Pub. 60 2019-2020 Issue 3

40 I conic franchised dealer names such as Cardenas, Tip- ton, Payne, Boggus, Spikes, Vackar, Clark and others have helped shape the magnificent lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. One of the longest-serving family names is approaching 100 years in the automobile industry in this unique, thriving land in South Texas. The Yoder family came to the Rio Grande Valley in 1923 and established a Pontiac, Cadillac and Oakland automobile company by the name of Yoder Motor Company. Before the Great Depression, Bill Yoder, the oldest son and father of the present owner, set up several dealership franchises throughout the valley. However, during the Depression, the only dealership to survive was the main Pontiac and Cadillac store located on old Highway 83 in McAllen, Texas. Years later, the Honda line of automobiles was added to that same location. In the mid-1930s, the elder Yoder purchased the Chevrolet store in Raymondville, Texas. In 1941, he bought the Ford franchise in Edinburg, Texas, from a gentleman by the name of Chester Lilljestrand and named the new store Yoder Motor Sales. The current owner, Mr. William R. Yoder, succeeded his father and took over the ownership of the Ford store in Edinburg. He incorporated and renamed the business Yoder Ford, Inc. in 1991. In 1999, Jennifer Yoder joined the company as an office manager. Realizing that the needs of the dealership and its customers would change through time, William Yoder moved the Ford franchise to its current location on Uni- versity Drive in 2001. In the meantime, Jennifer Yoder assumed the general manager position and started doing business as Hacienda Ford. All the hard work and planning of the facility eventually paid off, so much so that the little Ford dealership in Edinburg, Texas, has become one of the largest dealerships in the Rio Grande Valley. Since 2007, Hacienda Ford has been the largest Ford dealership in South The Yoders of the Valley Putting People First