Former E-Z Mart CEO: My Father Died In A Plane Crash And I Followed His Plan For Too Long | Sonja Hubbard
By Griffin Blackmon
May 18, 2026
Interview with Sonja Hubbard
Sonja Faye Yates Hubbard ran E-Z Mart, the convenience store chain, for two decades and now leads Yates Group, Inc. in Texarkana, Texas, along with public service and economic development work. Born in Oklahoma City, she studied business at the University of Arkansas. She took over the family business after her father died suddenly in a plane crash, and she has spent the years since building a network wide enough to solve almost any problem.
Draft built from the interview notes. Answers are summarized and are not direct quotes.
Slow down and enjoy the ride rather than treating school as a grind. Take electives in arts, literature, and languages.
Sonja Hubbard · Advice to her high school self
What was your biggest failure or mistake in your career, and what did you learn from it?
Following the Plan Too Long
After her father's death, Hubbard felt obligated to follow the road that had already been laid out. That led to debt-heavy acquisitions the business did not need. She now believes she should have shifted direction sooner.
What non-academic skills mattered most?
Tenacity, grit, and a deep network of allies and friends. She uses six degrees of separation to get problems solved.
How does she stay sharp and relevant?
Serving on diverse outside boards, including the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Little Rock branch; reading widely across global economics; and using AI tools, Perplexity daily.
What problem is she working on now?
Recruiting a new healthcare provider to Texarkana to use a bankrupt, unfinished $200 million hospital facility, without undermining the existing local provider.
What I Learned from Sonja Hubbard
Griffin writes this section in his own words after each interview.
The Hubbard Framework
- 01
Treat Failures as Doors
Every setback has opened onto something she would otherwise have missed.
- 02
Build Allies Across Every Line
Including state lines. She organizes economic groups that ignore the Texas and Arkansas border.
- 03
Keep Learning Outside Your Industry
Boards, global economics, and new tools keep her out of the retail bubble.
Playbook Success Interview Profile
- Interviewee
- Sonja Hubbard
- Date of Interview
- May 18, 2026
- Primary Industry
- Convenience Retail
- Based in
- Texarkana, TX
- Born in
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Education
- University of Arkansas, business
- Business
- Yates Group, Inc.
- Biggest Career Lesson
- After her father's death, Hubbard felt obligated to follow the road that had already been laid out. That led to debt-heavy acquisitions the business did not need. She now believes she should have shifted direction sooner.
- Advice for Young Entrepreneurs
- Slow down and enjoy the ride rather than treating school as a grind. Take electives in arts, literature, and languages.
Griffin Blackmon
Hi, I’m Griffin. I’m a student entrepreneur and the host of Playbook Success. I interview successful entrepreneurs and millionaires, so you don’t have to. During the interviews, I distill their biggest wins and hardest lessons into the “entrepreneurial intel” we need to build our futures today. Join me as I decode what it actually takes to win in business before graduation. Check out the Playbook Success Blog for more interviews and entrepreneurial tips to help you turn your hobby into an empire. Thanks again for reading!