Brown & Wood Buick GMC
Celebrating More than Eight Decades in Greenville
Three generations of the Brown family have worked to make their business a success. With a continuing focus on meeting and exceeding the needs and expectations of their customers, Brown & Wood has been serving Greenville, Pitt County, and Eastern North Carolina for over 89 years.
William Sherrod Brown moved his family to Greenville in 1929 to establish a dealership. The business was sold during the Depression in 1932. Four years later, William and his son William Watson Brown, with the financial assistance of Alfred Wood of Vanceboro, opened a Pontiac/Packard dealership. Mr. Wood was repaid, but his name was retained as an expression of gratitude.
In the years to follow, a Cadillac franchise was added, then Isuzu, Jeep, GMC Truck, Buick, and Mazda. In 1984, Brown & Wood moved to its present location at 329 Greenville Boulevard, a much larger and more accessible site. Bill and Bob became third generation owners in 1987, and their brother Tom also joined the organization and remains involved in daily operations today. Bob Brown has since retired.
Highly skilled technicians work in the Brown & Wood service department ready to help with your automotive service needs.
In January 2016, Bill and Tom added a general manager and partner, Jeff Stein. Jeff hails from Michigan and San Diego and has more than 30 years in the automobile world. Jeff and Stephanie Stein have three children, including one in the car business and two at Liberty University. Jeff handles the day-to-day operations and is an excellent extension of the Brown family with a concentration on customer satisfaction and employee retention. People are what matter the most to Jeff. “We want to take this to 100 years in business, just 11 years to go!” says Jeff. The dealership today features Buick, GMC, Cadillac and Mazda franchises.
Brown & Wood Buick is celebrating more than 80 years in business in Greenville with the third generation of Brown family members as owners.
Bill and Jane Brown have two married children and four grandchildren. Bill is a Greenville native while Jane hails from Farmville. A Vietnam War veteran and graduate of the University of North Carolina, Bill was past chairman of the North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association. A long-time supporter of Pitt Community College (PCC), Bill has served as a member of the PCC Foundation for the last seven years. Brown & Wood recruits PCC Automotive Systems Technology graduates to work as service technicians at the dealership, more than 60 so far. Three teaching labs at PCC are named for Brown & Wood.
In 2019, he was honored as the North Carolina Dealer of the Year. In 2023, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association. This award recognizes a member who embodies the true spirit of a successful entrepreneur, civic leader, and industry stalwart. Bill has served on the boards of the Pitt-Greenville Chamber of Commerce, Pitt County Committee of 100, Greenville Jaycees, Greenville Swim Club, and Coastal Conservation Association-NC.
“You can have everything in life you want if you will just help other people get what they want,” Bill says, quoting Zig Ziglar, the late author and motivational speaker. “That is how I have tried to live my life.” When away from Greenville, Bill and Jane enjoy spending time at their coastal home with their children and grandchildren, boating and fishing.
Tom and his wife LeAnne have been based in the Greenville community their entire lives. They have two children, and a grandson on the way! Tom and his family enjoy the beach, boating, fishing and vacationing. An ECU graduate, Tom enjoys all ECU athletics and is a huge baseball fan.
Allen Clayton, senior vice president and commercial banker, serves as Brown & Wood’s banker. “It is an honor for me to work with the Brown & Wood team,” Allen says. “As part of Greenville for more than eight decades, the company’s long family history is something to celebrate!”
For more information and to check out the newest models, visit Brown-Wood.net.
Brown & Wood works closely with Pitt Community College to place Automotive Systems Technology graduates in service technician jobs.