Continueing the Family Legacy

Kyle White returns to Texarkana to work in his family’s business

by VICKI MELDE

photo by DR. ROBIN ROGERS

Pete and Kyle stand in front of Pete’s 1932 Ford 5 Window Coupe in the showroom of his dealership in Alabama, Ford of Jasper, where Kyle worked for several years.

Kyle and his girlfriend, Eden Young, met while attending Texas Tech and have been dating for six years.

Kyle (second from left) with the sales associates, Benito Ochoa, David Stanley and Kelvin Howell, in front of the Nissan dealership here in Texarkana.

For some, the family business is simply “in their blood.”  Growing up watching family members’ work ethic and dedication to their livelihood instills a sense of commitment in the younger generation who observe them, often from childhood.  Such is the case with Texarkana native Kyle White who chose not only to join his family’s successful car dealerships but also to return to his hometown to continue the legacy of the Mankins’ family (his maternal grandparents)

Kyle was born in Texarkana and lived here until just before his freshman year in high school when he and his mom, Allison, and siblings moved to Austin, Texas.  Kyle has two younger brothers: Hayden (23) and Grant (21) and a 14-year-old sister, Joy.  

Kyle lost his Dad, Keith White, when he was only 6 in a tragic accident when Keith was piloting his plane.   His love for cars and the car business was strengthened by the fact that his dad worked in the business for Kyle’s grandfather, Pete Mankins.  Though Pete and his wife, Mike, also moved to Austin when Kyle’s mom relocated, they both remain icons of the Texarkana community.   Pete has owned several auto dealerships in the area and beyond – including his Nissan dealership which has been in operation for over 50 years.  “One of my goals is to own a portion of the Nissan store here in Texarkana since it has been in the family over 50 years – hopefully for at least 50 more,” Kyle said, proudly.

Not only has the family business provided Kyle a career path, it also played a vital role in how his parents met.  It was because Keith worked for Allison’s father that they met.   “I have many memories of him at the dealership,” Kyle recalled.  “We’d spend every Sunday with my (paternal) grandparents, Kathy and Don White, and Dad’s side of the family cooking out and hanging out with the other kids in the neighborhood.”

After his father died, Kyle remembered his grandparents becoming even more involved in his and his family’s life.  “Growing up, Pete would always take us to school in the morning, and my grandmother (Mike) was always driving us and our friends around,” he shared.  “When we moved to Austin, my grandparents moved as well and lived just a block away.  My grandmother being a retired math professor was always helping with school work.  Even in college, we would FaceTime, and she would tutor me.  I don’t think I would have gotten through school without her.”

Family ties are obviously very important to Kyle even as an adult.  “I am very close to my mom – we talk every day and always send each other memes,” he said.  “I always look forward to hanging out with her.  I’m very thankful for all of my family – they are very supportive in anything I do!”

Brothers, Hayden, Kyle and Grant visit with their grandfather, Pete Mankins, during the summer of 2018.

While he remains close to all of his family, there is a special bond between Kyle and his grandfather, Pete.  “Pete has always been the person I looked up to and went to for advice – and still is,” he stated.  “I always enjoyed my time with Pete – playing golf and listening to him talk about business.”   In the midst of such major challenges as losing his dad and relocating just before high school, Kyle’s strong family relationships enabled him to thrive.

A self-professed “techie,” during high school at Westlake High School, Kyle translated his love for shooting and editing videos into a spot on the school’s Technical Entertainment Crew (TEC).  They ran all of the behind-the-scenes for the school theatre and filmed and produced videos of all the productions.  “The part of TEC I was most involved in was the 20-person crew that put on live productions of the high school football games,” Kyle fondly recalled.  “We would broadcast every game, taking a full 30 foot production trailer with us to away games.  I was the first sophomore to ever be selected to edit the end-of-the-year football highlight video.  And my senior year, I won first in the state of Texas for video editing in UIL as well as cinematography.”

Last October, Kyle and his little sister, Joy, enjoyed attending Austin City Limits Music Festival.

Although Kyle found Austin a “cool city to live in” with so much great food and live music, after college, he chose to return to Texarkana.  “I wanted to go into the car business and got a job at one of my grandfather’s stores,” he explained.  “I chose Texarkana because I had grown up around the store and knew a lot of the people who worked there.”   After about a year as a salesperson, Kyle was offered a management position at Pete’s Ford dealership in Jasper, Alabama, and took it.  He worked there for a little over two years and learned a lot – but he was ready to move back closer to home.  When a management position in Texarkana opened up, in Kyle’s words, he “jumped on it”!

“I was nervous moving back at first but quickly settled in and have really enjoyed being back in Texarkana,” he admitted.  “My dad’s side of the family is all from Texarkana and so it’s also nice being able to see my aunt and uncle as well as my grandmother.  Dad’s mother worked at the dealership for many years and so did his sister.  It’s great to be able to have so many people to go to for advice and knowledge.”

At 25, Kyle is not married.  He has been in a relationship with his girlfriend, Eden, for six years, and they share two dogs, Theo and Harlow.  His favorite leisure activity is golf which he plays most every day he is off work.  And true to his roots in the car business, he also really enjoys detailing his car using a garage full of different car wash products and equipment.  In the summer, he can be found boating, wakeboarding, and wakesurfing with friends on Lake Austin or Broken Bow.

When asked the three words he would use to describe himself, Kyle offered the following:  easygoing, sense of humor, and driven.  Kyle acknowledged that many people expect the dealership owner’s grandson to not work hard so he works twice as hard to overcome that stereotype.  His work philosophy is perhaps best stated in a favorite quote of his by Thomas Jefferson – “The harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.”

So what does the future hold for this dynamic young man?  “I would love to continue in the family business and eventually own a dealership of my own.”  With his pedigree in the car business and impressive work ethic, Kyle White will, no doubt, achieve his goals and more.