By Guest Contributor | Jennifer Reynolds
In 1964, Jim Benson opened Benson Automotive. Fifty years later, Benson Automotive is one of the largest automotive families in the Upstate, home to a collection of rare and antique cars, and a heavy investor in the local community.
Benson is a South Carolina native with deep roots in the Upstate. In his youth, he cultivated a strong work ethic and quickly discovered he had a talent for earning money and a passion for cars. He says loving what he does is the reason he has had so much success.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Benson says of his 50 years in the car business.
It’s a philosophy that has proven successful. Benson Automotive has grown to include seven different locations across Greer, Spartanburg and Easley.
Despite its size, Benson Automotive is still very much a family business. Jim Benson himself is president of the company. His son, Tony Benson, oversees the locations in Spartanburg; his son-in-law, David Crow, runs the locations in Easley; and his daughter, Leesa Crow, runs the family warranty company.
Out of the mill
Jim Benson began working at age 12. He delivered newspapers, installed TVs and antennas, washed and lubed cars at a filling station, and even worked third shift at Greer Mill during his junior year in high school. Shift work didn’t suit him, and he constantly looked for another job.
An automobile provided him with a way out of shift work. He learned of an 18-wheeler designed to transport cars that was for sale. With the help of a friend and a loan from the Bank of Greer, he purchased the truck and launched his first entrepreneurial venture: a car-hauling operation. Right away, he began hauling cars from Philadelphia and New York to South Carolina.
The truck required costly repairs and Benson was forced to borrow money to pay for its maintenance. His friend wanted out of the business and Benson was on his own with his mounting debt.
He continued to drive the truck for about a year, until he paid off his debt to his friend and to the bank, and he sold the hauling truck for a $200 profit. With the money, he began a new venture.
“I took the money I got out of it, and started to buy my own cars up there and bring them south,” Benson says.
In 1956, Benson married Evelyn Copeland. Eager to be home with his new wife, Benson wanted a job that did not require travel. True to his entrepreneurial nature, he opened a used car lot on Poinsett Street in Greer.
Seven years later, Chrysler approached Benson about becoming a franchisee. Chrysler wanted to grow and Benson liked what he saw in their cars. He agreed to the franchise.
Taking root, growing outward
It was a shrewd decision. The next two years were banner years for Benson Automotive. The company quickly outgrew the small lot on Poinsett, and in 1965 moved to a new building on Wade Hampton Boulevard. In 1978, the dealership moved about a mile down the road, to its current location.
In subsequent years, Benson Automotive began expanding. First, in 1989 to Spartanburg where Jim placed his son, Tony Benson, in charge. Then, in 1993 to Easley, where he purchased a Ford dealership and put his son-in-law, David Crow, in charge. In 1994, Benson added a Nissan franchise to the Easley store.
In 1998, Jim Benson was diagnosed with throat cancer. For roughly one year, he stepped back from day-to-day operations during his treatment and recovery, returning to full-time work once he was well.
In the last two years, Benson has added a Fiat dealership in Greer and two additional locations in Spartanburg. Benson recently learned he’s been accepted as an Alfa Romeo dealer, bringing the total number of Benson Automotive locations to seven.
Benson says many factors go into what makes one car sell well and makes another a bust.
“You’ve always got something that’s easier to sell than others,” he says.
Intersecting with Memory Lane
In 1965, Benson bought his first antique car, a 1936 Chrysler C7 Airstream convertible. It was a new way for Benson to express his love of cars, and over the years he would buy and sell numerous antique cars.
In 2000, Benson began collecting used cars in earnest. He bought so many that he built a museum to house his collection and named it Memory Lane. Benson’s Chrysler C7 Airstream is one of 29 cars and 16 motorcycles housed in Memory Lane, along with one of Benson’s personal favorites, a 1953 Cadillac Eldorado convertible.
Benson frequently uses the location for special events. Besides housing the antique autos, Memory Lane is decorated as a ’50s-style diner and allows ample room for dining and entertainment.
Doing the right thing at home
The local community is important to Benson.
“I was raised in Greer,” Benson said. “I’ve been here all my life and I’ve always supported charities here in Greer.”
He began donating to the Greer Meals on Wheels program at its inception in 1972. He became a board member of the Greenville Tech Foundation in 2002 and recently donated $3 million to the school, the largest cash gift in school history. To honor him, the school has named their Greer location the Benson Campus.
“It was just the right thing for me to do,” he said.
In 2007, Benson Automotive began hosting an annual fundraiser to benefit Meals on Wheels. The benefit, held the first weekend in October at the First Baptist Church in Greer, includes an antique car show and a 5K race. Benson invites about 100 donors to Memory Lane for a party to show his appreciation. Over the years, Benson Automotive has raised roughly $300,000 through this event.
After 50 years and seven locations, Benson shows no signs of slowing down.
“If he’s in town, he’s at his desk,” says son Tony Benson.
When asked about the key to Benson Automotive’s success, Tony Benson says, “We’re just a local family-owned automotive group. We’ve been here all our lives and have a great loyal group of employees that work with us. I think our group of employees is our biggest asset.”
