Our Team

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  • Jim Hayth

    General Manager

  Mr. Hayth has been in the car business for 32 years, starting out as a porter in 1979 and working his way up to his present position of General Manager of 2 stores.
  Jim was brought into the organization by managing partner Scott Stark in February 2009 to run the Hyundai store, a year later Jim took over the Kia store as well.
  In 2009 South Point Hyundai ranked near the bottom in the South Central Region for Sales. A Region that covers 8 states and encompasses over 150 Hyundai Stores. Today South Point is proud to be the #1 Hyundai store for Hyundai New Car Sales from Dallas to Laredo, and #3 in the entire Region.
  In his spare time Jim enjoys spending time with his wife Cyndi, son Geoff, daughters Jordan, and Bre Ann. Jim enjoys small gathering with his family and closest friends, watching sporting events, movies, and going to nice restaurants in and around Austin. In the summer Jim and his family like to spend their free time at the Beach in Pensacola, Fl.

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  • Rudy Varela

    General Sales Manager

  Hire Date: 8/2010
  The glue that binds the sales people of our dealership together is the one and only Mr. Rudy Varela. Rudy comes to us from Mexico City, Mexico where he spent his childhood and went to school. In his spare time Rudy can be found spending time with his family at the park and watching his favorite football team, The Cowboys. He also loves to take his kids to school in the morning as often as he can. Rudy has spent over 10 years in the automotive industry in various capacities and enjoys working in a team environment. He prides himself on providing high quality customer service and expects the same out of his employees.

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  • Don Crow

    Pre-Owned Vehicle Director

  Hire Date: 2/2003
  Wind or rain, sleet or snow you can find Mr. Don Crow out on our lot appraising vehicles and making sure that our Pre Owned selection is the best in the business. Mr. Crow comes to South Point KIA with over 28 years in the automotive industry and hails from Driftwood, TX. In his time off he spends his time with his wife Donna and enjoys watching football, namely his Alma Mater the University of Texas. Another major part of his life is his Son, Don Crow III, Daughter, Kara Crow Hatch, and Grandson, Don Crow IV. At times you can find Mr. Crow at the Golf course or driving range but be careful HE'S GOOD!!!

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  • Jim Raney

    Parts and Service Director

  Hire Date: 2/1988
  One of the most tenured employees at South Point KIA, Mr. Jim Raney, born in Austin, TX is a jack of all trades. He is an ASE, Pontiac, and Cadillac Master Craftsman, and was also the first Cadillac roadside technician in Central Texas. Jim has been a Technician, Shop Foreman, Service Advisor, and Parts Counterman and Service Manager. He is also has a lovely wife that he has been married to for 25 years and he has 3 boys. In his spare time he coaches and refs lacrosse, he is also and avid hunter. Mr. Raney is a valuable asset to the South Point KIA team, with his knowledge and experience we are able to assist customers in ways that our competition can’t. Thanks Jim!!!

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  • Jamie Morris

    Assistant Sales Manager

  Hire Date: 6/2011
  Mr. Jamie Morris is a jack of all trades and has traveled all over the globe. He grew up in Southern California and entered the Navy in 1993. After spending seven years in the navy working on F/A-18’s Jamie moved to Florida where he was first introduced to the car business. In March of 2011 Jamie moved to Austin and began working for South Point KIA shortly after. In Jamie’s spare time he loves spending time with his wife and four kids as well as playing a little golf. Unfortunately, Jamie is a Jaguars fan. Sorry Jamie.

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  • Arthur Osorio

    Inventory Manager

  Hire Date: 10/2004
  A native Austinite and University of Texas graduate Mr. Arthur Osorio is an interesting man with an amazing background. Arthur spent well over 20 years in the military as a medic traveling the globe; he has been to Europe, Asia, and various countries in South America. He enjoys spending time at the movies in his time off.

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  • Shawn Hamze

    Lead Sales Consultant

  Hire Date: 01/1998
  Shawn has been employed by South Point for the past 13 years. He is proud to be ranked in the top 20 of the nation for KIA sales, this stemming from his top notch customer service. His most proud accomplishment to date according to him is the birth of his triplet sons. He is a family oriented man and spends all of his free time with his family. Shawn enjoys working in the garden and watching his children grow. When speaking about his work Shawn said, "I love getting the opportunity to meet someone and help match them up with the right vehicle, it is so rewarding in many ways".

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  • Bryon Burns

    KIA Shop Foreman

  Hire Date: 6/2001
  Mr. Bryon Burns was born in Spring Hill, FL and spent 4 years in the U.S. Marines; he also participated in desert storm. After spending time in the marines Bryon went to school for Automotive Technology and received an associates degree. He is an A.S.E Master Auto Technician and a KIA master technician. Bryon is also married with 3 kids and owns 5 KIA vehicles.

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  • Rebecca Abeyta

    Chief Bottle Washer/Customer Service Manager

  Hire Date: 11/13/2000
  Ms. Rebecca was originally born in Alaska burrrrrrr. In her spare time she enjoys playing in softball tournaments with her friends and gardening at her home. Rebecca’s favorite color is purple and according to her it is royal and it suits her queen-like aura. Rebecca has been a staple of the South Point KIA dealership for years and does just about everything imaginable.

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  • Taylor Brannen

    Internet Administrator

  Hire Date: 06/2011
  Taylor comes to us from Best Buy where he spent the previous 6 years as a sales manager. Taylor loves watching football in his free time; his favorite team is the Green Bay Packers. He also goes to school and is working towards his Computer Science degree at Texas State.

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  • Jared Castille

    Internet Sales Director

  Hire Date: 4/2010
  The Internet Manager of the South Point KIA Internet Sales Team is Mr. Jared Castille. Born in Austin, TX and raised in Kyle, Jared is a very active individual spending the majority of his time at Zilker Park or the Green Belt Trails around Austin. Jared came to South Point after spending some time at a smaller dealership in San Marcos. He has been with us for over a year and according to him, “This is a great place to work”.

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  • Jose S. Fernandez

    Professional Sales Consultant

  Hire Date: 7/2/2010
  Mr. Fernandez was born in Del Rio, TX and raised in Mexico. He came to South Point KIA when he found out Mr. Varela was here he worked with him before and enjoyed the experience. Jose is an avid hunter and fisherman, he loves spending time with his family and barbecues as much as he can on weekends.

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  • Chris Zachary

    Professional Sales Consultant

  Hire Date: 1/2011
  Mr. Chris Zachary is originally from Giddings, TX but has lived in Austin since 1998 and he loves it. He has been selling KIA vehicles for over 6 years now and has enjoyed watching KIA grow into a more premier brand. In his spare time Chris loves to BBQ and prides himself on his ability to cook a mean brisket, it is even better for Chris when he gets to cook while a game is on.

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  • JD Juarez

    Professional Sales Consultant

  Hire Date: 05/2006
  Born and raised in Montana, Mr. JD Juarez grew up hunting, fishing, and riding the trail. He also enjoys ballroom dancing and is very graceful on his feet; this also explains his love of Dancing with the Stars. His skills as a dancer and part time actor transferred over well to his career as a professional wrestler. According to Mr. Juarez, “You have to have amazing balance to do some of the stuff we did”. After his 5 year career as a wrestler JD decided to move to Austin because he had heard from some friends that it is a great place to live. Upon arrival JD procured a snow cone stand franchise, while simultaneously running a catfish farm at home in Montana. Mr. Juarez, after leaving his franchise, heard about South Point KIA from a friend and decided to come try us out and he has been here ever since. We are happy to have him on board.

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  • Silvia Reyna

    Accounting Representative

  Hire Date: 4/2011
  The lady that makes sure that all of our paperwork is in order is Mrs. Silvia Reyna. Silvia was born and raised in Austin, TX; however, she is an Aggie, Gig'em. Mrs. Reyna spends her time off with her son and other family members watching sports. She is a valuable member of our team and we really appreciate everything that she does.

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  • Christian Cordoba

    Independent IT Contractor

  Hire Date: 3/2011
  A stargazer and computer networking tactician; Mr. Cordoba is always in and around the South Point KIA computers, printers, and networking equipment. Even without being an official staff member Mr. Varela treasures Christians work so much he asked that he be placed on our staff page. (As a side note our internet is down can you fix it?)

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  • Enrique Rios

    Professional Sales Consultant

  Hire Date: 7/2011
  Enrique joined South Point KIA to be part of the rapid growth and excellence associated with KIA. According to him the best part about being with KIA is knowing that he has the best cars and warranty on the market today.

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  • Esteban Alanis

    Professional Sales Consultant

  Hire Date: 7/2011
  Originally from Naples, Fl. Mr. Alanis came to Austin, TX for a new start and new career, in his spare time Esteban love to spend time with his wife and two boys. Esteban started at South Point KIA as a porter and was given the opportunity to become a sales person and has never looked back. He enjoys it and is making the most of his opportunity.

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  • Omar Ramos

    Professional Sales Consultant

  Hire Date: 2/2010
  Originally from Mexico, Mr. Ramos came here for a brighter future. He graduated from Akins High School and aspires to be an IT technician someday. On his days off he loves to spend time with his family and workout at the gym as much as possible.

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  • Alex Khoury

    Professional Sales Consultant

  Hire Date: 8/2011
  Mr. Alex Khoury, originally from Harlingen, TX has moved all around the U.S. and finally ended up in Austin a couple of years ago. Alex is a working musician and was a Recording Industry Major and Music Minor at Middle Tennessee State University. He came to South Point to gain more knowledge about real world business.

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  • Arik Bachsian

    Professional Sales Consultant

  Hire Date: 01/2011 Born in Los Angeles, CA Mr. Arik Bachsian moved to Mexico when he was 4 years old. He went all the way through high school in Mexico and came to Austin where he received his International Business Degree at ACC. Arik has been in the car business for over 5 years and he loves it. In his time off he loves spending time with his family, and working out. According to him, "Sales is my profession and I don’t see myself doing anything else".

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  • Chuy Lucio

    Internet Sales Consultant

  Hire Date: 5/2010
  Chuy Lucio, like the restaurant as he would say, is a head-banging 80s loving rocker that enjoys watching the Cowboys. When Chuy isn’t spending time reminiscing about the good ol’ 80s, Van Halen, or AC/DC, Chuy is helping our customers find there dream car. His sterling personality and vast product knowledge make him a great asset to our team. When he is not at work Chuy loves to spend time with his 2 boys watching the Dallas Cowboy games. His favorite movies are Star Wars and Grease and he loves working at South Point KIA.

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  • James Williams

    Internet Sales Professional

  Hire Date: 5/2010
  After hours of prying information out of Mr. Williams what we found out about him is that he went to Howard Payne University where he studied Pre-Law. In his spare time James enjoys playing with his dog shadow and he LOVES ice cream.

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  • Jonathan Sanchez

    Internet Sales Professional

  Hire Date: 10/2011
  Jonathan Sanchez is a recent addition to our team. He was born and raised in Austin, TX and attended Texas State University. In his spare time he enjoys watching football and spending time with his family and friends. Jonathan is also an avid hunter and a great knife thrower!!! He is a valuable addition to our team and we are happy to have him with us.

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  • Chuck Snyder

    Service Elite Technician

  Hire Date: 2/2006
  Born in Greensville, SC Mr. Chuck Snyder, being a military brat, moved from place to place. Finally in 1976 Chuck ended up in Austin, TX. He went to junior high at Porter and graduated from Crockett H.S. right down the road from our dealership. After High school Chuck attended ACC where he picked up the automotive trade. Most of his time off is spent with his youngest son and wife. Ty, his son, plays select and high school baseball; he is a great pitcher and awesome second baseman.

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  • Kevin Branham

    KIA Service Technician

  Hire Date: 7/2007
  Mr. Branham grew up in West Texas, San Angelo to be exact. Graduated from Reagan High, and then went to Capitol City Trade and Tech School for Automotive Technology. He has been working as a KIA technician since 2005 and really likes working for a dealer because he gets to specialize in one brand VS having a broad knowledge of a variety of brands. He loves KIAs and currently owns 3 different models.

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  • Melissa Ochoa

    Parts and Service Cashier

  Hire Date: 7/2007
  In Melissa’s time off she enjoys spending it with nieces and nephews, going to the movies, and shopping at the mall. She came to South Point KIA in 2007 because of, "The friendly environment; KIA has some great people working here and a lot of them have become great friends".

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  • Tony Cavazos

    KIA Service Technician

  Hire Date: 7/2011
  Tony, born and raised in Corpus Christi, TX, he loves the beach and fishing with his family in his spare time. Currently when Tony is not working on cars at South Point he is polishing his automotive skills at ACC. He loves working at South Point KIA and is excited about where it could take him in his automotive technician career.

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  • Larry Mitschke

    Parts and Service Assistant Manager

  Hire Date: 9/2011
  Larry Mitschke comes to us from Giddings, TX. Throughout his life Larry has worked in the car business in various capacities. From 1987-2002 he worked for Vans Auto Parts as a manager and the past 10 years he has been with Perry Ellis KIA. South Point KIA is lucky to have someone like Mr. Mitschke in our service. With his vast automotive knowledge and outstanding customer service he is a great addition to our team.

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  • Miguel A. Alvarez

    Porter

  Hire Date: 5/2011
  Miguel, a recent addition to our team, has been invaluable at making sure our operation runs smoothly. In his time off he likes to handle his obligations so he can relax with his family. This April his first son was born, he’s a very proud father.

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  • Daniel Renteria

    Porter

  Hire Date: 7/2011
  Another recent addition to our team and one of Miguel’s best friends, Daniel enjoys relaxing with friends and spending time with family when he is not at work. He enjoys working at our dealership and is looking forward to where this may lead him.

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  • Kara Alexander

    Financing Secretary

  Hire Date: 9/2011
  Kara is an amazing new addition to our team at South Point KIA. Kara comes to us from Forney, TX originally but she has been living in Austin for 5 years!!! She recently graduated from Texas State University with a bachelors of science in sociology and loves to teach aerobics classes and watch movies in her downtime.

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  • Santos Denova Jr.

    Parts Specialist

  Hire Date: 12/2009
  Born and raised in Austin, TX. His dad has been with the South Point Family for over 20 years so it was pretty much his destiny to end up working here. In his spare time Santos loves being outdoors, participating in sports and hanging out with his family.

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  • David Samson

    Automotive Technician

  Hire Date: 9/2008
  David was born in Baton Rouge, LA he moved to Texas in 1967 with his parents and 3 brothers. He moved to Bastrop in 1971 and has been working in the automotive industry for over 30 years.

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  • Robert "Jeebs" Cervantes

    Service Advisor

  Hire Date: 8/2011
  Home grown here in Austin, TX Robert has been in the automotive industry over 5 years in various capacities. In Roberts’s spare time he likes getting outdoors and enjoying Austin, he loves participating in triathlons and is looking forward to doing his next one. Roberts’s favorite color is blue; he has a dog, and loves working on his mustang.

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  • Cristal Hernandez

    Cashier/Receptionist

  Hire Date: 1/2011
  Cristal is an Austin native and is currently going to school at ACC. In her time off she enjoys hanging out with friends and family members as well as going shopping!!! She decided to come to South Point KIA because a friend recommended us to her. She is a friendly exciting person to have on our team and we are grateful to have her with us.

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  • Paloma Hampton

    Cashier/Receptionist

  Hire Date: 1/2011
  Currently a student at Austin Community College for her basic classes, Paloma is hoping to transfer to Texas State University in the fall of 2012. Her plan for the future is to finish school and become a neonatal nurse, it has been a life long dream and she is very close to achieving it. She came to South Point KIA when she heard that we needed help from her sister who used to work here. In her time off Paloma loves to take a break from work and class and just relax at her home with her family and two puppies.
  
  P.S. Your dogs are awesome!

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  • John Sanders

    Shuttle Driver

  Hire Date: 6/1991
  John has lived in Austin since 1969, he attended St. Edwards University as a Theater Major and came to South Point after a ten year banking career. He is a huge supporter of the Texas athletic department, football, basketball, baseball, you name it and he loves it. John is also a proud season ticket holder.