Family legacy: Tranum sisters now lead auto dealership
Photos by Becky Stinehour
Anna Tranum Kessler and Christina Tranum Trammell are sisters and partners in the family business — Tranum Auto in Temple.
Anna is dealer principal and Christina is general manager. They share ownership in the business with another sister, Lisa Tranum Wiggins, who is a Realtor in Dallas. Tranum Auto was founded by their parents, Jim and Eva Maria Tranum, 37 years ago.
“I’ve always had a passion for the auto industry,” Anna said, who started working full time with the company in 1997 after graduating from Baylor University with a double major in entrepreneurship and marketing.
“It gets into your blood,” Christina said, who graduated from Texas Christian University in 1993 with a BS in psychology.
Christina was the dealership’s finance director from 1993 to 2001 when she left to raise her family. Returning to work wasn’t on her list of things to do. However, in 2011 Anna asked her to fill in for the finance director on medical leave. When that leave turned into a permanent departure, Christina stayed on.
“Christina tried to get out of it but it called her back,” Anna said with a smile.
Growing up Tranum
The Tranum sisters cut their teeth in the auto industry. Before condensing the business down to one dealership, Jim Tranum had six Central Texas locations, including Buick, Ford, Pontiac, Suzuki, Dodge/Chrysler, Volkswagen and Mitsubishi franchises.
As children, the girls went to work with their parents, absorbing the sights and sounds of an auto dealership. When they were old enough, they each worked at the Temple store. Christina learned about title work, answered phones and detailed cars, Anna said, “I learned my ABCs by filing.”
One of the perks was driving a different car every six weeks, a big deal for a teen. But the girls didn’t always get to pick their vehicle. They had to earn their ride.
“Dad decided what kind of car we drove by our grades. If you had good grades you chose your own car. If your grades were not so good, dad chose the car for you. When my grades dropped I got the car with the manual windows, manual transmission, it was almost a Flintstone car,” Anna said, smiling at the memory. “I drove it for six weeks and learned my lesson.”
“Dad picked Anna’s cars and one time she got to drive a forest green Firebird with gold stripes on it,” Christina said, who got to choose her own cars for maintaining her grades.
Anna said working at the family business through high school was a lot of fun. “It came from customers, watching the interactions,” she said. “The summer I graduated from Baylor we were light in the service area. I went out there to take customer complaints.”
Christina said her psychology degree has been valuable. “I use it every day,” she said. “It helps me understand people, customers, people with issues—I understand a different way and can be empathetic towards them.”
When sister Lisa graduated from college in 2004 she moved to Austin to work for Service Group, an automotive finance and insurance company, while also helping out at the dealership, Anna said.
Lisa earned her certification from the Association of Finance and Insurance Professionals and returned to Temple in 2007 to work side by side with her sisters as the general manager. Today she lives in Dallas with her family, husband, Will, and 4-month-old son, Wren. She’s found her niche in real estate. In 2017, she was named one of the “Best Real Estate Agents and Top Producers” by 360 West Magazine.
A family affair
Working side-by-side with a sibling in a family business can sometimes cause disagreements. The Tranum sisters seem to have that under control.
“Before Anna and I worked together daily we’d often butt heads. We don’t do that anymore. She normally wins out,” Christina said.
“That’s because I’m normally right,” Anna said, smiling.
“Working together has brought us closer together,” Christina said.
“We can read each other pretty well,” added Anna.
Family time is important to Anna and Christina. When they leave the dealership, they know that talking about work is off limits, even if they are together. When they feel a need to discuss business, all it takes is a glance from one sister to the other to know it’s time to end that conversation.
There are times, however, when they have to keep each other in the loop and inform one or the other of an issue that needs to be known before they walk into the dealership the next day. Thanks to modern technology they text.
Changing roles
Being women in a predominantly male industry can have its downsides. Both women attest to having felt gender discrimination. “Men still don’t view us as equals,” Christina said.
“Some customers came in and they wanted to talk to a guy,” Anna said. “So we brought them a guy.”
“We sometimes still get that today. Someone who isn’t happy will want to talk to the man in charge,” Christina said. “‘But you’ve got me.’ I would say.”
“We don’t let it bother us. We’ve proved what we’ve done. We’re proud of being a family,” Anna said.
“You can’t let it bother you or it will hinder your success,” Christina said.
The Tranum sisters understand that a successful business is not run by one or two people. They praise the dedication and support of their employees; some of them have worked at Tranum for more than 20 years. They are “family” too.
“I always knew this would be my career from an early age,” Anna said. “It’s something that changes every day. I get to work with my employees, make people happy. I like working with Christina. Working with family, I can trust them. They are very dependable and don’t judge you like other people would. You can ask them a question and they will always tell you the truth.”
Anna and David Kessler have three children. Andrew and Sarah Marie are in elementary school and their newest addition, son James, turned 1 in May. It’s not uncommon to see the older children in the store after school. James is by his mom’s side every day.
“Having young James in the office is a stress releaser,” Christina said.
“He relaxes you. Let’s you think about other things,” Anna said.
Christina’s two children with husband, Anthony Trammell, also spent time in the dealership when they were younger. Their daughter, Tyler, is a high school sophomore and their son, Austin, is about to complete his degree at the Culinary Art Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.
The sisters’ success is a testament to their parents, Jim and Eva Maria.
“We were raised in a positive environment. We don’t deal with the negatives,” Anna said. “We were raised to always see the positive. Find the rainbow. Find the sparkles and make it happen.”
