A SOUTHEAST TEXAS FAMILY STORY
Aubrey Built More
Than a Business.
He Built a Legacy.
What began with Honest Aubrey Auto Sales in 1949 became more than 75 years of one family serving Southeast Texas—through new names, new buildings and three remarkable grand openings.
FOUNDER · AUBREY RAIFORD
1949 · PROCTOR STREET · PORT ARTHUR
Where Honesty
Counts.
It began in 1949 on Proctor Street, between a funeral home and a gas station. There, Aubrey Raiford opened Honest Aubrey Auto Sales and began building a business that would serve Southeast Texas for generations.
As the business grew, it moved to 16th Street. Aubrey's newspaper advertisements carried a simple line: "Trade Where Honesty Counts." It was more than advertising—it was the standard by which he built the business.
The names would change.
The standard would pass from one generation to the next.
GRAND OPENING NO. 1 · JUNE 7, 1969
Aubrey's Vision
Takes Shape.
Aubrey opened the newly built 60,000-square-foot Raiford Motors dealership on Twin City Highway. The event celebrated his investment in Port Arthur and the growth of a business that began with used cars twenty years earlier.
Internationally known racer and automotive entrepreneur Carroll Shelby appeared as the featured guest—but the day belonged to Aubrey, his team and the community they served.
"We owe the continued expansion and growth of Port Arthur."— Aubrey Raiford
THE NAMES EVOLVED WITH THE BUSINESS
Auto Sales
Motors
Country
Port Arthur
As franchises were added or sold, manufacturer names were added to or removed from Energy Country. At one point, the dealership was known as Energy Country Auto Mall. The identity evolved. The family standard did not.
1994 · THE NEXT GENERATION
They Carried
It Forward.
After Aubrey's passing in 1994, Patti and Larry King assumed leadership. They carried forward his belief that a family business earns trust one customer, one promise and one decision at a time.
Then, in December 1997, a devastating fire destroyed the dealership. It could take the building—but not what Aubrey had built into the family.
GRAND OPENING NO. 2 · 2001
They Didn't
Walk Away.
They Rebuilt.
Larry and Patti reopened the newly built Energy Country after the fire. Joining them was Jim O'Connor, Vice President of Ford Motor Company and President of the Ford Division.
Thirty-two years after Carroll Shelby helped mark Aubrey's opening, another automotive leader stood beside the next generation as they began again.
SEPTEMBER 2016 · CARSTAR
ESTABLISHED
A New Name
Joined the Legacy.
Larry and Patti brought the CARSTAR name to Port Arthur—combining the resources of a nationally recognized collision-repair network with the family standards that had guided the business since 1949.
CARSTAR began here in 2016. The new facility would come eight years later.
BUILT LATE 2023 · COMPLETED JULY 2024
We Didn't Retire.
We Reinvested.
After selling Energy Country Ford in 2023, Larry and Patti chose to keep serving Southeast Texas. Construction began late that year, and the purpose-built CARSTAR facility was completed in July 2024.
Italian manufacturer Symach designed the production layout and supplied the paint booth system, shop lighting and electrical hookups—bringing advanced repair capability to a hometown family business.
GRAND OPENING NO. 3 · MAY 6, 2025
The Third Opening.
The Next Chapter.
Approximately 85 guests joined Larry, Patti and the CARSTAR team for tours, music, refreshments and a ribbon-cutting celebrating the new facility.
Damien Reyna, Chief Operating Officer of U.S. Collision for Driven Brands, joined community leaders, the Groves Chamber of Commerce, vendors and the people who helped bring the new shop to life.
THREE MOMENTS · ONE CONTINUING STORY
Three Grand Openings.
Three New Chapters.
One Unbroken Family Commitment.
What Aubrey began in 1949 still guides every vehicle we repair today.
LET OUR FAMILY TAKE CARE OF YOURS
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