Jane Vaden Thacher, president and dealer operator of Vaden Automotive, leads one of the largest privately held automotive groups in the Southeast with 762 employees across 13 stores. In today’s episode of Executive Profile, she discusses the company’s strategy for adapting to market shifts, its commitment to internal leadership development, and how succession planning is shaping the group’s future.
Vaden Automotive was founded in 1968 by Vaden Thacher’s father, Dan Vaden, beginning with a single Chevrolet dealership in Savannah, Georgia. Jane became actively involved in the business after college, working in various departments and learning the operations firsthand. Over time, she took on greater leadership responsibilities, ultimately becoming president and dealer operator, continuing her father’s legacy while bringing a modern and transparent leadership style to the group.
“I take very personally my responsibility to make sure that those 762 people can feed their families and have a good living.” – Jane Vaden Thacher
The company emphasizes a collaborative and transparent leadership style. Managers are granted full visibility into financials and are empowered to run their departments like businesses. This open-book approach allows leaders to understand challenges and take ownership of performance goals. Vaden Thacher sees this model as essential to maintaining accountability and operational resilience in a time of tightening margins and rising costs.
Succession planning is underway at Vaden Automotive as Jane’s son, Jack, prepares for a future leadership role. At just 25, Jack is already deeply involved in dealership operations, having worked in nearly every department from the parts warehouse to sales. He also pursued his brokerage license to gain experience outside the family business before returning full-time. Jane reflects on his early interest in the industry, noting that he regularly tracked store performance and engaged her in business discussions throughout his college years.
Asked about current challenges in automotive retail, Vaden Thacher cites uncertainty as a constant concern. Her primary focus remains on protecting the livelihoods of the company’s workforce while adjusting strategies to maintain profitability amid shrinking margins. Rising expenses and evolving customer expectations continue to drive the need for adaptability.
She notes that the consumer journey has shifted since COVID, but not as drastically as some predicted. While most customers now complete research online, very few finalize the entire transaction digitally. Showrooms remain central to the buying experience, and in-store visits are still a primary source of business. Vaden Automotive supports this hybrid engagement with robust business development centers (BDCs), including a centralized service BDC that now surpasses sales BDC operations in scale. The service BDC is housed within the group’s support center, intentionally named to avoid a “corporate” feel.
Artificial intelligence is beginning to make an impact across the group, particularly in after-hours lead response and administrative support, such as writing job descriptions. However, Vaden Thacher remains cautious about overreliance on AI. She believes technology should supplement, not replace, human interaction, especially when it comes to customer engagement.
Direct-to-consumer sales models, like those employed by Tesla and the emerging Scout brand under Volkswagen, are also on her radar. While she recognizes the disruption, Vaden Thacher remains confident in the resilience of the franchise dealer system, particularly in states with strong protections for dealership operations. She underscores the critical role of service and parts infrastructure, which she believes will be difficult for new market entrants to replicate.
As the conversation comes to a close, she reflects on her responsibilities as a leader and the legacy of the family business. Growth, she says, must be paired with stewardship, and preparing the next generation to carry on the business is part of that responsibility.
