Serial entrepreneur W.J. Sames was always a risk taker. Born in Hartford, Conn., in 1866, he went to Cuba in the days before the Spanish-American War and Cuban independence to sell insurance.
“He went down there as a young man, looking for a career,” says his great-great-granddaughter, Evelyn Sames. “He got there and he got ill. He was told he needed to get back to the U.S. to get care, and the quickest way was through Mexico and then Texas.”
Sick with pneumonia and exhausted from his long journey, W.J. Sames checked into a boarding house in Laredo, Texas, as soon as he crossed the border. He quickly fell in love with the desert town. “His letters back in his early days, the way he describes Laredo then, is applicable today,” Evelyn says. “Not a lot has changed. Sure, we’re larger, but the type of people and the culture is the same,”.
By 1890, Laredo was experiencing significant growth thanks to three railway lines: the Texas Mexican Railroad, the International and Great Northern Railroad, and the Rio Grande and Pecos Railway. The border town and transportation hub had seen its population more than triple—from 3,500 in 1880 to 11,300 in 1890. Around that time, Laredo became home to the country’s first electric trolley system, beating out New York and Chicago.
Ever the entrepreneur and shrewd businessman, Sames partnered with J.R. Moore to start a wholesale warehouse business in 1890. Built right next to the railroad tracks, Sames & Moore Company received and distributed shipments of grains, produce and other goods.
Around 1910, the two partners heard about the opportunity to buy three brand-new, assembly-ready Ford Model T’s. With that introduction of the first automobile sold in the Laredo area, Sames & Moore Company launched its first dealership under the name Laredo Auto Sales.
Just like the warehouse, the auto business was a success from the start. In 1920, Laredo Auto Sales signed its first service and sales agreement with Ford, and expanded operations to a 23,500-square-foot facility to accommodate growing demand. By 1925, the dealership had sold 1,085 new Fords and 500 used vehicles in a territory that covered all of South Texas, according to Evelyn.
With both businesses growing and pressure increasing, the two partners decided they needed to split up the two lines of business. Sames and Moore agreed that the fairest thing to do would be to toss a coin to figure out who would take which business: the wholesale warehouse or the automobile dealership. Sames got Laredo Auto Sales, which was renamed Sames Motor Co. Inc. in 1935.
Sames’ First Female Leader Builds on the Legacy
Today, the Sames Auto Group is headed by the fifth generation of the Sames family. First came W.J.’s son Harry Sames Sr., then grandson Harry Sames Jr., great-grandson Harry “Hank” Sames II and now, Hank’s daughter Evelyn.
After graduating from college and working briefly in the corporate world, Evelyn started working for the family business in 2004 and graduated from NADA Academy in 2009.
After graduation, Evelyn’s father challenged her to take over as general manager of one of the company’s three stores—an underperforming Honda dealership. “I didn’t feel ready,” she says. “Ironically, my grandfather was 29 when he started his GM job, my dad was 29 when he fell into his, and here I was at 29 doing the same. I doubted I could do the job but my dad always built me up, even when I wasn’t sure of myself.”
After successfully turning around the Honda store, Evelyn struck out on her next challenge, buying a Kia franchise that had become available in 2012. “I had a good feeling about it. It was not a big investment and I built it from the ground up.” The store has been “incredibly successful,” with Evelyn as sole owner. “The big joke with my dad is, ‘You’re not my partner in the Kia business,’” she says.
In 2023, Evelyn became CEO of Sames Auto Group, which includes 13 dealerships across Laredo, Corpus Christi, Bastrop, McAllen and Harlingen, Texas, and 1,000 employees. Franchise lines include the original Ford, plus Lincoln, Honda, Chevrolet, Mazda, Kia, Ram, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Nissan.
Celebrating 115 Years of Community
To celebrate 115 years in the automotive retail industry, the Sames Auto Group held a huge anniversary party in early August and gave away a 2025 Ford Bronco. The winner was a local family who shared one car and used to have to juggle to get the kids to school, appointments and sporting events. “The mom told me how she wanted to be able to take the kids to out-of-state tournaments and how this car was going to help them do that,” Evelyn says. “It’s moments like that where you realize how important it is to give back and how big of an impact it makes.”
The Sames family and their dealerships have a long history of supporting their Laredo community. “There are a lot of commonalities through the generations,” says Evelyn. “All five generations have been entrepreneurial, and we’ve all wanted to do the right thing.”
Founder W.J. Sames donated a parcel of land to the city that is now one of Laredo’s largest golf courses. He also built the city’s first Elk Lodge. In 2002, Hank and Elizabeth Sames founded the Sames Scholars Program at Texas A&M International University to help first-generation and high-risk students from Laredo pursue a college degree. Mentoring these students throughout high school helps to keep them on track, in school with goals of higher education afterwards. Since its inception, the program has given over $2.1 million and graduated 96 students.
In addition, the Drives Sames 4 Education program has delivered 28 vehicles to high school students with perfect attendance in five school districts since it was established a decade ago. Finally, the Sames Auto Group donates $10 for every test drive to the Driscoll Children’s Hospital during its yearly Test Drive for Smiles campaign. The most recent campaign raised $200,000 for the hospital.
“Community is part of our story,” Evelyn says. “Having the ability to give back is truly gratifying. Some people are able but not charitable, and others are charitable but not able. To be both able and generous is a blessing.”
Learn more about the history of the Sames Auto Group at https://www.samesauto.com/our-story.
