When Jane Vaden Thacher and Peter Thacher were dating in Atlanta, Peter made two things perfectly clear: He would never move to Savannah, and he would never work in the car business.

More than 30 years later, the Thachers can laugh about how spectacularly wrong he was.

Jane and Peter returned to Savannah in 1994, putting down roots on Isle of Hope and joining the family business, Vaden Automotive. Today, the neighborhood remains home not only to the couple, but also to the next generation of their family.

Jane, a Savannah native, earned a bachelor's degree in English from Vanderbilt University and a master's degree in mass communication with an emphasis in public relations and advertising from the University of Georgia. She began her career in public relations before joining Vaden Automotive, where she now serves as president and owner-operator, carrying forward the company founded by her father, Dan Vaden.

Peter brought an entirely different résumé to the automotive world. His early career in communications, writing, and media included work with several Ted Turner organizations, including CNN, the Atlanta Braves, and the Atlanta Hawks. He later spent many years in leadership roles with Vaden Automotive, helping expand the organization into one of the Southeast's largest automotive groups.

The couple, who met on a triple date while each was dating someone else, married in 1992. They have three children: Jack and twin daughters Blake and Sarah.

Jack grew up on Isle of Hope and followed his parents into the family business. As Vaden Automotive's finance and insurance director, he has worked across multiple areas of the organization while preparing to help usher its third generation of family leadership into the future. He and his wife, Jessi, recently celebrated their wedding at Jane and Peter's waterfront Isle of Hope home and now live on the property themselves.

Beyond business, service is woven into the Thachers' family culture. Through Vaden Automotive and their individual efforts, they support causes spanning education, youth development, military families, workforce development, health care and community enrichment. Their involvement has included volunteering, board service, mentorship, school support and nonprofit partnerships.

Still, some of the family's most meaningful moments are decidedly simpler: a crowded dinner table, a house full of relatives and friends, stories swapped during the holidays or another adventure planned by Peter, the family's enthusiastic traveler.

After raising three children, celebrating milestones, welcoming new family members and forming decades-long friendships on Isle of Hope, the Thachers now have the rare pleasure of watching another chapter unfold in the same place.

For a family whose story has taken a few unexpected turns, Isle of Hope has proved to be exactly where they belong.