac in 1967 at the age of 29, making him the youngest Cadillac dealer in the United States. His obituary said in 1973, he built and relocated to a new dealership facility located on the same property as Wheels Inc.Bachman went on to expand the automobile franchises in the 1970s by acquiring what later became Phil Bachman Toyota in Johnson City in 1976 and starting Phil Bachman Honda in Kingsport in 1978. His obituary also stated he moved Honda Wheels from Greeneville to Morristown and renamed it Honda Morristown.Over his 54-year career, Bachman represented Pontiac, Cadillac, GMC, Buick, Chevrolet, Honda, Toyota, Scion, Datsun, Nissan, AMC, Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, Renault and Delorean.Bachman "finally achieved his dream of owning a Ferrari" in 1984, and he became active in the Ferrari Club of America. He was also a "distinguished judge" of Ferrari cars and participated in the FXX Programme, which is a factory-organized track series for the cars according to his obituary.In his personal life, Bachman served on the board of directors of the Greene County Bank from 1967–2007, was a continuous member of the Greeneville Rotary Club for 56 years and was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Greenville for over 70 years.Bachman's impression, said Cantler, wasn't just left on his businesses, but on people in the region that had the chance to know him."He was a legend," Cantler said. "He was a collector of Ferraris and just a very dynamic, gregarious, friendly, smart businessman. I have an immense amount of respect for him."Bachman is survived by his son, daughter-in-law, niece, nephews and several great nieces and nephews. His full obituary can be found at https://jeffersmortuary.com/obituaries/philip-bachman?utm_source=search&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=standard&cta=fh-website.