When city leaders approached Manteca Ford owner Phil Waterford about possibly borrowing one of his high-end sports cars for a photo shoot promoting Manteca, he didn’t hesitate.

“I believe in Manteca,” Waterford said as he stood outside The Veranda Event Center in downtown where a line snaked around the corner and down the South Grant sidewalk to get into the hottest event in Manteca on Wednesday — the 2026 State of the City program.

The video — which features footage of Mayor Gary Singh taking a lap around Manteca while his pit crew shared what he could expect at every turn — is aimed at marketing Manteca to retailers, restaurants, and employers.

Waterford, who is one of the pit crew members telling Singh what he is passing in terms of commercial growth and civic progress, knows how sweet of a place Manteca is to do business these days.

He recently took a call from Ford CEO Jim Farley personally congratulating him and Manteca Ford for having the greatest gain in year-to-year sales — 50 percent — among dealerships nationally.

Waterford said electric vehicles sales have been exceptionally brisk.

Waterford is sold on Manteca not just as a solid place to have a business but as a place where there is a strong sense of community.

“In racing, every second counts; in Manteca every person counts,” Waterford notes in the video. “That is what team work is about. That’s what Manteca is about.”

And Waterford — who moved from Chicago 30 years ago to acquire the dealership — is part of that team and the community that he notes where “every person counts.”

The State of the City address touched on just two of the things Waterford has been involved with personally to a degree.

One is the high visibility crosswalk by his dealership at Main Street and Edison Street.

After several people had been struck crossing the street and nearby Grant Street, Waterford equipped parent volunteers with crossing signs and vests to help protect children going to and from school.

The city eventually followed up with securing a state grant that improved pedestrian, driver, and bicyclist safety along much of the Main Street corridor.

He also was a key sponsor for years working with pastor Mike Dillman to stage the three-day Memorial Weekend Commemoration at Woodward Park that the city is helping bring back this year after a seven year hiatus.

Waterford over the years has made big and small impacts on the community whether it is underwriting the purchase of the Jumbotron at Manteca High or gifting used vehicles to struggling families needing reliable transportation.

Among his efforts was opening up his showroom for years to provide Christmas Eve breakfast complete with food packages and new toys for struggling families until the pandemic ended the event.

Waterford, with the help of staff and community volunteers, fed up to 500 people every year.

But he’ll be the first to tell you he was more than blessed by that gesture.

That’s because 14 years ago he ended up coming across his daughter, Deziray, who showed up late with her family after the event was over.

Her nose was pressed against the showroom window.

Waterford said they had plenty of food leftover to serve Deziray and her family. That was the first of a series of events that led to Deziray’s adoption by the Waterfords.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com