Lehman Franklin III started a yearlong term as chair of the Georgia Automobile Dealers Association Board July 1, 2022. He has been a board member since 2015 and served previously as secretary and treasurer.

He is the general manager at the Franklin Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Toyota dealership and vice president of the Franklin Automotive Group, and he is running unopposed as a state representative in Georgia.

Lehman and his wife, Lorie, have farm animals and honeybee hives to take care of. Someday they hope to have children, too.

GADA recently interviewed Lehman about his life, a few of his adventures and his work. The following is a recap of our conversation.

Please tell us about your education at the Citadel Military College and your master’s degree in business administration at Georgia Southern University. Why those degrees?

I knew the Citadel was the best school for me after attending one of their orientation weekends. The Citadel taught me not to be afraid to tackle difficult things. I also learned about servant leadership, which became my life’s driving force.

I chose business because I had always had a strong business background within my family. A business degree also left more options open to me. As for my MBA, my rationale was that a master’s degree might open up more opportunities for me.

What was the most important thing you learned during your years of education?

My education taught me how to find information, ask questions or challenge thoughts, get things done on a timeline, and how and why to work in a team. I discovered the difference between being intelligent and having wisdom.

While earning your master’s degree, you managed a motel. How did you find that job, and why did you decide to leave it?

My father owned The Budget Inn property, a very low-end motel in one of the worst areas of Savannah. In fact, the place was robbed five times during the five years I worked there. We knew we needed it to turn around, make it profitable and establish good management. I had no experience, but I learned what I needed to.

Working at the motel was a great experience for me. It opened my eyes to poverty and the difficulties of climbing out of it. We turned things around, accomplished our goal, and then I left.

Please tell us about your experience while serving a four-year mission in Argentina.

I purchased a 30-foot Bristol sailboat to live on in Savannah because I could not afford to purchase or rent in a decent area. After preparing the boat, paying it off and saving money, I quit my job and sailed to Central America.

I ended up in Honduras and met a YWAM (Youth With a Mission) team from Norway doing their outreach in Honduras. My engine needed repairs, so I stayed with them for about a month. I helped them work with prisons, orphanages, homeless people, churches and so on, and I decided to continue doing that work in Argentina.

I took teams to almost every South and Central American country. During that time, I developed or built on my concept of service and how beautiful that is, what true authority looks like, and how you don’t truly know a people until you can speak their language. (I speak Spanish and can understand Italian and Portuguese, but I have difficulty speaking them.)

Please tell us about Marine Reach Ministries. What did you do as the captain and ministry director during your four-year term there?

I missed the sea when I was in Argentina and wanted to establish a ministry working with ships and the sea. Long story short, I left Argentina for Sweden. We bought a ship there, established Marine Reach, and I became the ship’s captain and the ministry director. We would come alongside other established Mediterranean ministries or nonprofits and volunteer to help them.

Are you still involved with Marine Reach Ministries? What are they currently doing?

No. The work transitioned to training others to serve on ships or other places. The actual ship I was on was sold and ended up in Savannah, Georgia, to get some work done on it.

Please tell us about living on the Mediterranean Sea.

It was a great experience. I minored in European history because I love history, and the Mediterranean is full of it. It was amazing to read about Mediterranean-based history while I was there. That was a bonus.

How long has your family been in the automotive dealership business?

My grandfather started the business in 1940 with the Chevy store. We got the Toyota store in 1976 and currently have General Motors Corp. brands (Chevy, Buick and GMC). We had Cadillacs until a few months ago but sold that line back to the OEM.

My father and uncle grew up in the business, and I have a cousin who has done nothing but this.

What experience did you have working at a dealership before you became the general manager?

I started selling cars when I returned home. I moved into F&I, was a closer, worked at the sales desk, was a service manager, worked in accounting and so on. I’ve done everything except parts. I also attended NADA’s dealer school somewhere along the line.

How did you become both the general manager and vice president of the Franklin Automotive Group?

We have two locations, Toyota and GM. I was working as vice president and spending most of my time at the Chevy store, but I was unhappy with how the Toyota store was run. I replaced that GM with another one who didn’t work out and decided to manage it myself until we could find the right person. We never did.

You’ve been on the board of GADA since 2015. Why is GADA membership important?

It’s a great place to learn from other older, wiser dealers. More importantly, GADA does a service that too many Georgia dealers take for granted. Our industry can be volatile, and without GADA’s watchful eye, things can change drastically, making it difficult or impossible to satisfy the customer and offer the best, honest and most competitive environment.

What would you say to encourage someone in the industry to become a GADA member?

You will get more out of it than what you put into it.

You already have plenty to do. Please tell us why you decided to run for office.

I truly believe in a life of service before self, and I want to improve our world and community.

What do you hope to achieve as a state representative? What are your main goals while in office?

My main goal is to serve the constituents of District 160 with integrity to the best of my ability. My background and business orientation place me uniquely to serve in a way others might not be able to. I want to substantially improve the standard of living for those in District 160 and make it a much better place to live and raise a family.

How will being a representative impact your day-today work?

Being a representative can be very demanding. However, I love the car business and will always be 100% involved in it.

My incredible staff makes it possible to periodically step away from the store and serve in the General Assembly from January through March. Serving would be impossible without them.

You are the new chair for GADA. What are the biggest problems facing the dealership industry in Georgia? Where do you want to focus your attention during the coming year?

I will focus on education, which has always been one of the greatest challenges. The dealer franchise system is a tremendous growth engine. Many people don’t know how much the automobile industry affects our local communities and how much it benefits small-town America.