Toyota of Rockwall

As the holidays approach, Toyota of Rockwall is gearing up for one of their biggest charity events yet. It’s just part of their DNA. In the rearview mirror, they have one of the most successful food drives they’ve ever held. In the future, there are no signs of slowing.

Jasmine Jackson-Conley, vice president of operations, gave us the run-down on how her community banded together to help end food insecurity with Helping Hands Food Pantry. The dealership recruited Rockwall High School and Rockwall Heath High School as allies, putting their friendly rivalry to work. In this battle, the schools competed to collect the most food for a local pantry. For participating, each school received a check for $500.

This year’s drive collected 58,483 pounds of food, said Jasmine. According to Barbara Jackson, vice president of the entire business and Jasmine’s mother, that’s a huge jump from the 7,000 pounds collected during the drive’s first year.

Next year, the traditionally fall event may duplicate efforts in the spring to better serve hungry neighbors. Those summer months are perhaps the most crucial because food-insecure children can’t always rely on school meals when school is not in session.

Jasmine, and by all signs her husband, Christian Conley, has had some great home training. Jasmine’s mom and dad, Steve and Barbara Jackson are president and vice president of Jackson Automotive Group. After 50 years in the business, the parents are passing the baton to their daughter and son-in-law. Along with the lot, they entrust the younger generation to continue their legacy
of giving back.

The Jackson family matriarch told us about another of the many ways the dealership is involved in helping their neighbors. The car retailers loan out two cars to each of four districts to honor their Teachers of the Year. Winning teachers drive in a brand-new Toyota for six months each, and the car is uniquely wrapped, letting everyone know the drivers are schoolroom rock stars.

For Christmas, the annual Operation Christmas Child event will extend their love of community around the world. At a big party hosted by Toyota of Rockwall, staff and area residents will pack shoeboxes full of toys, school supplies, and personal care items. The shoeboxes are then shipped off to children in third-world countries, where they can make a huge impact. Last year, the dealership’s donation of 500 boxes was the biggest one that did not come from a church, according to their regional Samaritan’s Purse partner. 

Putting Down Texas Roots

We’ve written before about how these Living Magazine Best Of winners hail from southern Oregon by way of California. Mom and Dad Jackson arrived in the Lone Star State when Jasmine was a high school senior; she graduated from Rockwall High School.

Christian Conley, Jasmine’s husband and Toyota of Rockwall’s fixed operations director, was born to a military family in Ohio, but was raised in Rockwall. Both Jasmine and Christian’s parents live right here in Rockwall, close to their children and their four young grandchildren, ages 10, 5, and twins aged 4.

“We are glad to be raising first-generation Texans,” said Jasmine. “We have little Hawks growing up.”

Like Jasmine, her own children love the car dealership environment.

“My kiddo says, ‘When I grow up, I wanna be an actress, a singer, and I also want to work at Toyota of Rockwall,’” said Jasmine.

Her daughters will see their mother breaking barriers for women and appreciating it just as Jasmine appreciates her own mother’s strides. Barbara Jackson told us she was the first female car salesperson in southern Oregon, meeting her husband on the sales floor, where he was a colleague. Jasmine was spurred on by her mother’s bold example, and has her own sights set high, too.

Barbara and Steve Jackson went on to open dealerships in California, Texas, Oregon, and Washington, with Toyota of Rockwall becoming the world’s first gold-certified car dealership in Leadership and Energy Efficient Design (LEED). Jasmine has been along for the ride, learning and offering her own input as she became more and more involved throughout her life.

Goals and Giving

It’s all about trust.

“I’m tired of people being taken advantage of or feeling unsafe,” said the Jackson daughter about the typical dealership customer experience. Like her parents, she believes in a transparent service philosophy and treating customers like family.

Maybe that’s why the Toyota of Rockwall team has won the Living Magazine’s Readers’ Choice award for the past 10 consecutive years. Their commitment to making their community a better place is palpable for visitors. Their care and leadership in customer experience also extends outwards by providing customers the option to purchase cars that are gas powered, hybrid, or electric.

Like many around her, Jasmine has some range anxiety about electric vehicles. Afterall, the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is no small town. However, Toyota’s EV initiatives check all the boxes with industry-leading electric range and technology that is changing fast with consistent improvement. Jasmine just installed a charging station at Toyota of Rockwall. Besides fully charging cars purchased at her store, she says she would be happy to let any EV driver in need of a quick charge juice up there too.

“I’ll never turn someone away who is running on electric fumes,” she said laughing at the atavism.

Environmental care is in her spirit. Jasmine was a big proponent of the energy-efficient environmental design of Toyota of Rockwall and told us she just finished a big project installing Rockwall’s first corporate-use solar panels on the rooftop – a project that promises to offset energy use by 40%.

Toyota of Rockwall, steered by the Jackson Family, keeps accelerating in the local and global community. With 10 yearly Toyota matching grants to local 501(c)3 nonprofits, dedication to education, and a heart for the next generation. They’re revving up the impact where it’s needed most – all while keeping Rockwall rolling with a fleet of standout cars.

The road ahead? Looking pretty bright from here!

Giving Back

Join us on November 18th at 7pm for Operation Christmas Child Packing Party. Enjoy a family fun night with activities, pizza & sweets and give back to those in need as a family. Teddy Bear Mobile will stop by so you can craft a special bear for your family and send one off with love only at Toyota of Rockwall. To learn more, visit,
https://linktr.ee/toyotaofrockwall.