Good Neighbor Podcast: Virginia Beach
Good Neighbor Podcast: Virginia Beach
Good Neighbor Podcast: Virginia Beach
Ep. 13 Lexie's New Path To A Legacy In Automotive Dealerships and Philanthropy
Discover the inspiring journey of Lexie Barker-Taplett from Mercedes-Benz of Virginia Beach as she shares how her background in psychology and child life studies seamlessly transitioned into her current role in the automotive industry. Influenced by her father, Charles Barker, and his legacy of community commitment, Lexie reveals how personal experiences, like the loss of a best friend, have shaped her unique approach to customer relationships. Explore her insights on redefining the car-buying experience to emphasize transparency and genuine connections, while also learning about her involvement with the Charles Barker Champions for Kids foundation, which supports youth in Hampton Roads.
Get ready to be captivated by Lexie's passion for cooking and how it mirrors her dedication to fostering meaningful relationships, both in her personal life and at work. This episode highlights the transformative power of personal growth and philanthropy in the automotive industry, as Lexie continues to make a positive impact through her roles at Mercedes-Benz of Virginia Beach and the Charles Barker Used Car Warehouse. Join us as we uncover the profound interplay between personal fulfillment and professional success, and how Lexie's journey can inspire us all to prioritize human connection in our endeavors.
Mercedes Benz of Virginia Beach
Charles Barker Used Warehouse
Champions for Kids
Lexie Barker-Taplett
Vice President
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Denise Taylor.
Speaker 2:Hi, welcome to Good Neighbors Podcast, Virginia Beach. Today I am here with Lexie Barker-Taplett with Mercedes-Benz at Virginia Beach, and what's the other name of the brand that you are currently working with, Lexie?
Speaker 3:We are also Charles Barker Used Car Warehouse, so we just opened that up in the first quarter of this year, and where is that located? We are located right next to our Mercedes bins dealership on Virginia Beach Boulevard, about a half a mile from town center.
Speaker 2:So first let's talk about your journey into the car business. You have a legacy with your dad, Charles Barker, so tell us a little bit about that bit about that.
Speaker 3:So my journey into the car industry was not so straightforward. I actually went to school. My undergrad was in psychology and in children's studies. I always had a passion for it. I found the world of psychology really fascinating. I found people really fascinating, the world of psychology really fascinating. I found people really fascinating and I also just always loved the idea of working with children one day. So I took my passion for that even a step further and I decided to apply to grad school at the College of Charleston for the degree which is known as a child life specialist so it's a master's degree as a child life specialist. And I completed my two years there in undergrad or, sorry, post-grad to get my master's. And I did an internship here in Virginia Beach, which was a required part of our curriculum at CHKD, the children's hospital here, and I completed my internship and I loved it. I loved every minute of it.
Speaker 3:But there is a small part of me that wanted to see what else was out there and at the time I had never considered the car industry. Only because and this is the honest truth Charlie, my father, he always told me do what makes you happy and do what makes you the most passionate and don't ever think that you have to enter this industry just because of me. So for as long as I can remember, I honestly just put the thought of working for him or working in the automotive industry kind of on the back burner. But I decided I wanted to give myself a chance to see if it ran in my blood and if I would love it the way he did and I do. And so I decided to shift focus and join the automotive industry, specifically with my dad Charlie, specifically with my dad Charlie.
Speaker 3:But I will say that you know, I don't feel as if my education in psychology from Clemson or my master's in child life from College of Charleston has gone to waste, Because one thing that I found in the automotive industry is that this is really a people business. You are dealing with all kinds of different people from all different kinds of walks of life, even just with our employees, you know. So this is really an industry of people. Um, cars are just our product and of course they're beautiful and we love to sell them. Um, but I think that my education as far as um human connection and just understanding people, it's really um giving me a leg up and enjoying the automotive world.
Speaker 2:Well, we, we're excited you're here in Virginia Beach. Thank you.
Speaker 3:Can you tell us who the Charles Barker organization the Barker since he started off with his first dealership? In the 90s, he purchased a Lexus dealership, but before that he was mentored by Josh Darden, who is a legacy of this community. He was mentored by him at Colonial Chevrolet, so he earned his stripes with Josh at Colonial Chevrolet, and then, when the time was right, he became a partner with Josh, and then, as he progressed even further, he decided it's time for me to try this out on my own, and so he purchased his first dealership, which was Lexus, back in the 90s, and ever since then, his you know his footprint in this community as far as the automotive world has been growing. I think at one time we've held 14 franchises, which was under the Charles Barker Automotive name, which you know. That's the parent company, so to speak.
Speaker 3:And so, aside from that, though, you know one thing that Josh Darden always taught Charlie and all the guys that he mentored is that cars, yes, they're our business, but children are our future, and so Charlie's always believed that, which is why, just as excited as he is about this industry, he's even more passionate about helping children and being philanthropic, and many people don't know this, but the car automotive world as a whole is probably one of the most philanthropic groups anywhere in the world and we love to give back to the communities that support us. So I think you know just through his, his years of earning his stripes and building franchises and owning franchises and I'm creating the charles barker automotive legacy, if you will. Um, he's taught me a lot, certainly, um, and so he's community has always been really important to him certainly, and so he's community has always been really important to him.
Speaker 2:This is all making sense now because everybody knows that Mr Darden was one of the most philanthropic gentlemen in Hampton Roads and in all of the state of Virginia. Can you share a little bit more about how the organization is involved in philanthropy and especially what you guys are focused on, which is so important to Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, the entire community? Sure.
Speaker 3:So in I don't want to get us incorrect, but I'm going to say late nineties Charlie founded what is now known as Charles Barker Champions for Kids, and what it essentially does is it supports the academic, emotional and social well-being of the youth of our community, and so through Champions for Kids, we're able to raise funds to support organizations like the Boys and Girls Club or BB Home Now, or Access College Foundation boys and girls club all over Virginia, but, you know, mainly right here in Hampton road. So we he has created a, an organization that solely cares for the youth of our community, and I'm a part of that now as well, and we have an amazing fundraiser every year golf tournament and auction combined which the main goal is to give back to the youth of our community. And we've done some really incredible things through our organization, champions for Kids.
Speaker 2:How much did you raise this year? Have you guys calculated how much you've raised through that golf tournament this year?
Speaker 3:Because I was so in total, in the existence of Charles Worker Champions for Kids, it's over four million dollars that we've been able to donate back to the community. That's amazing. So it's been really, really incredible to see how many people in the Hampton Roads community want to participate with us and join our fight to better the emotional, academic and social atmosphere for our Hampton community, for our youth.
Speaker 2:Which affects all of us here. It happens because of our children, so we appreciate that. Can you share a personal story about what you've rose above and how that's impacted your work or daily life?
Speaker 3:Sure. So I think the memory that comes to mind the most is probably when I lost my best friend in high school, and this goes back to, I think, my passion for understanding the human condition. On the outside he seemed like a normal high schooler. No, he smiled, he laughed, he was part of a friend group. He was probably the class clown, I would say so. On the exterior he looked seemingly normal, if you can even call it that, but on the inside he was really struggling and he had demons that were bigger than himself and bigger than we, any of us, ever knew.
Speaker 3:So when we lost him my junior year of high school, it really put it into perspective just how special human connection can be and that we should never take it for granted.
Speaker 3:And I think that it taught me just to understand and be a little bit more forgiving and patient with people, because you never know what someone's going through and you know suffering is something that not a lot of people can see from the outside, is something that not a lot of people can see from the outside. And so one thing that you know I learned from Charlie actually that applies to my situation, but that I think is a really valuable lesson for everyone is something that he calls the 10 foot rule, and so basically, what that is is that if you're coming within 10 feet of anyone, even strangers, never pass them without saying hello or acknowledging them or asking how they're doing. You never know if you're the only person that day that's acknowledged them, or you know that one conversation could change the trajectory of their day or maybe even their life. So I think you know, all in all, just to appreciate the people around you, because life's so fragile. So it's really, you never really know and you just you need to be considerate and compassionate, as humans should be.
Speaker 2:I really appreciate that, that personal antidote, and it really just makes me think that you're an old soul, because you know a lot of people don't even understand until they're much older, especially after having children, because life really does just fly by and the things that we kind of take feel like so much pressure as we're younger, seem so insignificant and really just noticing those moments is so, so important. What do you wish our listeners knew most about the organization and what you guys are doing? If you could just conceptualize it in just one sentence or two.
Speaker 3:For Champions for Kids, or our organization being our businesses.
Speaker 2:The businesses.
Speaker 3:So we are. Actually I don't want to speak too much on this, I don't want to give too much away, but we are really focused on curating that first time buyer relationship. We want to be with you from A to Z. There is a lot of, there's a lot of questions that come when you're looking at buying a car, leasing a car, and it's almost given the automotive world a negative shine, in a negative light. It's this big, daunting, scary task, but it doesn't have to be, and so what we're, what we're doing and setting our sights on, is trying to eliminate that stigma and create a more hassle-free, as transparent as possible process for the buying, leasing or even just question asking when it comes to cars and what you're looking for Somewhere along the way way.
Speaker 3:We also were tasked with the um that sales people were not as honest as they should be, and I think that gave us a bad reputation in the automotive industry. But we're really. We're really here to help. We're here to help our customers leave with the car of their dreams that's tailored to exactly what they need, because otherwise, you know, what are we here for? If we're not, if we're not trying to help you, then we wouldn't be here. But basically what we're really believe in is easing the fears of our customers while simultaneously building lifelong, lasting customer relationships. So, in a roundabout way, I think that we're trying to not reinvent the wheel, but maybe go back to the wheel where it should have started and target those relationships early and fostering those relationships early, and take the pressure off of if you walk into a dealership we're going to make you buy a car.
Speaker 3:That's not true at all. We want to provide you with all the information possible so that you're making a purchase that you feel comfortable with.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because it is. It's one of the biggest purchases. It is a home is.
Speaker 3:You know it is a home. So, exactly, exactly. So you know we're here to answer questions.
Speaker 2:Um, and more on that soon. I can't wait to hear about it. Um, how can our listeners learn more about one, your business, and then also about the non-profit?
Speaker 3:so we, our doors, are open Monday through Saturday. You are happy to stop by and one of our salespeople, I'm sure, will greet you and you know, just ask if you're here to ask any questions of them or if they can help you in any way. But also we have our Charles Barker Champions for Kids website, which you can access, our Mercedes-Benz of Virginia Beach website, which you can access, and also our Used Car Warehouse website. We've also made a leap into the social media world to connect. You know, beyond just you know our immediate community, so we are all over social media. We're on Instagram, tiktok, youtube, facebook, really any place that you can imagine. We're building a footprint there. So we're having a lot of fun interacting with our community right now through social media, and it's gonna keep growing. So if you wanna see the fun side of what we do, I ask you to take a look at our social media.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the Instagram reels are very entertaining. Thank you. Definitely gets a little inside view of what's happening down at the dealership and with you guys personally. Is there anything else you wanted to share that you think would be important to our listeners?
Speaker 3:Well, I think so. So I know there's so many established automotive dealerships in this area, but the biggest question that I think is important to answer is why buy with us? Or, you know, even to pose that question is why? Why? Why us, why the Charles Barker family, why used car warehouse, why Mercedes Benz, virginia beach? And I think, if I can speak to that question, it's that, if you consider our reputation as community, that probably exceeds most.
Speaker 3:We are again family-owned, we've been here for 30 years and now that I'm part of the fold, I hope to be here for 30 more. But our used car warehouse specifically, which I really want people to become familiar with, we have incredibly competitive prices. We have quality, low mileage vehicles. We do 72 point inspections on every vehicle, 12 months, 12,000 mile, power train warranty, annual Virginia State inspections for life. So we offer really, really great programs and I just want to make sure that you know I wouldn't leave today without mentioning those things, because I think that's going to set us apart in the automotive world as we're trying to, you know, find a unique footprint as we expand.
Speaker 2:I did forget to ask you, outside of learning all the things you're learning right now I know this is a, this is a big year for you what do you do outside of work to you know for fun?
Speaker 3:Yes, so for fun. So we have, my husband and I, we have a he's just over two years old now a yellow lab who keeps us very, very busy, thank you. He also he's on our social media, so if you want to see who I'm referring to, we love to go on walks with him, spend time with him outdoors. We're very lucky that Charlie and my grandmother, susan, live just around the corner from us, so we spend a lot of time with them and we enjoy it. We cook over there, but me, cooking is a passion of mine. That's fun for me. Most people, you know, would wouldn't say that's a passion or fun, but that's really fun for me. Um, and then just spending time with our friends. We have an incredibly special group of friends here in virginia beach and you know being with them brings us both a lot of joy, I know. For me it fills my cup for sure.
Speaker 2:Good, we are so happy you're here, lexie. I'm excited to see where you take this organization Again. Share the names of the three organizations, just so we have that.
Speaker 3:Sure, yes. So our nonprofit foundation is Charles Barker Champions for Kids. Our franchise dealership is Mercedes-Benz of Virginia Beach and our used car warehouse is our used car operations, which is also Charles Barker used car warehouse.
Speaker 2:Thanks for being here, Lexie. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 3:Denise.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening me, Denise.