Dennis & Co. Auto Group adds six dealerships

Dennis & Co. Auto Group, with the purchase of a Chevrolet-Cadillac store in New York in February, has added six dealerships to its portfolio since mid-2021.

Dennis & Co. of West Nyack, N.Y., on Feb. 8 bought Barton Chevrolet-Cadillac in Newburgh, N.Y., from Rob Barton. The dealership — which just prior to the sale had settled a lawsuit with a former employee — was renamed Unity Chevrolet-Cadillac of Newburgh.

"This location and the addition of Chevrolet and Cadillac to our group is a perfect combination," Brian Dennis, president of Dennis & Co. and chairman of the New York State Auto Dealers Association, said in a statement.

The Chevrolet-Cadillac dealership transaction follows several acquisitions in 2021 for the group Dennis owns.

On Dec. 17, Dennis & Co. bought Alfa Romeo of Manhattan-Maserati of Manhattan and Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram-Fiat of Manhattan in New York from Jonathan Sobel. Those dealership names remain the same, Dennis said.

"We have extensive experience with Stellantis with two stores in the Bronx and were interested in entering the Manhattan market with these brands," Dennis wrote in an email to Automotive News.

In August, the company purchased Buick-GMC of Mahwah in New Jersey from Tony Fernandez. That store name also remains unchanged.

In May, the group bought Carmody Ford in Greenwich, N.Y., from John Carmody. That dealership was renamed Greenwich Ford. Dennis & Co. is expanding that store's service department, adding drive-through service lanes, and is creating a new body shop.

Dennis & Co. also has expanded through new dealership open points. In June, it opened Volkswagen of Nanuet in New York after being awarded the point by the manufacturer. The 30,000-square-foot dealership features a double-stacked electric vehicle display.

With all the acquisitions, Dennis & Co. now has 10 franchised dealerships in New York and New Jersey representing 14 brands. It also has a used-vehicle dealership and two collision centers, according to its website.

"Our focus on customer satisfaction and experience, as well as investing in training and creating opportunities for our employees, has, in turn, provided us the opportunity to accelerate our growth," Dennis said in a statement. "We look forward to implementing our processes and digital strategy at our recently acquired locations and aggressively pursuing future dealerships within our core markets."

Lawyer Stevan LaBonte represented the buyer in the Manhattan dealership acquisitions, while Joseph Bellavia of Protegrity Advisors represented the seller in the Chevrolet-Cadillac dealership transaction. Leonard Bellavia of the Bellavia Blatt law firm advised the seller in that sale, while LaBonte advised the buyer.