The Howard Bentley Buick GMC Story

A Legacy of Excellence and Community Commitment

Today, Howard Bentley Buick GMC is the #1 GMC Dealer in Alabama and for many years has been recognized as an Alabama institution that serves customers across the United States. However, achieving that status took time, passion, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. A third-generation family-owned and operated dealership, Howard Bentley Buick GMC does more than simply sell cars and trucks. It's about meeting people where they are and building relationships that stand the test of time. That's as true today as it was when the dealership was first founded.

The Birth Of A Dream

In 1983, Howard Wayne Bentley decided to quit his job at NASA and pursue his dream of owning a car dealership. He settled on a dealership in Fayetteville, Tennessee after some searching. That was the spark that ignited a dream that has spanned almost four decades.

Entrepreneurship was nothing new for Howard. He and his wife, Faye Vann Bentley, had operated several small businesses over the years. Together, they decided to put their passion and expertise to work in building something new.

That passion was instilled in the family's next generation too. Howard's son, Wayne, became the parts department manager, marking his first real job and entry into the family business. Wayne quickly learned the ropes and was promoted to service department manager in a short amount of time.

Years of previous neglectful ownership of their newly purchased dealership meant that the service department was not particularly successful, and Howard challenged his son Wayne to turn it around. Ever ready to try something new, that's precisely what Wayne did, taking a struggling service department and transforming it into a model of efficiency, customer service, and excellence that stood the test of time.

Their success allowed them to expand the business, and they opened the Albertville dealership, eventually spreading the Howard Bentley name throughout the Southeast.

The Evolution of an Alabama Institution

What would eventually become Howard Bentley Buick GMC started life as something else entirely - a struggling Oldsmobile/Pontiac dealership. The Bentley family purchased it in 1988, and Wayne was charged with operating the service and parts departments at both the Alabama and Tennessee properties while his father handled sales.

It took just a couple of weeks for the family to realize that splitting responsibilities in this way simply wouldn't work. It was too decentralized and didn't allow them to provide the level of attention and service their customers deserved. So, Wayne and his wife Kathy took over operations at the Albertville dealership full-time.

For the first two years, the family continued to sell just Oldsmobile and Pontiac vehicles. However, they wanted to deliver more value to their customers through a wider selection of vehicles, so they decided to expand as a Jeep/Eagle dealer. In 1997, they added the GMC franchise to the mix. The family decided to sell the Jeep/Eagle franchise in 1999 and added Buick in 2008. In 2009, the recession sparked General Motors' decision to mothball the Pontiac brand, so the dealership became Howard Bentley Buick GMC.

Introducing the Third Generation

A few years after getting married and making the dealership their full-time passion, Wayne and Kathy welcomed their daughter, Taylor, into the world. Her first stop after leaving the hospital on the day she was born was to visit her grandparents at the dealership before even going home.

That was to be the pattern of Taylor's life. She spent a lot of time between the Fayetteville and Albertville dealerships, between care from her parents and seeing her grandparents. Her younger sister Alana would follow the same path eventually. Both girls became permanent fixtures, always underfoot, whether that was playing under someone's desk or getting employees to help them with their homework. The girls felt as comfortable at the dealership as they did at their own home.

That introduction sparked an interest that would carry through Taylor's adult life. It also set a pattern for how the dealership operated - treating customers, employees, and community members like family and doing what was necessary to make them feel seen and valued. Wayne summed the dealership's focus on excellence up well by saying, "We've created a dealership experience that is much more than transactional, and this has made a difference."

It's a Family Thing

When she came of age, Taylor wasn't sure which career path to pursue, so Wayne told her she'd be welcome at the dealership. She went to college at the University of Alabama and earned a Bachelor of Science in Management & Marketing as well as a Master of Business Education from Northwood University. After completing her studies, she decided to try working at the dealership and see if it worked for her. That was in 2013, and the rest is history. She quickly took to it, thanks in part to her early experiences growing up but also her quick wit and natural aptitude as a business manager.

For Wayne, Taylor's ascension to leadership was both a huge part of the company's success and a source of peace that when he and Kathy decide to retire, the business is in good hands. He knows that there's someone at the helm who will not only get things done but continue to grow the brand the right way and deliver the amazing customer experience that's become the Howard Bentley Buick GMC hallmark.

Taylor Bentley Conner, following in her father's footsteps, took on the role of Dealer Principal at the dealership as of June 19th, 2024. Her husband, Jon Conner, is the General Sales Manager. Together, they make an amazing team capable of ensuring that the business thrives, that customers receive the utmost attention, and employees have rewarding career paths.

Taylor and Jon's role in the business also mirrors her parents'. It takes a dedicated, committed team to create something as enduring as Howard Bentley Buick GMC, and the pair certainly has what's required.

Changing Priorities and Shifting Plans

While Taylor might not have been certain of what she wanted in terms of a career in her early years, her younger self was sure of one thing: she was going to leave Albertville. She went to college for marketing, and her goal was to land a job with an advertising firm in a larger city somewhere in the Southeast.

However, those plans changed. As she got older and wiser, she started to wonder what would happen if something happened to her parents. What would become of the dealership, the employees that relied on it, the customers it served, or the relationships built over the years? Those questions were enough to make her reconsider her life's path, prompting her to take on an active role in the family business to ensure its continuity and success.

Realizing in those early years that she didn't have the knowledge or experience to run the dealership if something happened to her parents, Taylor was determined to learn. She started working full-time at the dealership immediately after graduating from college in 2013. A few weeks later, she entered a year-long training class that let her experience every department for six weeks at a time. That provided her with the grounding necessary to understand how everything worked together to create a cohesive whole, as well as providing the people around her a chance to get to know her better.

In the middle of her year-long experience, a crisis gave her yet another opportunity to learn and grow. Taylor started the dealership's BDC department. Initially, the idea was that she would start it and then move on to other things, but the manager tasked with running it left after just a month, so Taylor had to step in. She was able to turn it into what it is today, a pillar of the dealership's success, proving her resilience and leadership in the face of unexpected challenges.
After this experience, Taylor went into the sales department and eventually took on the dealership's marketing and advertising leadership roles. As time went on, she became more and more involved in the parts and service departments too. Eventually, her path became clear: to become the next-generation operator at the dealership.

Learning by Example

While her formal training program certainly helped Taylor develop the skills necessary to manage the business, she credits her father's example for her ability to do so with grace. "My dad was the general manager before me, and it helped me to see how he handled different situations," she explained. "He has a lot of patience, which is something I had to learn from day one. Sometimes you need to pick your battles. It's also important that you realize this is a team effort, whether that's implementing something new or working with upset customers. Seeing my dad handle those situations has helped me become a better manager. He's a man of few words, and he speaks more through his actions. Watching him day in and day out quickly taught me new ways to be a leader and handle anything thrown at me."

The family tradition shows promise of continuing. Taylor and Jon's daughter spends a great deal of time playing and learning at the dealership, and Wayne already refers to her as the fourth generation of the family business, even though she's only six years old.

The Guiding Principles of Success

At the heart of any successful business is a powerful mission statement - a set of guiding principles that informs everything the business does. For Howard Bentley Buick GMC, that mission statement is to provide service that exceeds the customer's expectations. That is instilled in the heart of every employee, from the sales professionals to the service center technicians to the general manager.

Those guiding principles have helped Howard Bentley Buick GMC grow significantly over the years. This is particularly true in recent years, as the dealership has almost tripled its growth since 2015 in a small town with fewer than 25,000 residents. It has also expanded into a 50,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility with over 100 employees. The business has also been awarded GMC's Dealer of the Year every year for nine consecutive years and has earned the Buick and GMC Mark of Excellence awards for 20 years in a row.

Giving Back

However, it's not just about serving customers. The team at Howard Bentley Buick GMC also believes in supporting the wider community. In 2023 alone, the dealership donated over $200,000 to over 100 different local schools, nonprofit organizations, and charities in and around Albertville to help fight poverty, improve education, and improve health outcomes. Their charity events are legendary in the Albertville area and beyond, and their now-famous Santa Pictures event, where Santa arrives at the store via helicopter, has become a holiday staple for the local communities.

Howard Bentley Buick GMC Today

Today, after 38 years of history, Howard Bentley Buick GMC is the #1 GMC dealer in Alabama and one of the top GMC dealerships in the nation. Since 2015, the dealership has continually earned GMC's Dealer of the Year award, representing the top one percent of dealerships in the United States.

The entire dealership team is committed to delivering a hassle-free, positive experience for customers locally as well as nationwide. That's as true for customers buying their first car as it is for repeat customers who've bought from them for many years. It also applies to the parts and service departments. Customers appreciate their signature CrystalClear™ pricing, exceptional customer service, flexible options, and the family legacy that's so prevalent within the dealership.

That commitment to excellence, small-town values, community involvement and outstanding customer service will put Howard Bentley Buick GMC in good stead for years to come. Here's to another four decades of service!