WEXFORD, Pennsylvania — Richard Bazzy wanted to do something big. If you are from Western Pennsylvania, that is not all that surprising. The cowboy hat-wearing owner of several Shults Ford dealerships is known for his larger-than-life “Yee Haw” ads for Ford vehicles — and for his generosity, offering scholarships, turkey drives, and other do-good deeds.
This time, Bazzy said he felt compelled to do something big for Marc Fogel, the Western Pennsylvania teacher whom the U.S. government determined had been wrongfully detained in a Russian penal colony in 2021.
Recommended Stories
President Donald Trump secured Fogel’s release in February, just three weeks after he was sworn in. The visuals of his return were quintessential Americana. Fogel kissed the ground when he landed, was greeted with gifts from home, such as his ice-cold Iron City Beer and Steelers gear, and the embrace of his family.
What Bazzy and the Ford Motor Company did after that was also quintessential Americana: They gave Fogel something that is the unequivocal symbol of American grit, rootedness, and possibility after spending years in a Russian prison.
Bazzy said he didn’t just want to hand him the keys to a car. He wanted the moment to have layers of meaning. Knowing Fogel’s love of American history, Bazzy worked with the Ford Motor Company to have him tour the grounds of the River Rouge Complex in Michigan. This complex was the crown jewel of the industrial revolution and American ingenuity and was once the largest single manufacturing complex in the United States, employing over 120,000 people during World War II.
Then, he was given the keys to a Ford F-150, a truck Bazzy said embodies all of those characteristics of freedom.
Bazzy, who accompanied Fogel during his visit to Dearborn Truck Plant, said what he loves about Ford is its commitment not just to customers but also to workers. The company employs more U.S. hourly autoworkers than any other automaker.
“Ford does not just make a superior vehicle. It invests in the people who make them and then invests in the community where they have their plants, but also where the dealerships are,” said Bazzy, whose philanthropy locally has included giving 18 Steel Valley seniors a $5,000 scholarship and giving away thousands of turkeys over the holidays.
Ford is a publicly traded and uniquely family-controlled company, and investment in the American workforce has been the center of its success. There is an undeniable nostalgic connection between the Ford Motor Company and the American consumer that likely began with its founder’s early innovation.
Beginning with the wobbly Model T at the turn of the 20th century, along with its assembly line of workers in the background, Ford is considered the company that changed the American way of life, not just because of Henry Ford’s innovations but also because he was fulfilling that wanderlust within the DNA of Americans to see the country on the back road.
Ford didn’t just transform manufacturing. He transformed our landscape, connecting the suburban and the rural with the cities with his Model T.
Fogel has received a hero’s welcome here in Western Pennsylvania. Oakmont Bakery made cookies with the viral image of Fogel sipping a drink on an airplane following his release from the Russian prison, with “Luckiest man on Earth” written under the image. There was a second cookie with another image, this one of Fogel with a flag around his neck that says “Welcome home, Marc.”
A VERY CONSEQUENTIAL TWO WEEKS FOR TRUMP’S PRESIDENCY
He was also honored at a Pittsburgh Penguins game and delivered the first pitch at the home opener of the Pittsburgh Pirates to ace pitcher Paul Skenes.
While all were firsts, the big first was his first new car. The look on his face when Bazzy handed him the keys in Michigan was one of sheer gratitude. In turn, Bazzy exemplifies Ford’s commitment to giving back.