Hands-Free Driving...Solar-Powered...Whatever the Future Brings, Sames Will Drive You There!

Fast forward 14 years and this dynamic father-daughter duo continue driving in the fast lane. With their team of over 1,000 employees, Sames Auto Group is one of Texas' largest employers. In the past few years, Sames on-boarded eight new locations: Sames Laredo Chevrolet, Sames Laredo Nissan, Sames McAllen Ford, Sames McAllen Lincoln, Sames Harlingen Ford, along with three Super Center locations.

As Sames grows so does its giving through millions of dollars donated to the charitible causes that contribute to education, youth, and community growth. "I am proud to carry on the family business and continue to preserve our family's philanthropic tradition of giving in each of the communities we serve.” says newly appointed CEO Evelyn Sames.

As Sames turns a century and Evelyn Sames Begins Her Journey Towards Her New Role as 1st Female to Drive Sames

With gasoline running in her veins, Evelyn Sames revs up to take the company in new directions starting with the founding of what has grown to become Laredo's largest donation drive, Mission: Give Laredo a benefit for Bethany House of Laredo who assists families and individuals in need. In 2012, Evelyn secured and built a Kia point from the ground up which included securing the franchise, building the facility, and hiring and training a team. Before the pain was dry on the new facility, Evelyn launched Kia in the Klassroom and Drive Sames 4 Education, programs annually awarding students with brand new cars for perfect attendance.

While Evelyn was busy in Laredo, Hank brought aboard two new locations - another Ford point in Bastrop Texas and a new franchise to the group, a Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram point in Cedar Creek Texas.

Harry "Hank" Sames III Puts The Pedal to the Metal & Speeds Into The Future: Imports, Used Cars, Expansion, In-House Financing and Philanthropy

Being the fourth generation of automotive tycoons, Harry "Hank" Sames III was born to Drive Sames. Wasting no time, Hank took the wheel and pioneered many automotive "firsts" in Laredo:  Founded the Sames Super Center franchise - the city's first dealerships selling only pre-owned vehicles, brought in the Mazda franchise - the first import brand in Laredo, and founded Thunderbird Auto Finance, the first in-house auto finance company in town.  With dealership locations canvasing Laredo, Hank added a Honda franchise location before heading to Austin and Corpus Christi to secure an additional Ford point along with opening two additional Sames Super Center locations.

Always a supporter of community, youth and education, Hank and his wife Elizabeth Sames launched Sames Scholars in 2002, a college-bound mentorship program that pairs high school students with TAMIU faculty mentors throughout their high school experience. Upon high school graduation, it offers students a four-year scholarship to TAMIU including tuition, books and fees.   

Harry Sames II Expands to the North Among the

Cactus and Tumbleweeds

Outgrowing downtown Laredo with the Rio Grande river bordering the South, moving to the northside of town was the only option. Harry Sames II along with a young Harry "Hamk" Sames III in tow, builds an expansive dealership now able to showcase its expansive inventory of vehicles.

Harry Sames Sr. I Takes Over Downtown

As the auto revolution exploded, so did Sames Motor Company. As the first and only dealership in Texas, Sames provided the first vehicles across a multitude of cities and soon expanded to build the largest building in Laredo at the time. From selling a dozen to thousands, Sames was well on its way to building its automotive empire.

Founder WJ Sames wins the dealership from his business partner with a "coin toss".

Hailing from Connecticut, an entrepreneur at heart, William J. Sames decided to take South America by storm with his newly formed insurance company. W.J. contracted pneumonia while accompanying a friend on an archeological expedition through the Yucatan and was sent to Laredo, Texas to convalesce. There he met his wife and a new business partner J.R. Moore.  They opened up a wholesale trading company and struck the first deal with a new automotive company who shipped the first Ford Model T to Texas. Soon both businesses were flourishing and the partners decided to focus on growing the respective businesses - so they tossed a coin to see who would get the dealership and thus began the legacy of Sames Motor Company.