40 Under 40

Tineke Greyling is a problem solver.

Greyling's family emigrated from the Netherlands to central Texas, where she grew up on her family's dairy farm, a formative experience.

"I really enjoy solving problems and trying to dig into the whys of it," Greyling said. "It's something growing up on the dairy farm, I remember the employees always told my dad, 'She will always figure out what's wrong.' "

Greyling continues to solve problems today as business accounting manager for two Lithia Motors Inc. dealerships in Texas, All American Chevrolet of Killeen and Meador Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram in Fort Worth.

Greyling entered automotive retail as a receptionist at a Ford dealership in McGregor, Texas. She needed a job as she finished up her bachelor's degree in business management with an emphasis in accounting.

She realized she enjoyed using accounting in a dealership because "it's not just numbers. It's using your brain; it's being able to problem solve. "

Greyling found her way to Lithia in 2015 when she became a business accounting manager for two dealerships in Odessa, Texas. While at those two stores, Greyling created a spreadsheet to track chargebacks stemming from the dealerships not setting up bank fees or payoffs correctly.

She was able to not only identify trends but also found instances in which employees could benefit from training to avoid running into the same issue.

Greyling brought the process to the Killeen dealership. From 2021 to 2022, the process saved nearly $200,000, she said.

Greyling said she also enjoys developing people and seeing them advance. Her assistant, Greyling said, had no dealership experience when she hired her three years ago. She's slated to become a business accounting manager at Meador Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram, a store Lithia bought in November.

"She will be my second business manager I've been able to place," Greyling said.

— Jack Walsworth