spark360 Behind The Scenes: Grubbs Infiniti

We’re a little late for Father’s Day this year. But perhaps our new spark360 profile on the men behind Grubbs Infiniti can become a tradition for that day in June when we honor our dads.

George Grubbs Jr. and George Grubbs III certainly make a good, eloquent pair of spokesmen for their business – automobile dealerships that have been part of the family for more than 60 years, with the Infiniti brand the latest of 12 car models that various generations of Grubbs boys have sold to North Texans. Yet they also are great examples of fathers taking care of business for their families; dads who built upon the foundation left for them by their fathers, so that the next generation of Grubbs can make their own mark with the family name.

Hubert Grubbs started it all in 1948. Then his son, George R. Grubbs, took over the business. Then his sons, George Jr. and Eric, got in the auto sales game.  The latest Grubbs to take over the family business is George Grubbs III, George Jr.’s son.

That’s a lot of Grubbs guys selling an awful lot of cars over a 62-year period.

Make no mistake: I’m sure the moms in the Grubbs family have had an equal part in building the Grubbs business. Something tells me you don’t sell more than 120,000 cars in the Dallas-Fort Worth area without having everyone in the family play a key role. But the father-son dynamic has always been a compelling part of the American business landscape, both in real world and in the fantasies brought to you by the entertainment industry (“Dallas,” Jock and J.R. Ewing ring a bell for anyone?). An entrepreneur who can carve a successful business out of a competitive industry segment, and then have his male children take over the firm while taking it to new heights? That’s always been a powerful tale to tell.

And anyone who has watched countless car commercials on local TV – as I did when I lived in Dallas from 1991-97 – knows how ultra-competitive the North Texas automobile market can be. I daresay that many a Dallas-Fort Worth native can still rattle off ad jingles and commercial taglines from various dealerships over the years. It’s a real testament for a company to last several decades in that environment, and for members of the same family to remain energetic and engaged in the business – especially when you’ve been surrounded by aspects of that business for as long as you can remember.

By the time George Grubbs III came along, the family dynasty was already in place and the Grubbs dealerships were enjoying a lot of sales success. But George Jr. wanted to make sure the right values were in place and his son remained grounded. So the first car that father bought for son? A Porsche, perhaps? Maybe a Dodge Charger or a Trans-Am. Right?

“My first car was an old beat-up pickup truck,” George III told me. “He wasn’t going to spoil me with a real nice car.”

- Renay San Miguel