Tex Earnhardt Auto Centers History

 

Tex Earnhardt, founder and CEO of Earnhardt Auto Centers, was raised on a ranch in the Rio Grande Valley of Southern Texas. In 1951 when he was twenty years old, he and his family moved to Chandler where his father, Hal Earnhardt, Senior, started a small gas station downtown.

The service station provided a small income for his family by selling gas and auto parts. Tex wanted to expand his business to sell automobiles, but the factories in Detroit refused to ship the vehicles to him without expensive transportation costs. Tex went to work and immediately found a solution. He and a friend decided to drive to Detroit, buy a car from the Ford factory, drive both vehicles back to Chandler, and sell the new car. As soon as he sold his first car, he drove right back to Detroit and purchased the second. He repeated the whole process for months.

Eventually his hard work translated into success when Ford factory officials saw how dedicated and strong his work ethic was. They awarded him his own franchise at the age of 21. To this date, Tex holds the record for the youngest franchise owner in the entire nation.

As the dealership grew, Tex became Ford's most respected owner. Lee Iacocca, then a corporate manager for Ford, developed a strong relationship with Tex. When Lee accepted the position of CEO for the ailing Chrysler Corporation in the early 1980s, he personally flew to Phoenix and asked Tex to become a franchise owner for Chrysler. Tex - with his keen intuition and respect for Iacocca - accepted the Chrysler franchise and was soon open for business at Baseline and Rural in Tempe. Thereafter, Tex acquired several more automobile franchises and he became widely known for his great deals and as the cowboy car dealer who rode a bull in his commercials. Tex' trademark slogan "that ain't no bull" was the ultimate truth in advertising. The "bull" he rode in the commercials was really a steer. (The "bull" pictured herein is a Texas longhorn steer, named "Rex").

Tex' sons, Hal and Jim Babe, eventually joined him in the business as did later, his grandsons, Dodge and Derby. Together the Earnhardt family is at the helm of one of the nation's largest automotive empires and is the most recognized auto dealer group in the southwest. Where family-owned and operated automotive companies are a rarity in this market, the Earnhardt family is at their dealerships daily and personally oversee its operations.

There are nearly 1,500 employees at Earnhardt Auto Centers and the Earnhardt family's dedication to the well being of their employees is legendary. In hundreds of cases they have personally lent moral and financial support to employees who were facing an illness or family tragedy. Various charities and needy causes have also benefited from the Earnhardt's philanthropy. Inspired by the Earnhardt family, many of their employees participate in a company charity program called H.E.A.R.T., whereby individual donations are deducted from their paychecks and given to a different charity each month.

Since 1951, the Earnhardt family has been selling cars and trucks to people across the southwest United States and will continue to do so for many years to come. Although times have changed, what has never changed is the Earnhardt commitment to world class service, famous low prices and the best selection of America's most popular vehicles.

Earnhardt's - - it's a name you can trust and that ain't no bull.