James Bryan, owner of car dealerships Submitted by N.O.V.A. September 2006 Times Picayune 08-01-2006 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ James Jaubert Bryan, one of the New Orleans area's pioneer car dealers, died Sunday at his home. He was 82. Mr. Bryan, who earned a business degree from Tulane University, was the founder and longtime chairman of the board of Bryan Chevrolet and Bryan Mitsubishi. Known as "Jimmy" to his family and friends, Mr. Bryan began selling cars at Stephens Buick in 1948. He opened his Chevrolet dealership in 1955, locating the business in Algiers at the suggestion of General Motors company brass. After four mediocre years on the West Bank, Mr. Bryan followed his gut instinct and moved his dealership to a then-uncharted stretch of Airline Highway in Metairie. While the move didn't follow the conventional wisdom, the business flourished, eventually topping $50 million in annual sales. Mr. Bryan's knack for business trends served him well again in 1987, when he obtained a Mitsubishi franchise. The move came just as demand for domestic cars was waning and the market for Japanese cars was exploding. "They came at the ideal time," Mr. Bryan said in his typical straightforward manner during an interview then. Mr. Bryan eventually handed the auto dealerships to his son, James "Jay" Bryan Jr., and devoted much of his retirement to hunting, fishing, golf and boating, spending a lot of his time at his Bay St. Louis, Miss., summer home affectionately known as "Bryan's Slip." Mr. Bryan was a 1993 recipient of the Time Magazine Quality Dealer Award. He served on the board of directors of Hibernia National Bank and First Metropolitan Bank. He was a member of many other boards and organizations, including the Louisiana Auto Dealers Association, United Way and Volunteers of America. Besides his son, survivors include his wife, Fay Roy Bryan; three daughters, Jean Bryan Soullier, Elizabeth Bryan Bach and Holly Bryan Adams; and nine grandchildren. A Mass will be said Thursday at noon at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Boulevard. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. Burial will be in Metairie Cemetery.