Archie J. Smalls' mission in life is to motivate people

A stack of papers rested on Archie Smalls' desk. He riffled through them and found what he wanted: a copy of an advertisement from 1990 citing how he had set an all-time sales record at Love Chevrolet in Moncks Corner and was in the top 5 percent of auto sales in the nation.

Smalls would cite more achievements during an interview this week: first minority to open a car dealership in Berkeley County, when he launched Smalls Auto Sales in 1996; appearances on the local "Tammy" community affairs show on cable TV and a profile for the statewide Sandlapper Magazine. He counts among his acquaintances Art Zimmer, the Syracuse businessman who introduced Zimmer classic reproduction roadsters, and actor Tyson Hall.

Yet the Moncks Corner native said making it in the car trade, something he has been involved with for 29 years, isn't his ultimate goal. His guiding force is helping people, motivating them, giving them a boost. That's why Smalls took time in 2007 to co-write a book, "Stay Driven: Inspirational Guidelines for Success," and is currently working on a follow up, with the working title "Stay Driven II."

Read more in tomorrow's editions of The Post and Courier.