Cody Bender, general manager of Porsche of Nashville, is a familiar, friendly face around Brentwood’s luxury car dealership, but he spent his early adulthood as a successful touring musician before making the shift and settling in and making a home with his family in Music City.
Cody grew up in Texas, moving from Midland to Flower Mound, where he found a passion and talent for music after suffering an injury that ended his sports endeavors. At 15 years old, Cody started playing the North Texas bar circuit and Opry houses throughout the DFW area. Even while staying busy playing shows, Cody still managed to get enough credits to graduate high school early.
After this 18th birthday in January of 1998, the guitar guy with a dream packed up and headed to Music City to pursue a career. He worked several odd jobs and intended to begin his Nashville stint studying music at Belmont, but after playing with local country bands around town he began heavily touring the nation at age 20, spending six nights a week playing country covers. From there, Cody’s career propelled further forward, playing on stage alongside bigger name Christian and country artists on the road for more than 200 days a year.
After Cody married his wife, Jessica, and they had their first child, Milo, Cody decided to make the shift from onstage performance for thousands to one-on-one customer service and more time at home with his family. A connection from Cody’s touring days introduced him to his new venture, where he started in 2012 selling cars at Audi, owned by Sonic Automotive. In 2017, the musician-turned-car-guru took over the Porsche of Nashville dealership in 2017 and has enjoyed his time there ever since.
When making the switch from busy weeks on the road to a more fixed vocation, Cody says he loves his current role because every day is different and he sees different customers every day. Cody says he isn’t much for being in the spotlight, even though he spent years playing for large crowds in arenas. He describes himself as more of a recluse.
"The life change has been easy and really good. My job is fun. I love interacting with, greeting, and helping the people of Nashville." - Cody Bender
Now Cody and Jessica have four children, who he says are all performance-oriented, with artistic and athletic interests ranging from hip-hop and lyrical dance to cheerleading. Clearly, the passion for creative arts is in the blood in the Bender family. Cody says he doesn't play much guitar anymore but does use his artistic talents and inspiration for at-home projects, such as building furniture and crafting a movie room for his family.
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