We recently sat down with Chevrolet Make Ready Manager – Roy Campa – who is embarking on his retirement after reaching his 32nd year of employment at Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick. Roy began working for Mr. Don Hewlett in 1990 when the dealership was located on Austin Avenue in downtown Georgetown. During his 45-year career in the industry, Roy has witnessed significant changes in the automobile business and has been a crucial part in the exponential growth of the Hewlett organization. Roy figures he’s washed and delivered more than 10,000 vehicles in his career. Roy’s exceptional vehicle detailing skills are only surpassed by his genuine level of caring and both have earned him the respect of his peers and our customers. We are sad to lose Roy but thrilled for him as he embarks on his next chapter.
Q: Where were you born / raised?
Roy: Devine, TX
Q: Tell us about your childhood, what was the best part?
Roy: There was always music growing up. (Spanish at my grandmother’s – English in ours.) We didn’t have a TV during those years, so music was a lot of fun and we really enjoyed it.
Q: Why did you choose vehicle reconditioning as your profession?
Roy: I guess it kind of chose me. I started working after school and on weekends at a local gas station when I was 12. (Q: Were you washing and gassing up the customer cars?) Oh – we did a little bit of everything: gas, wash, brake jobs & tire repair – the tractor tires the farmers would bring in were the worst (they were humongous & not much fun!) I worked at that station for 10 years and then got a job at the local Chevrolet dealership in Devine. Been working for Chevrolet stores for 45 years.
Q: What has been the biggest change in the car business in the last 32 years?
Roy: I guess I’d have to say it’s the kind of people you work for and with. Years ago – I worked at stores where you never hardly saw the big bosses (only when they needed something). You were just expected to show up and do your job. That all changed when I went to work for Don Hewlett. Mr. Hewlett has always had time to really talk to you and you could always tell that he really cared. I’d say that’s the biggest difference – the people.
Q: What do you like to do in your spare time?
Roy: I like to build model airplanes and I hope to continue doing so into my retirement. I’ve always been fascinated with planes. (How many models do you think you’ve built over the years?) I don’t know about the total amount, but I do know at one time I had over 80 completed models in my house. (Q: How long does it generally take you complete a model build?) If people will leave me alone, I can get the normal size models built in a week – that’s painted and everything.
Q: We know you’re a huge music fan. So, if you had a time machine – what singer or band would you like to see play live?
Roy: Oh wow – just one? I’d probably have to choose a band called – The Rascals – in about 1967. They were originally called the – The Young Rascals – but they changed it. My favorite Rascals song is “Good Lovin’” probably – that’s their first big hit and the one everyone knows.
Q: What is your favorite Don Hewlett dealership memory?
Roy: There are so many memories and so many people I’ve worked with that it’s hard to pick just one, but if I had to choose it would probably be one of the times I scared the accounting office ladies and made them scream! I’m usually one of the first ones at the shop in the morning, so one day I brought in a big stuffed monkey and put it under the desk of one of the ladies. I’d fixed the trash can where she’d have to move it and when she bent down, she saw something big, and fuzzy with googly eyes and she started squealing like she’d been got! Yep – that was a good day!
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