Payne Brothers ease on down the road to growth

From the time they were 11 or 12 years old, Bud and Jimmy Payne worked in the family auto dealership. In 1948, their father had established what is now the Payne Auto Group selling Dodges after he returned from military service in World War II. The boys started at the bottom of the ladder, cleaning out parts bins and washing cars.

Today, as they celebrate their business’s 60^th anniversary, the brothers have kept their passion for their business which is instantly recognizable because of their zany commercials.

“With our marketing, it’s obvious that we don’t take ourselves seriously,” Bud Payne said, in his office near a showroom fragrant with the smell of new cars. “But we take our business very seriously.”

Equipped with a his new University of Texas degree, Bud taught and coached for a year before returning to the dealership in 1971 at a time when it had only 13 employees. He and his brother Jimmy bought out their father in 1977. “There were tough times and good times, but by surrounding ourselves with great people, we were able to survive and continue to grow,” Payne said . “In all dealerships, you learn the basics very fast.” In a nutshell, that is taking care of the customers. It helps that the Valley is growing and the increasing population means more people needing cars. We’ve been blessed to live in the Valley.”

“We attribute our success to the people we work with. We know customers have a lot of options,” Payne continued.

Today the Payne Group, which has six locations, carries 21 different brands. It has 230 employees, many of whom have been with Payne for more than 20 years. “In Weslaco, we have the ability to market to the whole Valley. Our location growth has been from acquisitions of older dealerships and new franchises and new brands. We try to have something for every customer, so we took on additional franchises.” They now handle Ford, GM, VW, Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler at different locations. Of course, the many different manufacturers, most with differing computers systems, demand that sales and maintenance staff undergo regular training.

“This is a rapidly changing industry presently,” Payne said. “The biggest challenge that we have is keeping our hometown values, and at the same time having a vison for the future. The car industry in the U.S. in the next 10 years will be vastly different then the last 50 years. Globally the industry is trending to mergers.”

Payne worries that the Valley’s rapid expansion could make it difficult to keep the Weslaco’s unique quality of life. He hopes residents will pay attention to the things-culture, geography, natural resources and lifelong friendships-- that make the Valley wonderful so they don’t get lost in the excitement about growth. “We believe in being part of the community, trying to give back as much as we can. I don’t believe it’s possible to give back as much as we’ve received.”

Payne see the next generation–two nephews- warming up to come into the family business. They’re gluttons for punishment, he joked. “I think they see that it’s been a fun way to live and that it has certain advantages.”