Vaden Automotive
Half-a-century later, Jane Vaden Thacher continues to build on her father’s legacy one car at a time.
Former door-to-door refrigerator salesman, Dan Vaden started Dan Vaden Chevrolet over half a century ago, building his company up to 150 employees. Today, his daughter Jane Vaden Thacher, who rose from the service department all the way to President, is in charge of 600 employees and runs 10 dealerships the Vaden way — the same tried and true principles that have kept the family in business for 51 years. A legacy of Vaden perfectionism has culminated in the conglomerate Vaden Automotive — spanning across three states with seven automotive brands: Chevrolet, Nissan, Infiniti, Cadillac, GMC, Buick and Toyota.
As Jane Vaden Thacher puts it, when you’re dealing with Vaden they’ll do right by both the employee and the customer. The importance of doing right by the customer is pretty obvious, but when a team member is happy, the employee will do everything they can to make the customer happy. When a team member knows they’re cared about, they’re going to extend that same care to the customer. That’s part of the reason why Jane makes it a priority to know all of her employees by name. From employee to customer, anyone who walks in the doors of a Vaden dealership is welcomed into the family.
At Vaden Automotive, it’s about being excellent at every opportunity and making sure their customers stay with them for generations — and excellence starts with habits. While most people will say they need to sleep on big decisions, Jane can often be heard saying she needs to run on them. The Vaden President runs 25 miles a week, which helps her come up with her best solutions. Her tireless work ethic bleeds into everything the company does. “Just like my father, I’m working to build this business for my children if they choose to be involved,” says Jane. The Vaden family legacy is sure to continue for generations to come — a further continuation of unparalleled growth and service.
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