Mother and daughter bond in the car dealership spotlight

MOORESVILLE – Jennifer Marion Mills and her 14-year-old daughter, Alexandria, walked into Randy Marion Chevrolet with bright smiles and complimentary green and blue outfits.

The mother-daughter duo has served as the public face of Randy Marion’s five dealerships since Alexandria was 3.

“She was just learning to speak clearly, and I think she had one word in the first commercial,” Mills said of her daughter. “We read each other’s minds very well in commercials, and I think that kind of spills over into our mother-daughter relationship outside of the dealership.”

Mills’ father is none other than Randy Marion himself, an entrepreneur who opened his first store in September 1990. Her husband, Grey, served District 95 in the N.C. House of Representatives from 2008 to 2012.

Apart from his car dealerships, Marion is famous for making big Sunday dinners for his family, including Grey’s parents, to relish after church.

Mills graduated from Mooresville High School and earned a psychology degree from UNC Charlotte in 1996. She was also a cheerleader for the Charlotte Hornets and Carolina Panthers.

“That kind of led me into doing the commercials. It puts you out there in front of people,” Mills said. “My dad said, ‘I’d like to give this TV thing a shot, and I’d like for you to try it. We’ll do it for a couple of months, and see how it goes.’ That was over 15 years ago.”

Mills also has two sons, Grey, 11, and Grant 7, who enjoy participating in the family’s annual Christmas commercial.

The Marion women shop together at Belk and Birkdale Village in preparation for their once-a-month shoots.

“My mom is a great color chooser. She picks the best outfits for us to match,” Alexandria said. “It’s nice to smile and have fun with it, and my friends love it. They support me, which is nice.”

Standing at 5’5”, Alexandria is just about ready to start sharing clothes with her mom, Mills said.

“She tells me and Grey everything that’s going on, so we’re very fortunate.”

After school, Alexandria practices lyrical, modern, jazz and contemporary dance at the Academy of Dance and Fine Arts. She hopes to become more involved in the family business as she gets older.

With her husband currently out of politics and practicing law, Mills said the family loves spending time together on the lake, especially tubing.

“My oldest younger brother, Grey, he likes to learn how to drive the boat, so he’s driving the boat when I’m on the tube,” Alexandria said. “Grant just sits in the back and enjoys it.”

Mills said her husband is very involved in their children’s lives.

“It’s very nice to have him home. It was hard when he was gone, but I’m very fortunate that my parents live very close to us,” she said. “We laugh and say he probably works harder now that he’s home than when he was away.”

As summer approaches, Alexandria said she’s most looking forward to more freedom and independence in high school. And of course, after she finishes driver’s ed classes, getting her first car.