Doing the Right Thing A Conversation with Incoming GADA Chair David Jones For David Jones, a career in the automobile business was inevitable. “I just loved the car business,” David recalled. “It fit my personality because I love to meet people, love to be around people and love to do things with people.” What started as summer employment grew into a career spanning five decades. David worked his way through the dealership, serving as sales manager, F&I manager and general manager while helping the family-owned business expand. Today, the organization has grown to approximately 385 employees and nine franchises. The dealership that started it all, Gerald Jones Volkswagen, traces its history to 1974 and continues to serve customers throughout Augusta, Martinez, Evans, Grovetown and the Central Savannah River areas. Through all that growth, David says the philosophy instilled in him by his uncle has remained remarkably simple: Be good to people, treat them the way you want to be treated and do the right thing. That approach has extended beyond the showroom. David has spent decades serving his community and the automobile industry. His involvement has included leadership with the American Red Cross in Augusta, support for the local children’s hospital and participation in a large military appreciation event honoring service members in the Fort Eisenhower community. It has also included many years of service to the Georgia Automobile Dealers Association (GADA). As David prepares for his next leadership role with the association, he brings the perspective of a dealer who has experienced five decades of change — from fuel shortages and changing consumer preferences to new technology, evolving regulations and emerging vehicle sales models. Yet his focus remains grounded in people: the customers dealers serve, the employees they support, the communities they strengthen and the fellow dealers whose involvement gives GADA its voice. We recently spoke with David about his career, the lessons that have shaped his leadership and what he hopes to accomplish with GADA. The following are excerpts from our conversation. Tell us about yourself and how you got started in the automobile business. I’ve been in the car business since 1974. When I was going to college, I would come down to Augusta during the summers and work with my uncle, Gerald Jones, at the Volkswagen dealership he had purchased. He had a salesperson who would leave for the summer, so I would come down in June, work until the middle of August and then go back to school. I was doing pretty well and eventually thought, “Why should I keep going back to school when I’m doing pretty good right here?” I had been studying engineering at Clemson, but I loved the car business. It suited me. I’m the type of person who loves meeting people and being around people. Through the years, we added other franchises. I moved through the normal progression in the dealership — sales manager, F&I manager and then general manager. It has always been a family-owned business, and we’ve grown quite a bit over the years. Today, we have about 385 employees and nine franchises. Who was your biggest mentor, and what did he teach you? Gerald was definitely my mentor. He was my uncle, and he was a very hard worker. The biggest thing he taught me was to be good to people. Treat people the way you want to be treated. Be kind and always do the right thing. 13 THE GENERATOR
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