Driven By Values
Randy Boyles, Boyles Auto Sales
Words and Image by Justin Hunter
Nearly every day for the past 12 years, Randy Boyles has embarked on a serene 35-mile journey along the picturesque Alabama Highway 5, beginning from his home in Haleyville and concluding at his "little piece of asphalt paradise," Boyles Auto Sales on Viking Drive in Jasper.
Randy enjoys serving families and individuals of Walker County and the neighboring areas, helping them find quality pre-owned vehicles. He founded the family-owned and operated car dealership on two guiding principles imparted by his mentor, Jim Cannon: unwavering morals and enduring values.
Randy's venture into the automotive industry commenced in 2000 when he responded to a hiring advertisement for car sales representatives placed in the local newspaper by a Toyota dealership.
"Bob Winsel Worldwide Consultants did a week-long training at the Toyota store. It was a great course, and I had a great teacher, but at the end of the training, I told my teacher, 'It's been good knowing you, but if you can't get me an interview with Jim at Carl Cannon, I'm out of here,'" he recalls.
The teacher spoke with Jim, and soon, Randy went to work at the renowned dealership.
Over his 12-year tenure at Carl Cannon, Randy delved into the intricacies of the automotive industry. Starting out on the sales floor, he eventually became the dealership's General Sales Manager. This experience gave him invaluable insights into finance, personal management, vehicle evaluation and procurement, and business identity development.
"Jim Cannon is top-shelf," Randy says. "He instilled in his team the power of values and morals."
"The car business is a tough game. If you have a bad reputation, you aren't anything but an old used car salesman. Jim taught us the need to build trust and value with the customer. He taught us how to build a customer base. I've got one individual who has traded with me 27 times over the last 11 years. Of course, they are buying vehicles for kids and grandkids, but the reason why they keep coming back is because they trust me. Trust is essential to the car business."
Randy departed from Carl Cannon, equipped with a wealth of knowledge and training, to chase the dream of owning his car dealership. He successfully persuaded his wife, Sandy, and their son Tucker to join him in this endeavor, and the couple has never looked back. What started as a modest two-person operation has flourished into a thriving enterprise. Boyles Auto Sales employs five full-time staff members and maintains a rotating inventory of 65 pre-owned vehicles.
"I love seeing the lot full of cars, but more than that, I love seeing everybody. I can be a loner sometimes, but seeing the dealership full of people is excellent," Randy says with a smile. "We have fun at Boyles Auto Sales. All of these years later, I still get excited about a new car coming onto the lot that we've picked up at auction. You won't have any trouble selling a car when you're excited about it."
Randy has no immediate plans for complete retirement from the automotive industry but may limit his commute from Haleyville to Jasper to a few days a week. Randy and Sandy love to travel and have plans to do so in the near future. In the meantime, drop by the dealership and pay him a visit if you're in the market for a high-quality pre-owned car, truck, or SUV. 78