Ken Smith Auto Parts

Then and Now 

Started by Ken Smith in 1956, Ken Smith Auto Parts was built from the ground up. Smith started his business by selling wholesale parts from the trunk of his car. Back then his number one priority was putting the customer and their business first. That's still the driving force today.

The first office was located on East Main Street in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was important to Smith to keep his business in the family. Smith hired his son Richard to work as an outside salesman. 

Several years went by and Richard eventually became the CEO of his father's beloved company.  The family tradition continued on and in the late 1990's, Richard's son Raun Smith took over as third-generation CEO of Ken Smith Auto Parts.  Raun realized the original location his father purchased was outgrowing its space. That's when he purchased a larger, new office and warehouse on Rossville Boulevard. 

Eventually moving to their current location off Jersey Pike in Chattanooga, the company has expanded to 13 locations throughout Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky and Alabama. 

In 2022, Ken Smith Auto Parts merged with Mid-America Parts of Memphis, another family owned entity established in 1952 and comprised of 13 locations covering West Tennessee and Mississippi.