Jefferson: McCombs’ is a Texas tale unlikely to be repeated in today’s tech-driven world
Nine years ago, electric-vehicle maker Tesla was lobbying to change the state’s franchise dealership law to allow the manufacturer to sell its cars and SUVs to Texans over the internet. Tesla’s distribution model hinges on direct-to-consumer sales, not car lots — which isn’t allowed under Texas law.
Or was this how an aged wheeler-dealer and blustery salesman responded to the age of anonymous e-commerce? In his reflective moments, did McCombs feel out of sync with the times?But business today is far more tech-driven, impersonal and bureaucratic — a lot less fun — than when he bulldozed his way onto the scene.McCombs got super-rich in auto sales, real estate and oil and gas. He also made money in ranching.
“Car dealers can’t operate in this fashion today and, in truth, they were not allowed to do it back then,” he wrote. Since 1981, the McCombs family and the McCombs Foundation have handed out more than $135 million in charitable contributions, according to his holding company’s website. The difference between them and McCombs is that you felt you knew Red. How could you not? He owned the Spurs. You can’t drive very far on a San Antonio highway without seeing his name on a billboard. You’ve seen him countless times in television ads and on the news, and read about him here.
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