Cannon builds one used-car lot into 23 dealerships across state
Sometimes, having a sports background early on can help in business success later in life.
Michael Joe Cannon was a Ranger football star at Northwest Mississippi Community College. During the 1980 season, Cannon had 31 unassisted tackles, 50 assists, and five fumble recoveries. He was selected to play in the Mississippi Junior College All-Star Game. Then he received a football scholarship from Memphis State University where, as a senior, he was voted team captain by his Tigers’ teammates and named Most Valuable Player by the Memphis State University coaching staff.
Cannon describes the place he was raised, Calhoun City, as “a small-town Mayberry. I enjoyed it. If someone saw you doing something you weren’t supposed to, it didn’t matter if they were your parents or not—they would set you straight. Everybody knew everybody.”
His first job was selling peanuts store-to-store on the square. Then he helped out at the family’s used car lot, including by washing cars and going to auctions.
After earning his bachelor’s in education from Memphis State University, Cannon went to work as a defense coach for the Rangers and then for Ole Miss until 1986 when his father, Joe Bob Cannon, passed away. The younger Cannon would have loved to continue coaching, but felt inclined to help his mother, Melba Cannon, by taking over the family’s business in Calhoun City. There, Cannon applied the same dogged determination and gregarious nature that helped him excel in sports to grow that one small business operating out of a 12’ x 12’ sales shed into Cannon Motor Company—now one the largest family-owned car dealership brands in the state with 23 dealerships.
His first expansion was opening up another used car lot in 1989 in Grenada. In 2001, Cannon Motors bought its first car dealership in Greenwood, Delta Chevrolet Oldsmobile, Cadillac, Nissan.
“We were buying used cars from them,” said Cannon. “Their owners were two older brothers with some kids who didn’t want the store. We had developed a relationship with them, so we ended up talking and coming up with a price that was good for them and good for us.”
Five days after signing the contract, the 9/11 terror attacks happened. At that time, they thought it was going to devastate their car business. But General Motors came out for the first time with zero percent financing.
“When they did that, it took off for us and everyone,” said Cannon. “It was what got everything going again. It was the saving grace.”
Cannon admits there was a learning curve entering the new car business. But, he credits lessons from his father about how to work, and the importance of being good to customers and employees, with helping him transition.
“If you take care of customers and employees, they will take care of you,” said Cannon. “And there is no substitute for hard work. Kersh May had retired but came back to work for us buying new cars. He was buying for Delta Chevrolet. I told him the only way I would buy the dealership was if he would stay and work for us. He said he would stay 18 months and ended up staying five years. He was the one who helped me learn how to operate a new car business.”
Cannon now has dealerships in Calhoun City, Cleveland, Grenada, Senatobia, Starkville, Greenwood, West Point, Jackson, Oxford, Vicksburg, Laurel, Moss Point and Pascagoula.
Developing a good work culture, said Cannon, has been key to the company’s ability to grow. The goal was to make it a place where people are willing to work hard taking care of customers, and also enjoy going to work.
“We are like family because we spend so much time together,” said Cannon. “Every car dealer loves his customers and employees. People with dealerships saw that we were growing, and knew that we took care of employees after purchasing a dealership. You would never see us laying off a lot of people after a purchase. We got the opportunity to purchase dealerships because the sellers knew we would take care of their employees and help them succeed.”
Cannon Motors has a consistent advertising message: “When you think car, we want you to think Cannon.” People may see the Cannon advertisements long before they are in the market for a new vehicle. But when ready, they will remember to “think Cannon.”
A huge part of the recipe for success is providing good service. Cannon knows a big reason people buy a brand-new car is because of the warranty. So, the company makes quick and appropriate service a priority.
Cannon also wants customers to choose Cannon Motors when their vehicle is out of warranty and needs repairs. Routine maintenance such as oil changes, batteries and tires are no hassle and, if you have an accident, Cannon wants customers to think of Cannon Motors for their bodywork.
“We call it the Cannon Circle of Life,” he said. “By taking care of customers, why would they want to go anywhere else? It is something we work on day in and day out. We can get by without a lot of things in the car business, but we can’t survive without customers.”
Buying habits have changed with the internet. A lot of people like to shop online. But, Cannon sees that while most people start online, they don’t end online.
“Most people like to come into the dealership,” said Cannon. “They want to see and touch the vehicle before making a decision. People are so much more educated these days about their purchases. They know the ins and outs, safety ratings, gas mileage and what extra features might be helpful. If they ask a question that we don’t know the answer to, we apologize and go find the answer.”
People do sometimes buy without seeing the vehicle first. Cannon Motors delivers cars to people all over Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas and Tennessee.
Cannon has been an active member of the Mississippi Automobile Dealership Association for 12 years including a term as president. MADA advocates for the interests of the industry on the state level. Cannon was elected by the board to represent Mississippi dealers in Washington D.C. working with the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA).
“An issue we have in Mississippi is the federal mandate for manufacturers to produce a higher volume of electric vehicles,” said Cannon. “If you want an EV, we want to sell it to you. But, in our part of the country, there isn’t that much interest. In Mississippi and a lot of the South, it is not something we sell a lot of. Some states like California and Colorado want it. But, don’t push something onto customers they don’t want. The new EVs are very expensive and they haven’t held their value as well as we would like. There is not near the demand that is being mandated for the manufacturers.”
Through his work with MADA and NADA, Cannon knows people from all over the state and country. He enjoys the interactions and makes it clear that when he is lobbying in D.C., he is representing the MADA dealers, not his businesses.
One focus, as the company has grown so large, is to keep the same culture, making sure that people who buy on the Gulf Coast get the same positive experience as in North Mississippi.
“My job every day is to represent Cannon Motors in a positive way and make sure employees relate to the people they are serving on the ground so the customer gets the same experience no matter where they are,” said Cannon.
Cannon is an active community volunteer serving as the past president of the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce, United Way Leflore County, Leflore County Chamber of Commerce, and the Greenwood Boys/Girls Club. Cannon Motors was honored with the Leflore-Carroll County Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year and a Top 10 Places to Work in Leflore County. He’s currently an active member of Pinelake Oxford Church.
Cannon and his wife, Cheryl, have three children, Tyler, Morgan and Luke, as well as two grandchildren and another on the way.
