Sewell prospers, looks to grow in Texas luxury market

Dealer Carl Sewell of Dallas celebrates his family company's centennial this year. The last few years of the Sewell family's first century in business have been among the industry's most challenging periods. But Sewell Automotive Cos. is prospering, despite losing Hummer, Saab and Pontiac stores. It's a long way from the beginning in 1911 when Carl Sewell Sr. Read More »
Pittsburgh-area retailer grows despite tough economy
Rob Cochran, CEO of #1 Cochran Automotive, has had double-digit growth at his Pittsburgh dealership group the last three years even while the economy slumped. The second- ...
Recession sharpened Germain's focus on core business
For years, Germain Motor Co. had annual look-ahead meetings. Now those meetings are quarterly -- buttressed by twice-monthly "strategic action" powwows. CEO Steve Germain ...
April Ancira prepares to follow in her dad's footsteps
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I just saw the news that the unemployment rate in the United States dipped to 9 percent in January, which is still high but at least headed in the right direction. It als ...
Autotrader should be paying me
As crazy as this sounds, Autotrader, Cars.com and all of their cousins should be paying me to list my cars on their sites, instead of me paying them. I have told my reps ...
Texas Chevy dealer wins big with trucks and horses
For Dallas area dealer Tom Durant, trucks and horses seem to go hand in hand. Durant's Classic Chevrolet in Grapevine, Texas, sells nearly 5,000 new pickups and SUVs ann ...
Riding the Hyundai high in Fla.: From 141 local owners to 27,000
After opening Hyundai of New Port Richey near Tampa, Fla., in the summer of 2003, CEO Scott Fink has built his store into the highest-volume Hyundai dealership in Florida ...
No. 8 retailer Staluppi hunts for acquisitions
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5-year-olds taught DCH boss to handle auto slump
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Lee Auto Malls finds opportunities in downturn
John Isaacson, 48, is CEO of Lee Auto Malls, the largest dealership group in Maine, with nine locations. The family-owned company, which employs about 280 people, holds T ...
Ex-AutoNation exec savors single-store life
Jim Evans grew up in the auto retail business, then spent seven years as an executive with AutoNation Inc. While there he also was chairman of the American International ...
Toyota will do right thing with recall, dealer council chief says
The new year has greeted Toyota with the same ugly problems that plagued the automaker throughout much of the latter part of 2009 -- safety recalls. Toyota Motor Corp. re ...