Meet Oscar LeeserA Family First Man
If you've spent any time around El Paso, you already know the Leeser name. And if you've watched the commercials over the years, you know the line that says it all: "My Oscar, he's such a good boy." That was his mother, Rhoberta, and the fact that his own mom was part of the story tells you everything about who Oscar Leeser is.
For Oscar, this has never just been a business. It's a family.
Oscar's story begins in Chihuahua, Mexico. In 1967, when he was nine years old, his parents, Arthur and Rhoberta, moved their seven children across the border to El Paso in search of something better. Oscar was the fifth of seven, three boys and four girls, dropped into a new school without a word of English. His parents both worked minimum-wage jobs downtown, one at a department store, one at a furniture store, and they taught their kids the values that would shape everything to come: be honest, work hard, and treat people with respect.
Oscar took those lessons to heart early. He mowed lawns, washed cars, and worked as a teenage janitor at Cielo Vista Mall, a job he didn't love but always credited for lighting his ambition. He learned to rely on himself, and he learned that if you're willing to work for it, you can build a life you're proud of.
A Heart for El Paso
Oscar's love for his family has always extended outward into a love for his community. He spent 15 years coaching Little League while his own children were young. He served as Chairman of Hyundai Hope on Wheels, the company's national foundation funding childhood cancer research, a cause close to his heart. He's given his time to the El Paso Police Foundation and the University Medical Center Foundation, which supports the El Paso Children's Hospital. And in 2009, he brought Hyundai in as the title sponsor of the Sun Bowl, ensuring one of El Paso's most beloved traditions would carry on and shine on the national stage.
That same devotion led Oscar into public service. He served as the 50th Mayor of El Paso from 2013 to 2017, stepped away to focus on his health, and returned to serve again as the 52nd Mayor from 2021 to 2025, leading his city with the same integrity, warmth, and no-nonsense heart he brings to everything.
Built Alongside His Father
Oscar entered the automotive world in 1979, and what followed was more than a career, it was a partnership with his dad. Oscar worked alongside his father, Arthur, for 31 years. Even after Oscar became president and dealer operator of Hyundai of El Paso in 2001, his father still came to work every day. One of his brothers worked beside him. His nephews pitched in too. When Oscar says work is a family affair, he means it literally.
When he took over the dealership, it was selling just 15 cars a month. Through grit, honesty, and a genuine love of the work, Oscar transformed it into the number-one volume Hyundai store in the South Central Region, one of the most successful Hyundai operations in the entire country, and the largest Hispanic-owned Hyundai dealership in the nation. And the family affair continued when Oscar’s children joined the team. His son Dan worked at the store while in college. His son, Sean, joined the team in the service department after serving in the US Navy. Even his son-in-law Justin spent time working with Oscar while becoming a firefighter. And the tradition continued again when son, Ben, and daughter, Melissa, also joined him in building the Hyundai footprint in El Paso.
The Man Behind the Name
Ask around El Paso and you'll hear the same thing again and again, that Oscar Leeser is one of the most beloved people in the city. Not because of titles or sales records, but because he never forgot where he came from or the family that got him there. Every car that leaves his lot carries a little bit of that story: an immigrant kid who worked hard, stayed humble, loved his family fiercely, and built something worth being proud of, right here at home.
Visit Hyundai of El Paso
When you walk into Hyundai of El Paso, you're not just walking into a dealership. You're walking into Oscar's family. And around here, that means you're family too! We welcome you to visit our Hyundai dealership at 8600 Montana Ave, El Paso, TX 79925.
