Paxton King was born and raised in Mississippi. At the age of seven, his dad, Stan King, bought a dealership in Brookhaven, Mississippi — Stan King GM Superstore. Paxton spent many of his formative years working with his dad at the dealership. Under his dad’s watchful eye, Paxton learned the value of a hard day’s work, the importance of treating others with kindness, and that happy employees and happy customers go hand-in-hand. His dad would often say, “Your best ability is availability.” Being there for employees, customers and family is important. After graduating from The University of Southern Mississippi, where Paxton played baseball for the Golden Eagles, he returned home to work with his dad in the family business. Paxton was named general manager in 2020 and has guided the company forward with strong leadership and dedication to the industry. In addition to running the family business, Paxton has become actively involved with the Mississippi Auto Dealers Association and has served in a number of leadership positions before his election as chairman. As the youngest chairman in the history of MADA, Paxton is living up to everything it means to be a NextGen dealer. We recently had the chance to sit down with Paxton and learn more about his views on the industry and what he hopes to achieve as chairman. The following are excerpts from our conversation. What are the biggest issues facing the auto industry? One of the biggest issues is the uncertainty of the future of EV sales if manufacturers continue to push them — especially before certain markets are ready. There are dealerships that are not selling EVs because the customers are not ready yet, but manufacturers are trying to send more units to dealers. The FTC intrusion and excessive regulation are of concern. I hope that moving forward, dealers are given a seat at the table and are allowed to be part of the conversation and solution. Why is the franchise system still the best way to sell cars? Our customers have their individual salespeople and, in turn, have built relationships and trust. When customers bring their cars back to be serviced from the same place they bought them, they know what to expect, they know us, and they feel comfortable being in our dealership. Additionally, dealers, overall, invest in the communities they work and live in. We have 54 employees, and I’m sure other local dealerships have pretty close to that number. The wages we pay our employees have a big impact on the local economy, their families and the community — not to mention the many charitable ways that dealers give back. How do you think the industry will change in the next three to five years? Over the next few years, I see a slow and steady transition of the market into EVs. I also think there will be a lot of new technology in vehicles that we have to be prepared for. Online Paxton King of Meet the 2024‑2025 Chairman 4
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