For David Jones, a career in the automobile business was inevitable. “I just loved the car business,” David recalled. “It fit my personality because I love to meet people, love to be around people and love to do things with people.”
What started as summer employment grew into a career spanning five decades. David worked his way through the dealership, serving as sales manager, F&I manager and general manager while helping the family-owned business expand. Today, the organization has grown to approximately 385 employees and nine franchises. The dealership that started it all, Gerald Jones Volkswagen, traces its history to 1974 and continues to serve customers throughout Augusta, Martinez, Evans, Grovetown and the Central Savannah River areas.
Through all that growth, David says the philosophy instilled in him by his uncle has remained remarkably simple: Be good to people, treat them the way you want to be treated and do the right thing.
That approach has extended beyond the showroom. David has spent decades serving his community and the automobile industry. His involvement has included leadership with the American Red Cross in Augusta, support for the local children’s hospital and participation in a large military appreciation event honoring service members in the Fort Eisenhower community. It has also included many years of service to the Georgia Automobile Dealers Association (GADA).
As David prepares for his next leadership role with the association, he brings the perspective of a dealer who has experienced five decades of change — from fuel shortages and changing consumer preferences to new technology, evolving regulations and emerging vehicle sales models. Yet his focus remains grounded in people: the customers dealers serve, the employees they support, the communities they strengthen and the fellow dealers whose involvement gives GADA its voice.
We recently spoke with David about his career, the lessons that have shaped his leadership and what he hopes to accomplish with GADA. The following are excerpts from our conversation.
Tell us about yourself and how you got started in the automobile business.
I’ve been in the car business since 1974. When I was going to college, I would come down to Augusta during the summers and work with my uncle, Gerald Jones, at the Volkswagen dealership he had purchased. He had a salesperson who would leave for the summer, so I would come down in June, work until the middle of August and then go back to school.
I was doing pretty well and eventually thought, “Why should I keep going back to school when I’m doing pretty good right here?” I had been studying engineering at Clemson, but I loved the car business. It suited me. I’m the type of person who loves meeting people and being around people.
Through the years, we added other franchises. I moved through the normal progression in the dealership — sales manager, F&I manager and then general manager. It has always been a family-owned business, and we’ve grown quite a bit over the years. Today, we have about 385 employees and nine franchises.
Who was your biggest mentor, and what did he teach you?
Gerald was definitely my mentor. He was my uncle, and he was a very hard worker.
The biggest thing he taught me was to be good to people. Treat people the way you want to be treated. Be kind and always do the right thing.
He used to tell me that if you do the wrong thing, it’s going to come back up. If you do the right thing, it may come back up too, but at least you know you did the right thing.
That’s really the way we’ve tried to run the business. As the company gets bigger, that can become harder because the whole structure changes, but the philosophy stays the same.
We were also never absentee owners. We were there. Gerald believed you should be there in the morning when the doors opened and be one of the last ones to leave. That work ethic was instilled in us early.
How has that philosophy influenced your relationships with customers?
We’ve sold cars to multiple generations of families. Parents bought from us, then their children bought from us and eventually their grandchildren did too.
People have always been able to come into our offices and talk to us if they had an issue. Again, it goes back to trying to do the right thing. The answer might not always be exactly what someone wanted to hear, but we wanted it to be fair and right. Customer satisfaction has always been extremely important to us. You build those relationships over time, and that is a big part of why people continue coming back.
Looking back over 50 years, what has been one of the most rewarding parts of your career?
There have been a lot of things I’m proud of, but education within the industry was important to me.
I went through the NADA Academy, and that was a big accomplishment. A lot of people in the automobile business come up through sales. The Academy helped me really understand the service and parts sides of the business and what those numbers mean. It opened my eyes. When you take the emotions out of it, the numbers are the numbers.
I was also involved in NADA 20 Groups for probably 25 years. You’re comparing yourself against your peers and learning from other dealers. Some of the best education came from simply sitting around talking with other dealers about what they were doing successfully.
If I was struggling in service, I could ask somebody, “What are you doing in service that could help me?” Those conversations were incredibly valuable. After being together for so many years, those meetings almost became like family reunions.
You’ve seen tremendous change during your career. What stands out?
When you’ve been in the business for 50 years, you see a lot. I remember the gas crunches. At Volkswagen, we had diesel vehicles everybody wanted, and Honda had good fuel-mileage vehicles. We’ve gone through good times and bad times, and the industry is cyclical.
Technology has changed tremendously, and so have the vehicles and regulations. When it comes to electric vehicles, I think there is absolutely a place for them. If somebody wants an electric vehicle, there should be one available to them. But I also think customers should be able to decide what works best for them. I believe hybrids have a very strong place in the market, and internal combustion vehicles are going to continue to be part of the industry for a long time. The important thing is giving customers choices.
What are some of the biggest challenges facing Georgia dealers today?
One of the biggest issues is direct sales as new brands and different sales models enter the market. It’s not that dealers don’t want those vehicles. The issue is that we believe they should go through the franchise system. The franchise system gives consumers a local service network, financing options and somebody in their own community who is accountable to them. When you take that away, I don’t believe it is ultimately better for the consumer.
Another concern in Georgia involves the used-car market and Temporary Operating Permits. There are issues with bad actors obtaining permits and using them improperly. GADA has been working on these issues legislatively, and it’s something we need to continue addressing.
Why do you believe protecting the franchise dealer system is so important?
I don’t think the public fully understands how valuable franchise dealerships are to their communities. Dealerships provide jobs, wages and benefits. They generate tremendous amounts of sales tax and property tax.
But the impact goes beyond those numbers. They also make charitable contributions throughout their communities.
Dealers sponsor softball teams, baseball teams, Little League teams, basketball teams and football teams. We support schools, charities and local organizations. Most dealers don’t make a big deal about it. We just do it because we’re part of the community.
That’s something I want people to better understand. A franchise dealership is not just a place where you buy a car. It is a local employer, taxpayer and community partner.
As you prepare to serve as GADA Chair, what are your priorities?
GADA is already a very strong organization. The staff stays on top of what is happening, and that’s important because things in this industry can change every week or every day. We also have a strong reputation at the Capitol. People know the organization; they know what we stand for, and they know they can trust what we say.
My goal is to help keep us moving along that path while also doing more to communicate the importance of dealerships to the public. I would really like to see some type of campaign that helps people understand exactly how important dealerships are to their communities. I just don’t think enough people realize the impact dealers have.
You also want to encourage greater dealer involvement. Why is that important?
I would like to get more dealers involved. Like a lot of organizations, you tend to see the same people participating. But we have hundreds of dealers across Georgia, and everybody benefits from the work the association is doing.
The more involved you are, the more you understand what GADA is doing for dealers. You understand the issues. You know what is happening legislatively. You learn about the programs and services available to you. Most importantly, the more people who participate, the stronger the organization becomes.
Community involvement has clearly been important throughout your career. Why?
We’ve always been very community-minded. I served as chair of the Red Cross in Augusta years ago and helped start a fundraiser that continued for years afterward.
For 19 years, Gerald Jones Auto Group has co-organized and funded Thunder Over Evans, the area’s free public celebration honoring our nation’s armed forces. Our long-standing commitment to the community also includes more than 10 years of supporting the Children’s Hospital of Georgia through an annual 5K benefiting the hospital.
Looking toward the future of our community, Gerald Jones Auto Group committed $250,000 to Augusta Technical College to help create essential career pathways and develop the skilled workforce needed to support the region’s growing automotive industry.
Our community’s trust is reflected in 13 consecutive Best in Columbia County wins from Columbia County Magazine and being voted Augusta’s Best Place to Buy a New Car for five consecutive years through Cyber City’s Best. Those kinds of things matter.
Community commitment means more than doing business here — it means investing in the people, organizations and opportunities that help our community thrive.
Tell us a little about your family.
I’ve been married for 46 years. We have two children, Crystal and William, and four grandchildren. Two of our grandchildren are now in college — one at Georgia College & State University and another at Georgia Southern. We’re very fortunate. Family has always been a big part of my life, and we love having the grandkids around.
What do you enjoy doing when you aren’t working or serving the industry?
I play a lot of golf, and I’ve always loved aviation and flying. I’ve owned airplanes since 1988 and used to fly just about everywhere I went. I’ve had three planes over the years.
After 50 years in the automobile business, what advice would you give other dealers about becoming involved with GADA?
Don’t be scared to be involved. That’s really it.
You learn so much by being around other dealers and participating in the association. I saw that throughout my career with NADA, with my 20 Group and with GADA. You may think you’re simply giving your time, but you get a tremendous amount back from those relationships.
The automobile business has changed a lot in 50 years, and it will continue to change. That makes it even more important that dealers stay connected, understand the issues and have a strong organization representing them. Get involved.
Having Fun at the 2026 GADA Convention
Honoring Our Troops at Thunder Over Evans
