Ray Varner marks 40 years with Ford
Ray Varner greets a customer at Ray Varner Ford in Clinton. Varner is celebrating 40 years with Ford Motor Co. this year, marking four decades in the automotive business. (photo:Dwane Wilder )
“I just want to thank all the Anderson County residents for their support for 40 years,” said Varner, general manager and partner at Ray Varner Ford in Clinton. “Without great friends and great customers, that would have been unattainable.”
Varner said that support has been especially apparent in recent weeks as his teenage grandson, Branson Cox, was hospitalized following a golf cart accident in early July.
“The outpouring of support during this difficult time has been greatly, greatly appreciated,” he said. “And even though we’re having a little setback now, I’m sure that in the future, with prayer and hard work, maybe he can one day come to work for me.”
An East Tennessee native, Varner moved to Anderson County in 2017. He graduated from Halls High School in 1982 and received his business degree from Roane State Community College in 1986. He began working as a salesman at Dean Stallings Ford in Oak Ridge on April 1, 1986, a job he secured through his late uncle, Jack Varner.
In November 2006, he transferred to Ray Viles Ford in Clinton, which he began managing in 2009. Then, in July 2010, Ray Varner Ford came into existence.
“We’re one of the last 100% locally owned and operated dealerships left in East Tennessee,” Varner said.
He noted that the community connection allows the dealership’s staff to know its customers.
“We enjoy the handshake — the deal — and we want to make friends with our customers, which I’ve been able to do throughout my career,” he said.
Varner said his employees also always strive “to do business as a business should.”
“If you work hard and you do right, you’ll be rewarded,” he said. “So that’s pretty much been my motto since Day One — work hard and do right.”
In addition to the dealership, located at 2026 N. Charles G. Seivers Blvd., Varner opened Ray Varner Ford Used Cars and Ford Factory Service in Wartburg in June 2024. The two locations employ about 75 people.
Despite his business success, Varner said he is most proud of the life he has created with his wife, Tracey; their two daughters, Lindsey Cox and Alesha Merritt; and four grandchildren, Branson, Brynlee, Jovie and Everleigh.
“Family and friends are so important, and I do have such a great family and a great bunch of customers through the years who can call on me and I can call on them,” Varner said. “I am so grateful for all their support, and I look forward to serving the community for many years to come.”
