Toomey Sells Two Texas Dealerships
Kerrigan Advisors represented the Toomey family in the sale of Alamo Toyota in San Antonio to Shottenkirk Auto Group and Tejas Toyota in Houston to Vaughan Automotive.
“My family is proud of our legacy of successfully representing Toyota in the great state of Texas for over five decades,” said John Toomey, co-owner, Alamo Toyota and Tejas Toyota. “While the time was right for our family to sell our stores, it was certainly a difficult decision. We will greatly miss the business and our business family and look forward to seeing the dealerships thrive under new ownership with the Shottenkirk and Vaughan organizations.”
Texas is the largest auto retail market in the Southern U.S. and ranks as the most economical state in the country in which to do business. Toyota is the top selling brand in both Houston and San Antonio, which are two of the four anchor metropolitan areas in Texas, and both are among the top ten fastest growing cities with two million+ populations. Given its high sales per rooftop, impressive growth and strong economy, Texas is the second most requested state by dealership buyers today according to Kerrigan Advisors.
Toyota franchises are highly sought-after due to their superior sales per franchise, strong fixed operations and robust profitability. In Kerrigan Advisors’ 2023 Dealer Survey, 93 percent of respondents expect the value of the Toyota franchise to increase or remain the same next year, the highest in the survey for the 5th consecutive year. Additionally, 98 percent of Kerrigan Dealer Survey respondents have a high or moderate level of trust in Toyota, making it the most trusted brand by dealers.
“The Toomey family owned some of the most valuable dealerships in Houston and San Antonio and we were honored to be chosen to work with them to ensure their transaction was a success,” said Erin Kerrigan, Founder and Managing Director of Kerrigan Advisors.
With the completion of these transactions, Kerrigan Advisors has represented on the sale of 47 Toyota/Lexus dealerships since 2014 (14 in the last 12 months) and 17 Texas-based franchises in the last year, making the firm the leading sell-side advisor in the state.
Findlay Auto Group’s Closes Arizona Volkswagen Dealership
More than 14 years after its eventful beginning in Flagstaff, Findlay Automotive Group closed the doors of its Volkswagen dealership on May 31 in Flagstaff, AZ.
With Findlay Auto Group’s Toyota and Honda dealerships still “firmly planted in supporting Flagstaff,” General Manager Riley Donaldson noted that 15 of the 18 full-time employees from the Volkswagen dealership were shifted to one of the company’s other Flagstaff locations. Though all 18 were offered positions with Toyota or Honda, two of the remaining three were “longtime VW service employees” who had relocated to Flagstaff from Phoenix and elected to move back to the Valley in order to remain with the brand. The third chose to retire.
Compared to Volkswagen’s much more dramatic departure from Flagstaff in 2001, Findlay has options available for customers just as it did its employees. While both Toyota and Honda dealerships already serviced all makes and models, Donaldson said a majority of the Volkswagen service team accepted positions with Findlay Honda and “any non-warranty repairs, services, or maintenance” should be scheduled at that location.
Fixed Ops Roundtable Adds 17 Dealerships to Certified Program
Fixed Ops Roundtable added 17 dealerships to the Fixed Ops Roundtable Certified Program. Launched in 2023, the program is designed to recognize and showcase auto dealerships that demonstrate exceptional performance in employee culture, customer experience, and the implementation of innovative best practices and technology solutions.
The Certified Dealer Honoree List for 2024-2025 include the following dealerships:
- Jim Ellis Automotive Group—Atlanta, GA
- Jaguar Land Rover of Cincinnati—Cincinnati, OH
- Carter Myers Automotive—Charlottesville, VA
- Rohrman Automotive Group—Lafayette, IN and Arlington Heights, IL
- Arrowhead BMW—Glendale, AZ
- Scott Clark Toyota—Matthews, NC
- Ray Catena Auto Group—Edison, NJ
- Mike Calvert Toyota—Houston, TX
- Honda of Downtown Los Angeles—Los Angeles, CA
- Jaguar Land Rover of Dallas—Dallas, TX
- Team Automotive Group—Charlotte, NC
- Tom Wood Automotive Group—Indianapolis, IN
- Schomp Automotive Group—Highlands Ranch, CO
- Maple Hill Automotive Group—Kalamazoo, MI
- Vaden Automotive Group—Savannah, GA
- Sherwood Ford—Alberta, Canada
To become a Fixed Ops Roundtable Certified Dealer, dealerships must be nominated and undergo a rigorous evaluation process by the Fixed Ops Roundtable advisory board.
Certified dealerships receive digital branding materials to help them promote their certified status to consumers.
Fixed Ops Roundtable’s Certified Partner Program has over 42 certified partners, including Reynolds and Reynolds, CDK Global, Cox Automotive, BG Products, Automotive Warranty Network, Brooke AI, and Northwood University.
