GERMANTOWN, Tenn. – Oscar "Jack" Gomez, founder of Atlantic Pacific Automotive (AP Auto), has died at the age of 86. Gomez started Atlantic Pacific Automotive in 1952 and grew the company to be one of America’s largest independent discount automotive parts suppliers.
Gomez was known as an entrepreneur and a legend in the automotive aftermarket. Among his many accomplishments, he launched the company’s innovative, "Fast Order Form" that featured low prices and broad product offerings. Through the Fast Order Form, the company grew because jobbers could fulfill most of their automotive needs through a single, low-cost provider, which allowed them to remain competitive in a challenging market.
A native of New Orleans and a graduate of Louisiana State University, Gomez served as a tail gunner in World War II. After military service, he began his career selling machines that wrapped bread. From there Gomez entered the aftermarket, selling automotive chemicals for Bardahl and Malco, primarily to service stations and garages. After developing his own line of products, which included the E-Z On line of tire patches, Gomez ventured out on his own to start Atlantic Pacific Automotive.
One of his surviving sons, Richard, said the company started small and was initially run from their family home selling to wagon jobbers who specialized in fast-moving items. Richard said everyone in the family was involved in the business, including his late mother, Sarita, who helped pack orders and process checks, along with his two brothers, Barry (who preceded Gomez in death) and Bruce. Richard said the company kept expanding until it "caught fire," and moved out of the house. Through years of expansion the company eventually occupied more than a million square feet of warehouse space in six locations.
Richard credits the company’s growth to better prices and the company’s development of its own brands, mostly sourced from overseas, which was not a common practice at the time. "We had such enormous volume on each item that we could go to factories overseas and have the products made at the quality we wanted, and we could buy it 50 percent cheaper," explained Richard. "People saved money and that’s why they kept coming back. Plus, we had great customer service and everything that went with it."
In addition to becoming a leader in private label brands sourced from overseas, Richard said under his father’s leadership the company developed a reputation for treating vendors and customers well. He says it was a reflection of his father, who he described as "straight forward, fair and someone you could learn a lot from. And he learned a lot from everybody else."
Richard said many will remember his Dad for sending a tin of popcorn to the company’s more than 25,000 parts store customers each year. "Anybody that was a customer of ours knew about the popcorn. It was just something they loved and we couldn’t stop doing it."
Don Youngblood, currently president of AP Auto, worked alongside Gomez for 25 years. After leaving Atlantic Pacific Automotive in 1997, Youngblood and several partners formed DYK Automotive LLC and bought the company from Gomez in October 2008. Youngblood credits Gomez as his mentor.
“Jack gave me the confidence to speak up and I credit him for being a great listener to his management team. He would listen to everybody before making a decision and we avoided a lot of mistakes as a result."
Gomez and his sons later went on to start a successful commercial real estate management company based in Naples, Fla., that continues to operate today. Gomez passed away on Aug. 25.
In addition to his sons, Richard and Bruce, Gomez is survived by his wife, Patsy "Patty" Wright Gomez, daughter-in-law Simone Lutgert, and numerous grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked friends to make donations to the charity of their choice in Gomez’s honor.
