I am so grateful that Liberty was invited to attend the “Magical Holiday” Winter Gala at Osborne Elementary. The school opened its doors to the families of its students and hosted a lovely event.  As Osborne’s Business Partner, Liberty was excited to help with the event so that the school could provide a magical experience for the children and parents. Four of us from Liberty joined in with the Osborne community this afternoon to enjoy a wonderful catered meal and celebrate the holiday season.

Esthela, Rebekah, and Lynn

Rebekah, Houston, and Esthela

I was so fortunate as to attend tonight’s Open House at Osborne Elementary School. Seeing the kids’ eager faces, the teachers’ dedication, and the parents’ support made me hopeful for this new school year.  It was an exciting night.  Their cheerleaders and dance team performed, and three bikes were raffled off to some very lucky kids!

Back in the Spring, Liberty Autos became Osborne Elementary School’s Business Partner, which means that we support Osborne students and faculty through volunteers, cultural enrichment opportunities, as well as provide equipment and supplies.

A few weeks ago, Osborne’s administration let me know that their students need books.  They have a nice library at the school, but many students don’t have their very own books at home.  Liberty Autos was happy to help.  I come from a family of readers who love to share books.  There’s something magical about stepping into the world of a book.  The Liberty team came together and provided over a hundred books for Osborne.

I was the lucky one who got to hand out the books at Open House tonight.  When kids passed by my table, they couldn’t believe that they could just take a book.  It was wonderful to see them choose which one they wanted.  Some kids carefully looked through book after book, while other kids took the one off the top of the stack and ran!  My joy at watching the kids was bittersweet though.  Several kids would take a book back to their table, read the whole thing, and then politely asked if they could switch it for another selection.  Those hungry minds were making the most of the opportunity to read as much as they could.  I wish I had a hundred books for every single kid there.  I’m glad we were able to give what we gave, and I heartily look forward to the next opportunity to support Osborne’s students and faculty.

Our third Liberty Star is very special to me: Jessica Hernandez.  We’re celebrating Jessica’s 20th anniversary at Liberty Autos! She has been and remains to be a priceless asset to our company. Not only is she a first class car dealer, she’s one of my closest friends. We’ve been together for many of the most important events in our lives. I was a bridesmaid at her wedding; I mourned with her at her mother’s funeral; she was with me when I went into labor with my twins. Jessica is the type of person who will stand by you no matter how tough things get, which has made her a sharp business woman and more than a good friend.

It was great to sit down with Jessica last Friday and talk about her two decades at Liberty. We laughed about getting Glamour Shots and had a hilarious stroll down memory lane. I’m so thankful to have Jessica as a friend and colleague. It was fun to interview her and remember her early days at Liberty.

When did you start working at Liberty Autos?

I bought a car, a red 1989 Ford Taurus, and came on Saturdays to make my payments.  One week, Mr. B. asked me if I knew anyone looking for a job. I said, “How about me?” He hired me right then, but I told him I needed two weeks before I could start so that I could take my mom to Mexico to see our family. He said ok, and the rest is history. That was May 9, 1995, and I was 20 years old!

What was the first car you ever sold?

It was 1993 Dodge Spirit.  I’ll always remember because almost half the cars we had at that point were Spirits.  We had them in every color too: red, blue, and even purple!

What is the most satisfying aspect of selling cars?

Showing the customer that we care and that we want to make them happy.  We work hard to get them into the car they want. There’s no feeling in the world like making that happen for someone. 

What do you like best about working at Liberty?

Liberty is a second home to me. We’ve grown up together, raised our kids together, made it through the bad times together, and celebrated the good times together. We really are a family.

I just want to send a huge thank you to Jessica for her twenty years of excellent service.  She’s been a game changer in our company and in our lives.  She’s helped thousands of people over the years, and they keep coming back to her every time they need a car. Jessica is a rare jewel, and we’re lucky to have her.

Sometimes the car business is very slow. Summer is a particularly brutal time for us, because people are less inclined to look at cars when it’s 105 degrees outside. When it’s a slow day, we all look for things to do to occupy our time. One Summer, my dad, the owner of Liberty Autos, decided there should be a company race.

This was not the first Liberty Autos race. Several years ago, my dad decided to race one of our employees. She was in her early 20s and played soccer for a local team. For some reason, he decided he could beat her in a foot race. He lost. She no longer works here.

For this race, my dad selected who would run in the race, the distance to be run, the race time, and the prize. Our car lot is on the corner of a very busy street and a not so busy, dead-end street called Domino Lane. He set out the starting line on Domino Lane and determined the finish line to be about 100 feet towards the dead-end of Domino Lane. As the participants, he chose three young ladies (Olivia, Nathalie, and Elizabeth) who are all in their 20s and himself. At the time, my dad was 58. He eliminated the young men and frankly I don’t think he cared to have any of the women over the age of 30 participating.  The race time was set for Saturday at 11 AM.  The prize was $100 to the winner.

On Thursday, my dad did a practice run of the course on Domino Lane. He did not make a good showing.  Watching him trot down the street in his dress shoes and slacks did not make for an impressive display of speed. We were all a bit worried that maybe the race was not a good idea.

Saturday morning, Dad showed up bright and early, wearing shorts, a t-shirt, sneakers, and knee-high athletic socks. For two hours, he warmed up in the office, doing knee bends, touching his toes, etc. Olivia, Nathalie, and Elizabeth all showed up in their skinny jeans and high heels, not having believed my dad was serious about the race. He had them all call their families and have sneakers brought to them at work. The race was on whether they believed it or not.

Promptly at 11 AM, the racers lined up on Domino Lane. I stood at the starting line, and one of the other non-racers stood at the finish line. My job was to call, “on your marks, get set, go.” As soon as the word “go” was out of my mouth, my dad shot off the starting line and was instantly yards ahead of the girls. Needless to say, he took them all by surprise.  He held nothing back and ran like no 58 year old man has run before. With his arms pumping and his head tucked down, he left it all out there on Domino Lane. To the shock of the whole company, Dad won the race. He graciously gave the $100 to Olivia, who got 2nd place.

We had to admit that we were all impressed with Dad’s speed. It was the greatest athletic feat in Liberty Auto Sales’s history. I don’t think we’ll have another Liberty race, but you never know.