About Robert C. Vackar
Robert “Bob” Vackar was born in Gonzalez, Texas in December of 1943. He grew up in Edinburg, TX where his father owned Vackar Lumber & Supply; Bob worked for his father in the lumber yard while attending, then graduating from Edinburg High School. After high school, Bob went on to become a Texas A&M Corp. of Cadets Graduate (class of 1966) earning a degree in Accounting. From College Station, Bob went on to work for Shell Oil Company as a Financial Analyst; he then served in the U.S. Army near the end of the Vietnam War. Upon his return to civilian life, Bob continued his work with Shell Oil Company in Houston, TX, it was there that Bob met and eventually married Janet Ogden.
After the birth of their daughter, Bob and Janet returned to the Rio Grande Valley where Bob joined his father-in-law at the original Bert Ogden Motors dealership in Edinburg. Bob joined the organization as a Sales Manager in 1983 with the understanding he wanted to learn the auto business and aspired to grow and develop more brands and store locations. Through the years Bob worked his way into the position of Executive Manager and attended General Motors Dealer College. After the untimely death of the Ogden’s, Bob held the family and company together as he assumed the role of Dealer Principal and Operator in 1992. Today, Bob has taken the single GM store in Edinburg and has grown the organization to include 20 dealership locations with 24 franchise lines across the Valley. We’re proud to say this growth has created over 1000 jobs and counting! Under Bob’s leadership, the dealerships have been recognized for countless achievements! One he is particularly proud of is being names Elite Dealer and a 2020 Chevrolet Dealer of the Year, honoring the top 1% of Chevrolet Dealers in the nation.
Bob is an innovator and in constant search of something new in the auto industry to introduce to the Rio Grande Valley. However, his community awareness extends beyond the auto industry. Bob’s profound vision for the future led he and Janet to partner with and invest in the activities of DHR Health and a robust emerging medical district which recently made an historic achievement by becoming the first Level 1 trauma center in the Rio Grande Valley. In another move of marketing genius, Mr. Vackar secured the naming rights to the Bert Ogden Arena, the largest entertainment venue in deep south Texas (9000 seats), a premier destination for sports and live entertainment. This arena has brought in significant revenue to the community and has created 100s of new jobs. The Vackar’s generosity and commitment to our local community has earned them recognition such as being honored Border Texas of the Year for 2016 and most recently, the Vackar’s were commended with a Texas House Resolution 340 for their extensive philanthropic contributions and support in the Rio Grande Valley.
Bob is also passionate advocate for continuing education and an avid supporter of veterans and military personnel. He is a member of the Advisory Council for our local university (The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley) which in 2016, named their College of Business to Robert C. Vackar College of Business & Entrepreneurship in his honor of his $15 million historic endowment to the school. Bob has made it a personal mission to create automotive jobs for college graduates from our local university. Bob donates his time to the university to talk with students about the importance of committing to their education and preparing for their career. Additionally, Bob keeps us all accountable for making a conscious effort to do our part in creating jobs for veterans and was also a contributor to the construction of the local Veteran’s War Memorial.