Defining the American Dream

Barker Automotive Group is more than just a family of car dealerships, the business is run by the Barker family, and has been for generations. Terrebonne Motor Co Inc. opened its doors on August 14, 1917, and was the only franchised Ford dealer in Terrebonne Parish.

The Barker legacy began when Richard Barker Jr. acquired control over the company in 1940 with a total of fifteen employees. He began his career by selling parts on the side of rural roads and was brought up in the service industry of the family business. Dickie Barker III learned life-long lessons from his father as he grew up in the service industry and remembers it well. He said he washed cars and fixed flats growing up, “I love it,” he said, “that’s why I’m still here seventy-something years later.” 

Dickie specifically remembers during WWII when steel was used in the war, creating a shortage in the automotive industry. Through the rations of the war, they learned how to reuse, recycle, and pinch pennies to get by. Dickie made trips to New Orleans to a factory to pick up charcoal so they could sell it on the showroom floor. Charcoal was a byproduct of steel, which Henry Ford had at the Rouge plant in Michigan. The Ford dealer in New Orleans became a distributor so they could fuel the heaters in the hotels in New Orleans during WWII. 

It became Dickie’s job to drive to New Orleans to get ten and twenty-pound bags of charcoal on Friday so that people could have them on Saturday for their barbecues. He laughed while remembering putting the bags in the bed of the pickup truck loaded to the top. He said when he got on Hwy. 182 and got up to around 65 miles per hour, a bag would fall off the top, “When I would look in the rearview mirror, I could see it when it fell off, it would be rolling and then all of a sudden it would explode into a cloud of black dust.”

While it was an interesting time, he felt blessed to be in South Louisiana. The economy was already strong between the agriculture and seafood industries, and as the oil industry grew, they were able to grow along with it. Dickie compared the automotive business to the oil business explaining they both have ups and downs. “You just hope the peaks and valleys match,” he said, “And sometimes it got tough. When things got hard in the oil business, we got the worst hit.” He recalls the instability of the industries becoming a lifestyle. In the 70s when the energy crisis hit, and there wasn’t enough oil production, he remembered lines at the gas pumps, “That shut this business down, so it was very difficult,” he shared. 

Dickie reflected on 1982 when the oil field industry dropped again, having another difficult time navigating the downfall. Following that crisis, the Barker family learned how to survive the hard times by holding on to money.

Since purchasing the original dealership from his father around 1992, the Barker Automotive Group has grown significantly, expanding to include Lincoln, Mazda, GMC, Buick, Kia, Mitsubishi, and Honda. The Barker dealerships employ over 100 people in the parish and annual gross sales of over $80 million that contribute to the local economy. Economic growth isn’t the only community contribution. The Barker family has contributed to the community through involvement in the Chambers of Commerce, Rotary Clubs, Kiwanis Clubs, school participation, Nicholls Foundation, involvement on various boards of directors, and more, the Barkers continue to invest in the community. Dickie was quick to say that other automotive families in the area have also done their share in the community which demonstrates how dealerships are strong pillars.

Recently, COVID, worldwide shortages, and Hurricane Ida have thrown curveballs to the Barker family, admitting that Hurricane Ida specifically has been a struggle. While they didn’t lose any employees, they are still installing doors to their buildings which were blown out from the storm. “We had a very difficult time with the storm, computers were down… I can go on and on.” He praised the management teams who came through and worked together so they could take care of customers. Dickie also touted his long term employees, some of which have been with the Barker family for several decades. “We honor all of our employees,” he said,”they’re all family, and I know that’s a cute little word, but it’s true.”

While Dickie is retired, the fourth generation is managing things seamlessly with the same family values instilled in the business. Six of his eight children continue to work with the automotive group today: Ann, Chris, Brett, Michael, Keith, and Lisa. Just as generations before them, Brett and Ann have children that have already started working in the family business. 

Ann Barker said the business has been a part of their life for as long as they can remember. She recalls getting off of the school bus at the dealership to go to the office to help out. “It taught us about the business, and the real world,” she said.  Ann even recalls running around the showroom of the original Terrebonne Ford building on Barrow Street. “We worked our way up. Working just in summers then working here in college. This was how we earned our money, our allowances,” she said. Ann is grateful for the gift of forming a special bond with her grandfather and father, “I was able to see them as mentors and businessmen and ultimately as friends instead of just a grandfather or father, and that to me was a tremendous blessing.” Ann is proud to pass their family values and business onto the next generation, “They follow the same values they received growing up, and although business is changing, the core work ethic in the teamwork of the family business is still there.” 

Brett recalls watching their grandfather and father being an integral part of the business exhibiting teamwork by working alongside employees and talking to customers daily. The Barkers continue this legacy teamwork today. “If anyone had a question or a concern, they were right there. We do that now,” he said, “I’m right there on the showroom floor just like my dad was, like my grandfather was, like my brother Chris in service does. He walks right out when someone has a concern and takes care of it. That’s what is so different about us, we’re here and we’re working side-by-side with our employees.” 

Michael Barker manages the Buick GMC dealership and also remembers when every sibling, at one point, worked at the dealership. He recalled growing up in the dealership doing odds and end jobs that taught responsibility and earned allowances. Lisa remembers working on a switchboard, and as a cashier at age 14. Later she reminisced about when the dealerships got on a computerized system, and helped with the transition. Just as the other siblings, Keith started young as well, at age 13, he swept the lot and worked his way up to washing cars. Today, he manages the Honda store. 

Receiving a long list of prestigious awards over the years, including multiple President’s Awards at multiple dealerships, and most recently Barker Honda receiving the President’s Award Elite in 2021, the Barker family continues to strive for excellence while carrying on their family legacy. Working relentlessly for generations, teaching hard work ethics, and leading with humility, the Barker family defines the
American dream