Sisters Crista Hatfield and Kailey Hatfield-Odero outside Hatfield Buick GMC. The dealership has remained in the same family for four generations. (Photo by CFR News)
This is Part 2 of a series exploring the history and legacy of one of Redlands’ oldest family-owned businesses. For more than a century, Hatfield Buick GMC has remained in the same family, evolving with the auto industry while maintaining a commitment to customer service and community roots. Read Part 1 here.
REDLANDS — At Hatfield Buick GMC, a fourth generation of family leadership is stepping forward – one that looks different from those that came before it.
Sisters Crista Hatfield and Kailey Hatfield-Odero are taking on increasing leadership roles at the dealership their family has operated for more than a century, part of a small but growing number of women stepping into leadership in the traditionally male-dominated auto industry.
Nationally, about 95% of car dealerships are owned by men, according to industry estimates, underscoring how uncommon female-led leadership remains in the field.
For the Hatfield family, however, that shift was never framed as unusual.
“There’s never been the thought that you couldn’t accomplish whatever you want to accomplish,” said Bill Hatfield, who has led the dealership for decades.
That mindset was shaped not only by the family business, but also by the influence of their mother, Lori Hatfield, whose own work and community involvement helped shape expectations for leadership.
Bill Hatfield (center) stands with Crista Hatfield and Kailey Hatfield-Odero inside the Hatfield Buick GMC showroom in Redlands. The dealership, founded in 1908, is now led by its fourth generation of family ownership.
“I don’t think it ever occurred to us that we couldn’t do it,” said Kailey, who has been eager to join the family business since childhood.
Still, stepping into the business revealed a different reality.
“It takes a while for people to learn that we know what we’re talking about,” she said. “Where a man walking into this industry, they just kind of already assume he knows what he’s doing.”
Over time, she said, that perception can shift.
“You can gain their respect really fast when you know what you’re talking about,” she said, recalling a customer who initially questioned her expertise but later returned years later asking to work only with her. “It’s fun to change those perceptions.”
Stepping into leadership roles
The sisters entered the business more than a decade ago, bringing experience from outside industries that now shape how the dealership operates.
“I grew up my whole life saying I was going to work in the dealership,” Kailey said. “Then I went to college, and 2008 happened, and we didn’t know if there was going to be a dealership.”
That experience led her to explore other options before ultimately returning.
Crista also built experience outside the business, working in marketing before joining the dealership as its operations evolved.
Evolving markets and new technologies
Those outside perspectives now shape how the sisters approach leadership in a changing industry.
“I think one thing that’s been very interesting since we’ve come on board is the amount of technology that we’ve brought with us,” Crista said, pointing to shifts in digital marketing, online sales and data-driven operations.
When they joined more than a decade ago, some of those systems did not yet exist.
“Now we have an internet sales department, and we’re handling hundreds of leads a month,” she said. “There’s just so many more aspects to the business than there used to be.”
That evolution has also created new opportunities, including space for women in roles that were less common in previous generations.
“Even when I was a kid, I would have told you there wasn’t really a place for me here unless I wanted to be in the office,” Crista said. “Now there are so many different areas, marketing, compliance, technology, that didn’t exist before.”
Both sisters are also involved in the California New Car Dealers Association’s NextGen group, which brings together emerging leaders from family-owned dealerships across the state. The program focuses on leadership development, industry trends and peer collaboration among younger operators preparing to take on larger roles.
They said the group has also highlighted a noticeable shift, with more women stepping into leadership positions in family-owned dealerships.
Shared leadership, evolving roles and a shift toward a new generation of customers
Within the dealership, the sisters share leadership in ways that reflect both their individual strengths and the demands of a modern business.
“We complement each other,” Kailey said. “She’s very analytical, and I’m much more people-focused.”
That partnership has allowed them to divide responsibilities in a business that previously relied more heavily on a single leader.
“I look at what my dad did and think, ‘How did he do this alone?’” she said. “We’re lucky we have each other,” she said.
That dynamic echoes earlier generations, including their grandfather and great-uncle, who led the dealership together in the mid-20th century.
Like their father and previous generations, both sisters are also actively involved in the Redlands community, serving on nonprofit boards, local organizations and industry groups.
That connection to the community remains central to how they view the business.
“We’re interested in forming a customer for life,” Crista said. “Not just selling a car and moving on.”
Maintaining existing relationships while reaching a new customer base is another goal.
For decades, Buick was known for its higher-end vehicles and an older customer base. That perception is beginning to shift.
Newer models, including the Buick Envista, reflect a push toward younger buyers, with updated styling, technology and more accessible price points. The Envista, for example, starts at about $24,500.
“This isn’t the Buick people remember from decades ago,” Crista said. “There’s been a real shift in who these vehicles are designed for.”
“It’s not your grandma’s Buick anymore,” Kailey added.
Pride in new traditions
For Bill Hatfield, the transition to a fourth generation, and one led by women, is both a point of pride and reflection.
“They’d be amazed,” he said of what earlier generations might think. “But they’d buy in. They’d be here.”
The sisters say they feel a strong sense of responsibility to carry the business forward, particularly given how rare it is for family-owned companies to reach a fourth generation.
“If you look at the statistics, it’s incredible that a business makes it to the third generation,” Kailey said. “To make it to a fourth, we don’t take that lightly.”
As they step into leadership, both say the goal is not to reinvent the business, but to continue it, balancing tradition with the realities of a changing industry.
“I think for me, one word would be tradition,” Kailey said. “Keeping that alive while everything else around it is changing.”
For Crista, the answer is simple.
“Family,” she said. “That’s what this business is.”
Learn More
Visit Hatfield Buick GMC Learn more about Hatfield Buick GMC’s vehicles, services and community involvement by visiting their dealership or connecting with their team.
A former broadcast news producer, Stephanie launched CFR in 2023. Originally from Michigan, she’s made Redlands home with her husband and three kids. When she’s not reporting, she’s problem-solving at the climbing gym or trying new local restaurants.
