From the August issue of UCD available now
Saying Brenden Jones was born into the car business is not much of a stretch.
“The first auction I went to I was six weeks old,” Jones said. “I’ve been going to auction since ’74, for 50 years.”
But the owner of Ready Motors in Tabor City, N.C., has found another calling in the past few years. The third-generation dealer is the representative in the North Carolina House of Representatives’ 46th District. He is poised to become the Majority Leader in the North Carolina House next session.
“This upcoming session my roommate will become the Speaker of the House and I am running internally for Majority Leader. I do believe that would be the highest-ranking member of the legislature to come from this part of the country in modern history,” Jones said.
He is one of the few auto dealers representing the industry in office across the country. Last month the Carolina Independent Automobile Dealers Association named Jones its Legislator of the Year for his work and advocacy on behalf of the industry.
“It’s always an honor to get recognized for your achievements and helping,” Jones said. “But having your fellow dealers, comrades and people that you’ve done business with or have seen at auctions for 15 to 20 years to appreciate what you’re doing for them is always an honor.”
Jones didn’t intend to get into politics. His family had a long history in the car business. His grandfather started a dealership in Augusta, Ga., in the 1960s. His father moved to North Carolina after getting married and started a dealership on a lot he rented for $25.
“He started a tote-a-note dealership here in Columbus County 52 years ago,” Jones said.
Ready Motors is now the oldest dealership in the county.
Jones spent his childhood around the dealership, picking up odd jobs and cleaning cars. He accompanied his father on repossessions. In the early 2000s, he took over the day-to-day operations of the dealership from his father.
But it wasn’t his only business venture. A licensed mortuary, he owns Meares and Jones Funeral Service in Fair Bluff, N.C., in addition to an auto body repair facility.
The entrepreneur entered the political arena after initially being asked to serve on an elections board. After serving in the spot for three elections, he became increasingly frustrated with the representation his home district was receiving at the capitol.
“I started complaining about it and finally somebody just looked at me and told I should run,” Jones recalled. “I was dumb enough to take the bait.”
Facing an uphill battle in the historically Democrat-led district, he launched a campaign. He fell just short of being elected in 2014 and thought his dalliance with politics was finished.
“It was a very close race for a newcomer. I felt like God had called me to do that and I said, ‘Well, God, you’ve used me. I’m done. I’m going back to selling cars,” Jones said. “And he was not done with me.”
He launched another campaign in 2016 and won with 60 percent of the vote. He won reelection in 2018 and 2020. He was unopposed in 2022.
He is currently head of the appropriations and transportation committee. As the chairman of the transportation committee, he has worked to help dealers an close loopholes that opened the industry to litigation. He also pushed through legislation to help dealers renew their licenses easier.
“One thing I’m very passionate about is making sure the industry, both used and new, is served a little better than we have been in the past,” Jones said.
Moving into a leadership role in the House has made it difficult for Jones to balance running his businesses and serving the people. When not on the floor working on legislation, he’s often traveling the state campaigning for fellow Republicans. He said he is fortunate to have family support and good employees, including a strong general manager at his dealership.
“My wife and children have been extremely supportive,” Jones said. “They understand what we’re doing is a called mission. We are making the state better than we found it hopefully.”
For fellow dealers thinking about running, he said it’s important to make sure they have the backing of their family and the infrastructure at their dealership.
“If someone wants to do this, I would love to sit with them and talk to them,” Jones said.
He adamant that the industry needs more representation from dealers serving in various roles in the government.
“No one understands what you do except those that do it,” Jones said.
