Ganley, Tasca and Corwin auto groups acquire dealerships

Three auto retailers acquired dealerships in the Midwest, South and West in separate transactions last month.

Here's a look at the deals involving domestic brands and an import mass-market brand. One deal involved a dealership group ranked on Automotive News' top 150 dealership groups list.

Ganley growth in Ohio

Ken Ganley and his growing Ganley Auto Group further added to their foothold in northeast Ohio with the purchase of Don Joseph Toyota in Kent.

Ken Ganley, CEO of the Brecksville, Ohio, group, on Thursday bought the dealership from father-daughter owners Jeff Joseph and Jessica Joseph. The Toyota store was founded in 1964 by Don Joseph, Jeff's father.

The store was renamed Toyota of Kent. Kent is southeast of Cleveland and northeast of Akron.

"We love Toyota," Ken Ganley told Automotive News. "It's my third Toyota store, and it's just a very easy fit for us — just from personnelwise and being in our backyard in northern Ohio."

Ganley Auto now has 45 dealerships across Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida. It ranks No. 14 on Automotive News' list of the top 150 dealership groups based in the U.S., retailing 35,430 new vehicles in 2020.

Tasca grows in Florida

Tasca Automotive Group of Cranston, R.I., expanded its presence in Florida when it bought two Buick-GMC stores.

Tasca on Oct. 18 bought Dick Norris Buick-GMC Clearwater and Dick Norris Buick-GMC Palm Harbor — both in the Tampa region — from Dick Norris and Doug Norris.

The stores were renamed Tasca Buick-GMC Clearwater and Tasca Buick-GMC Palm Harbor.

"These dealerships are a perfect complement to our existing Buick and GMC franchises in Florida," Carl Tasca Jr. of Tasca Automotive Group said in a statement. "We welcome the teams to the Tasca family and look forward to serving their loyal customers with integrity and honesty."

The Tasca group has a Buick-GMC dealership in Melbourne, Fla., southeast of Orlando. The family-owned group, founded in 1943 by Bob Tasca Sr., also has dealerships in Illinois, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts, according to its website.

The Norris family, which had been selling cars in Florida since the late 1980s, opted to sell the dealerships to focus on other business interests, including continuing to operate a boat company and car wash, according to a news release from Presidio Group. The investment banking and buy-sell advisory firm in Denver and Atlanta advised the seller in the transaction.

Washington acquisition for Corwin Automotive

Corwin Automotive Group of Fargo, N.D., acquired Gus Johnson Ford in Spokane Valley, Wash., on Oct. 18, The Spokesman-Review reported.

Corwin Automotive and operating partner Mario Wierzchowski bought the dealership from Gus Johnson, according to the newspaper.

The dealership was renamed Corwin Ford Spokane. Wierzchowski also is a partner at Corwin Ford Tri-Cities in Pasco, Wash., according to the dealership's website.

Corwin Automotive now has 12 franchised dealerships and one used-vehicle store across Idaho, Montana, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota and Washington, according to its website. In 2020, the group bought Jones West Ford in Reno, Nev.

Corwin Automotive is in its fourth generation of family ownership and was founded in 1914, The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead reported.