Photo by Jason Millstein

Auto Dealership Owner

Interviewing Tex Earnhardt feels a bit like stepping onto the set of one of his iconic TV commercials. Dressed in his trademark Western garb – boots, blue jeans, long-sleeved printed shirt and wide-brimmed hat, which he immediately removes to reveal an impressive silvery mane – Earnhardt looks and sounds like the same straight-shooting cowboy he plays on TV. Then there are Hal and Jim Babe, Tex’s sons and fellow TV pitchmen, who are roped in for a cameo appearance after Tex spots them walking down the hallway. The only thing missing is one of the massive longhorn steers that Tex sits on when he declares, “And that ain’t no bull.”

It’s this combination of folksy charm and savvy self-promotion that has allowed Tex to grow the Earnhardt Auto Group from a single car lot in south Chandler into the state’s largest privately held automobile dealership, with 11 locations Valleywide. But after celebrating his 81st birthday and the 60th anniversary of that first Ford dealership, the longtime rodeo rider and cattleman is the last one to seize credit for his many accomplishments. Instead, he peppers his answers with such awe-shucks expressions as, “I was just in the right place at the right time.” Tex points to his family values as the source of his success. “We may sell a lot of vehicles, but you still have to sell them one at a time,” Tex says. “That’s why I’m here every day and so is my family.”

You’re such a local institution, people might be surprised to learn you were born in south Texas. How did that shape your mindset?
I grew up on a ranch in the Rio Grande Valley, which is why I’ve been wearing big hats and long-sleeved shirts as long as I can remember. It was very hot and humid, but then again we had no thermostat or radio or TV, so we had no idea how hot it was. Now you can look at your watch and tell the temperature.

How old were you when you opened your first car dealership?
I was 21 and it was probably the smallest in the country. And the only reason I got that break was because I knew the local Ford Motor Company rep from my days on the rodeo circuit. He liked my attitude, which is why I say it’s not what you know but who you know.

What’s it like working so closely with your sons and grandsons?
The thing that really saved me was when first Hal and then Jim Babe got done with school and the rodeo circuit and came to join me at the dealership. They were smart and had a good education, and I remember saying, ‘Boy, am I glad you’re here.’ All I ever knew how to do was ranch.

Most people have long since retired by your age. What’s your secret?
I’ve been blessed with good health, never smoked or drank and always tried to do the right thing. I really am proud of my family; that’s my happiness. My only indulgence is chocolate milk. If that was a drug I’d be on it all the time.

Do you still find time for rodeo?
Yes, I’m still roping. It’s something that I’ve always loved to do. Hal and I both still compete in steer-roping competitions.

Speaking of steers, how did you come up with the classic “No bull” line?
I’ve always raised steers, and my best recollection is I was sitting on one when a neighbor asked me about my bull. I said, “That ain’t no bull.” And it just stuck. Of course I had no idea it would become my trademark for the next half a century or so.

You’re also a pilot. How long have you been flying planes?
Been doing that for 55 years now. It all started when I went flying with a friend in south Texas and it scared me to death. But I was hooked, and now I fly almost every weekend and go visit our cattle ranches around the state.

What’s the secret to your success?
The proof is in the pudding. I started in 1951 and now I’m selling to the great-grandkids of my original customers. All I know is how to be nice to people. No matter what kind of newfangled technology comes along or the changes in the car industry, I live by the motto that nice people always win. That’s never changed, and it never will.