Amarillo: Faces, Places & Open Spaces

BROWN
AUTOMOTIVE
GROUP
Above: The Brown Buick GMC Building was
renovated and modernized in 2011 to
facilitate better customer service.
Below: The distinctive Southwest Honda
building is at the corner of Interstate 27 and
Georgia Street.
Elmer Brown could not have realized when
he and Erwin Russell purchased Doc Coffee
Pontiac on Sixth Avenue in 1964 his business
would be as long-lived and as wide-ranging as
it is today. Brown, who had previously owned
an independent used car sales lot, was in
business with Russell until 1970. In 1970,
Brown Pontiac expanded and added a Honda
dealership when Honda just starting in the car
market. Honda was looking for established
car dealers to market their products and
Brown saw the potential of the Honda automotive
market. His Honda franchise, started
with just $500, a sign, and three cars, is now
one of the oldest in the United States.
In 1977 the Brown Automotive dealerships
moved into a brand new facility in
the 4300 block of South Georgia Street. In
1982 they added a GMC dealership, in 2001
added Brown Subaru, and in 2003 added a
Buick dealership. In 1985, Southwest Honda
became a separate facility next door at
the corner of Interstate 27 and Georgia Street.
In 2000, Southwest Honda’s facility was
revamped to reflect Honda’s distinctive
“image facility” concept.
Today, Brown Automotive Group is still
operated by the Brown family. Elmer’s sons
Brian, Kent, and Randy oversee day to day
operations and the third generation of the
Brown family is involved in the business.
They are the oldest ongoing, locally owned
and operated family automotive business in
the Tri-State area and have expanded to being
the largest volume dealer in the Tri-State area
for Buick, GMC, and Honda. Although the
Pontiac dealership was discontinued in 2009,
Brown Buick GMC remains strong, viable,
and better than ever. Brown Automotive
Group has maintained a high volume business,
expanding into the Dallas/Fort Worth
area with the addition of Gateway Buick GMC
in 2010. Since 1964, Brown Automotive
Group has sold about 100,000 vehicles. The
initial 1964 $3 million sales volume has
grown to $140 million in 2011 and from
1,000 cars per year in the 1960s to 4,500 cars
per year today. The first dealership employed
thirty people and in 2011 the staff has grown
to 160 highly valued employees. Many are
long term and dedicated employees who started
when Elmer operated the business.
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