Pub. 57 2016-2017 Issue 2

20 J acob Boggus is a guiding light in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and is dedicated to serving his community as the fourth generation of a legendary dealer family. Along with his cousin Austin, Jacob follows in the footsteps of his great-grandfather, Lewis Boggus, for whom the football stadium in Harlingen is named; his grandfather, Frank, who is one of the 16 Legends named in the 100-year history of TADA; and his uncle Bob, past Chairman of the Board of TADA and current Executive Committee member. Jacob is a leadingmember of TADA’s Texas Dealer Academy and an important part of the association’s future. Ed Asher, a staff writer for the ValleyMorning Star, recently caught up with Jacob, and here is what he had to say: Jacob Boggus says business has always been his passion, even as a kid. Growing up, his favorite board game was Monopoly. But there was another game he played a lot. “My brother and I devised a homemade game we called Life. I was the banker, tax assessor and collector, and issued debt to my brother’s ‘used car dealership,’” he said with a laugh. Jacob Boggus Continuing The Family Legacy “We played that for days at a time.” Sometimes, he says, he feels his interest in business and entrepreneurship is almost genetic. Jacob, 28, is one of Harlingen’s young, up and coming lead- ers. He is director of Internet sales and business development for Boggus Ford Harlingen, a dealership started by his great grandfather in 1933. He comes from a family that has been something of an institution in Harlingen for three generations before him. The city’s high school football teams play in a stadium named after his great grandfather, J. Lewis Boggus Sr. For generations, the family has been synonymous with com- munity service and leadership, with involvement in a long list of community organizations. Jacob is carrying on that tradition. Outside of work, he serves on the board of the Family Crisis Center and the Valley Zoological Society. His wife, Erica, is board president for the Crisis Center. He says it was his grandfather, Frank Boggus, one of his childhood heroes and role models, who introduced him to volunteer work by inviting him to join in ringing the bell for the Salvation Army during the holidays. “Community service is a component of my life I feel is es- sential. As I continue to grow and seek opportunities to serve in different capacities, community service will always remain a part of who I am,” he said. “Serving others directly or indirectly is what I looked up to my grandfather for, and like anyone, we all want to be like our heroes. It is my duty in life to serve others.” He says he joined the family’s auto dealership because it fit with his passion for business. He was in the fourth grade the first time he began working there.