financial interest in the company in 1962. He became the dealer designate in 1965, six years before Ed Atzenhoffer died in 1971. “Bully was a man of the people. He was a friend to everybody, but he could be slightly intimidating,” Tommy said. With an eye towards the future, Bully again expanded the dealership in 1964, leaving the bustling downtown area and opening a new 40,000-square-foot facility at 3211 North Navarro St. “He was a great businessman who had the foresight to move the dealership to its current location, long before anyone else saw the growth coming,” Tommy said. “We needed to grow, and the only way to grow was to move locations, so he bought the land and built the store. He had a good sense of where the town might grow to.” Bully’s son and Tommy’s uncle, Milton S. Greeson Jr., who began working around the dealership before entering high school, became a full-time employee in 1974 after graduating from the University of Texas. Like his father and grandfather, Milton Jr. rose successfully through positions in service, body shop, parts, assistant manager, manager, sales manager and general manager. “I worked very closely with my uncle since day one,” said Tommy, who joined the family business in 2003 after graduating from Texas Christian University. “Milton Jr. doesn’t sugarcoat anything. He believes less talking is better. Don’t repeat yourself. He has a very good sense of business, how to delegate and surround yourself with good people and a good team of managers who can run their departments so you don’t have to micromanage. And he has a passion for carrying on the family legacy.” For Milton Jr.’s son, Parke Greeson, that family legacy meant taking over his mother’s family cattle ranching business in Goliad, Texas, which has been in her family for six generations. That left an opening for Tommy to take on a leadership role at the dealership under his uncle’s mentorship. “Milton Jr. treated me like his own when it came to bringing me into the family business and setting me up for success,” Tommy said. Like the three generations before him, Tommy has worked throughout the dealership in various departments, and at his uncle’s urging, went to NADA Academy in 2008. “It was a scary time with the recession, and franchises winding down and closing stores. Our financials weren’t great at that time.” Still, like his great-grandfather before him, the drive to keep the family business growing and successful overrode any hesitancy in the young manager, who took over as dealer principal of Atzenhoffer in July 2025. Milton Jr. serves as president of the Atzenhoffer Auto Group, which includes Chevrolet and Mitsubishi. “I can remember — ever since I started — knowing that 100 years in business was in reach, and I could get us there,” Tommy said. “That was something that even my mom would talk about — being a fourth-generation business owner and how rare it was. I am so proud to be able to see that across the finish line.” A CELEBRATION 100 YEARS IN THE MAKING To celebrate its 100-year milestone, Atzenhoffer Auto Family has planned a full calendar of meaningful events, special DEALERS’ CHOICE 20
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