Dublin car seller always in the driver’s seat

DUBLIN – Henrietta Williams was born to sell cars. She just didn’t know it until later in life. 

By the time she was kicking tires and popping hoods, the AARP was chasing her across the car lot. That was almost a generation ago. 

She is 81 years old now and still a local legend in the automotive business.  All those jokes about advancing age? You can keep them in your pocket. 

It’s not how old you are. It’s how you are old.

She has been known to outwork and outsell co-workers young enough to be her grandchildren. And she knows how to drive a stick shift. A lot of them don’t.

Henrietta – or Henri as she is known on the sales floor – has been “Salesperson of the Year’’ for 26 of the 28 years she has worked at Dublin Chevrolet/Buick/GMC/Nissan. Not to brag, but she ran out of wall space for all those certificates and plaques. 

 Don Carswell, general manager at the dealership, said she is old-fashioned in all the right ways.

“When the others complain that she won’t do this or won’t do that, I look at them and say: ‘But you know what she will do? She will sell 20 cars a month. She was here before you, and she’ll probably be here after you.’ ’’

Henri moves an average of 18 to 20 vehicles off the lot every month. A few years  back, she sold 99 in three months. Carswell said his conservative guess is that she has sold more than 5,000 cars and trucks since she began working at the dealership.

Henri has taken a lot of test drives in her second career, but none more important than the one when she was out running errands in the fall of 1995. 

God was her GPS that day, and Jesus had a hand on the steering wheel.

She pulled into a car dealership across from Dublin Mall on Veterans Boulevard. It was known as Slater at the time and it sold Oldsmobiles, Cadillacs, Nissan and GMC trucks.  

“It was the only car dealer on this side of the road,’’ she said. “I didn’t know anybody or anything about it.’’

She had worked for Primerica Financial for 14 years. She enjoyed everything about her job … except the hours. 

“I loved it, but sometimes I would have to train people and wouldn’t get home until midnight,’’ she said. “I was a single parent with two teenage boys. My boys were my life. I needed to be home with them at night.’’

Henri inquired about a sales job. It was a bold move, considering she was driving a Toyota she had bought from a competitor. It also was a leap of faith. Her understanding of the car business was limited. She realized it would be on-the-job training. She was willing to learn.  

She could hear the voice of her father in her head. Robert Hall was a row crop farmer and Baptist minister.

“He taught me that I could do anything I set my mind to do,’’ Henri said. “I had faith in God and faith in myself that I could do anything.’’

She carried her strong work ethic and Rolodex with her to her new job. She contacted former clients and told them if they were ever in the market for a vehicle to come see her.

 She was kind to them, and they were patient with her. 

“I didn’t even know how to put gas in some of the cars,’’ she said. “Or set the radio. But I would pull out the manual from the glove compartment and figure it out for myself.’’

At the time, it was a male-dominated business. She also was the only African-American on the sales staff. She would not allow herself to be intimidated by anything or anybody.

  “I had to learn not to depend on anybody but myself,’’ she said. “I knew I was in a man’s world. Some of them were determined to get me out of here, and I was determined not to go anywhere.’’

She sold her first car – a Cadillac – to a customer from Alamo who had bought insurance from her. She was named “Salesperson of the Month” in her third month on the job.

Now, they come in asking for her. Where’s Henri?

“You have to take care of your customers,’’ she said. “If you show genuine concern about them, and have their best interests at heart, that’s more important to them than your knowledge of the product.’’

Said Carswell:  “They like her because she has the spirit of the Lord in her, and she comes across as your friend. With her, the sales are a byproduct. There’s no telling how many people in need she has helped.’’

  She works every day except Sundays, when the dealership is closed. She is a faithful member of Rocky Creek Baptist on Highway 338 near Dexter, where she serves as the church’s administrator. You will also find her in the kitchen making a big Sunday dinner for her family.

In another few weeks, Carswell will celebrate his 25th anniversary with his wife, Heather. It’s a running joke that Heather is his “night wife,” and Henri is his “day wife.’’

“Sometimes Henri will come into my office and say, ‘Don, I’ve been praying for you. I know something has been on your mind,’ ’’ Carswell said “And she means it. Sometimes she’s right, and I don’t even know she’s right.’’

Henri said she is determined to live an exemplary life. She wants people to trust in her and know they can count on her.

 There aren’t too many octogenarians in the workforce selling Tahoes and pushing Altimas. She has no plans to retire any time soon.

“I don’t know how long I’ll keep working,’’ she said. “It feels great to get up and come in every day. I’m going to work until I feel like I want to go home.’’

Ed Grisamore has been writing stories about the people and places in Macon and Middle Georgia for more than 45 years. He is the author of nine books and received the 2010 Will Rogers Humanitarian Award from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. He was the recipient of the 2024 John Holliman Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.